London, ontario citizen applicants

[Han]

If you are out of country for more than a specific period of time you have to inform IRCC, no? I am not sure how long is that time though.

No, there is no such rule.

I was eligible when I applied and I am only travelling for 5 weeks and I don't loose my PR status during that time.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=911&top=5

 

[Owais Iqbal]

No, there is no such rule.

I was eligible when I applied and I am only travelling for 5 weeks and I don't loose my PR status during that time.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=911&top=5

Gotcha. I read somewhere on the forum that you have to inform them if you are out of country for more than 2 weeks. Not that it would affect your application but rather for communication purposes. But the link above clearly doesn't show any of that. Thanks for sharing!

 

[yezdi_in]

I know it's depressing. We don't have many people from London on this forum. It will give us a better picture if we knew how timelines are for other people. I hope you get a test invite soon.

Thanks for the wishes

My PR card expiring in July. Do you think I have to apply to renew that? Since test is not over yet, I'm not sure whether citizenship process will be completed before July. I think we can apply PR card renewal six months before expiry and they may take a few months to issue renewed card.

So, is it required to apply for PR card renewal now?

 

[SideshowLoki]

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, there is no Canadian consulate in my home country.

I don't know if letting them know about my trip would change my timeline or not. I kinda prefer not to inform them to avoid any possible delays. The trip is only to visit my family.

You absolutely HAVE to tell them because if you don't and you're stuck, it could halt your timeline altogether- plus, the IRCC asks you to inform them of any and all travel plans; I think it's taken into account against your application, but I am not entirely sure about that so don't quote me on it. Also... I mean, at this point, you could also get the test invite while you're out of the country too, which would royally suck.

 

[SideshowLoki]

Thanks for the wishes

My PR card expiring in July. Do you think I have to apply to renew that? Since test is not over yet, I'm not sure whether citizenship process will be completed before July. I think we can apply PR card renewal six months before expiry and they may take a few months to issue renewed card.

So, is it required to apply for PR card renewal now?

Well, if you're travelling somewhere within that time frame, I'd renew it; otherwise, I'd just let it expire and when the test comes by just mention that it seemed like a waste of time to renew it to just hand it over at the oath ceremony... Keep in mind though it's about 60 days or so to get the card renewed.

 

[Han]

You absolutely HAVE to tell them because if you don't and you're stuck, it could halt your timeline altogether- plus, the IRCC asks you to inform them of any and all travel plans; I think it's taken into account against your application, but I am not entirely sure about that so don't quote me on it. Also... I mean, at this point, you could also get the test invite while you're out of the country too, which would royally suck.

Please share the link for that information. Where does IRCC say that we HAVE to inform them if we leave after submission?
Thanks.

 

[SideshowLoki]

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=911&top=5

Here you go. While it does not state in black and white, "you must tell us", it can be read in-between the lines that you have to or you risk your application being halted.

 

[yezdi_in]

Well, if you're travelling somewhere within that time frame, I'd renew it; otherwise, I'd just let it expire and when the test comes by just mention that it seemed like a waste of time to renew it to just hand it over at the oath ceremony... Keep in mind though it's about 60 days or so to get the card renewed.

Thanks for the reply

 

[Owais Iqbal]

Thanks for the wishes

My PR card expiring in July. Do you think I have to apply to renew that? Since test is not over yet, I'm not sure whether citizenship process will be completed before July. I think we can apply PR card renewal six months before expiry and they may take a few months to issue renewed card.

So, is it required to apply for PR card renewal now?

I think there's no harm in getting it renewed. You never know when you need it to travel outside the country and where your application would be at that time. Better be save than sorry. As for whether we should inform them, I am pretty sure I have read somewhere that we should inform if we are out of country for more than 2 weeks. Again, it's for communication purposes. Because if you get invite to test and then you reschedule, it takes months to get new date. So I'd say that being proactive would be better. It's your choice in the end. Whichever you think is best for your application.

 

[Han]

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=911&top=5

Here you go. While it does not state in black and white, "you must tell us", it can be read in-between the lines that you have to or you risk your application being halted.

Well, this is the link that I posted myself in a few comments above! I can not read anywhere in this text that we HAVE to inform them of our trips or we may be penalized. I read it a few times carefully and I am sure that it doesn't even imply such a thing. I have a few friends who traveled back home and got their citizenship recently. They did not inform IRCC and when I told them about "you Have to inform them or ...." they were surprised!

Please correct me if I am wrong. If not, please don't spread wrong information and stop making new rules.

 

[Owais Iqbal]

Well, this is the link that I posted myself in a few comments above! I can not read anywhere in this text that we HAVE to inform them of our trips or we may be penalized. I read it a few times carefully and I am sure that it doesn't even imply such a thing. I have a few friends who traveled back home and got their citizenship recently. They did not inform IRCC and when I told them about "you Have to inform them or ...." they were surprised!

Please correct me if I am wrong. If not, please don't spread wrong information and stop making new rules.

My dear friend, you don't HAVE to inform. They won't penalize you if you don't inform. All is good if you have your PR status up to date and meet all the requirements. As far as I understand, informing them is a good idea as you never know when they are going to request to appear for test or oath. There are a few people who got scheduled for a date for which they already had plans and paid for. They requested a change in the date and were stuck for months and months before rescheduling.

 

[SideshowLoki]

Well, this is the link that I posted myself in a few comments above! I can not read anywhere in this text that we HAVE to inform them of our trips or we may be penalized. I read it a few times carefully and I am sure that it doesn't even imply such a thing. I have a few friends who traveled back home and got their citizenship recently. They did not inform IRCC and when I told them about "you Have to inform them or ...." they were surprised!

Please correct me if I am wrong. If not, please don't spread wrong information and stop making new rules.

I am not spreading wrong information though. It does tell you that you MUST attend all of the appointments- and you can't do that if you're not in the country!

Since the test invitation arrives 9.5 times out of 10 by email, you might have enough notice to tell them about you won't be able to attend- but there are posts that can attest to the fact that sometimes it doesn't! You want to keep the IRCC in the loop at all times about your travel plans so you're not being scheduled to show up for a test/hearing/ceremony while you're not here. If you receive an invitation after a whole lot of time waiting and you're not here and you have to re-schedule, it could take months to have them re-schedule it- now that is a truth!

I mean, it only takes a quick phone call to tell the IRCC that you're not in the country and you'll be back on x date, so it's really in your best interest to inform them. You honestly don't know when you're going to get an invitation and what the dates are, so you just tell them to avoid any delay.

 

[Han]

I am not spreading wrong information though. It does tell you that you MUST attend all of the appointments- and you can't do that if you're not in the country!

Since the test invitation arrives 9.5 times out of 10 by email, you might have enough notice to tell them about you won't be able to attend- but there are posts that can attest to the fact that sometimes it doesn't! You want to keep the IRCC in the loop at all times about your travel plans so you're not being scheduled to show up for a test/hearing/ceremony while you're not here. If you receive an invitation after a whole lot of time waiting and you're not here and you have to re-schedule, it could take months to have them re-schedule it- now that is a truth!

I mean, it only takes a quick phone call to tell the IRCC that you're not in the country and you'll be back on x date, so it's really in your best interest to inform them. You honestly don't know when you're going to get an invitation and what the dates are, so you just tell them to avoid any delay.

You said that it says in the link that "you HAVE to inform IRCC" as it is a law! What I am saying is that there is no such thing as a rule established by IRCC! You are not doing anything illegal by not informing IRCC about you trips. You DO NOT HAVE TO inform IRCC about your trips.

About test or oath attendance and receiving emails or letters, etc. being out of Canada doesn't mean one can't get the letters! Simply ask a friend or neighbor you trust to check your mail box. You receive test invite and the date is earlier than you arrive? Change your return flight. As simple as that!

Still none of these mean that you HAVE to inform IRCC or you will jeopardize your citizenship! That is false information.

 

[Han]

My dear friend, you don't HAVE to inform. They won't penalize you if you don't inform. All is good if you have your PR status up to date and meet all the requirements. As far as I understand, informing them is a good idea as you never know when they are going to request to appear for test or oath. There are a few people who got scheduled for a date for which they already had plans and paid for. They requested a change in the date and were stuck for months and months before rescheduling.

I am not too sure about that. What if I inform them and they totally forget about inviting me at a later date/ We know that this has happened to some people. They postpone the invitation and then they totally forget about it. I am willing to pay for flight ticket cancellation and reschedule my trip to make it to the citizenship test. So what is the point in informing them? Although, it is reallyyy too early for an Aug. applicant to be invited to the test.

 

[Owais Iqbal]

I am not too sure about that. What if I inform them and they totally forget about inviting me at a later date/ We know that this has happened to some people. They postpone the invitation and then they totally forget about it. I am willing to pay for flight ticket cancellation and reschedule my trip to make it to the citizenship test. So what is the point in informing them? Although, it is reallyyy too early for an Aug. applicant to be invited to the test.

True but for some people it's not possible to change their flights or change their travel plans. If your travel plan is not flexible then you should definitely inform IRCC. In the end, it's not a requirement as per the links I have dug through so far. It's your choice.