guys, after more than three years of frustrating wait, I became a proud Canadian Citizen last Saturday. Looking back, my case is probably a bit "more interesting" than others. Not that my case is complicated in its basics but some other factors came into play. HERE ARE SOME TIPS AND EXPERIENCES I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO SOME FOLKS HERE.
1. I got RQed almost a year after initial submission. To this date, I still don't know why, the most likely reason for it is that I made several day shopping trip to the states but who knows...we should all stop wasting time on pondering why we've got RQed but focus more on gathering as much info as possible to support your residency.
2. i was 2 days short of the 1095 requirement. I did not realize that until I started doing my RQ...looks like RQ did serve its purpose in my case. It was caused by time difference during some of my long distance travels to Asia. I forgot to take them into account. Because I used foreign entry stamps to count my days , while in fact, I left Canada a day before that due to time difference. I am not sure if CIC is that strict but I do not want to take the chance. I wrote a letter explaining to CIC that it was a honest mistake, and they acknowledged that. I could see an entry in my ATIP report regarding that disclosure. so, being short is not a huge issue as long as it is not meant to mislead or hide something, but I highly recommend leaving a buffer zone after the 1095 days before you apply, just in case.
3. Some people mentioned ordering ATIP can help move your case forward by showing they you are concerned and watching. I am not too sure about that personally. It is just a comfort which allows me to know more info about my progress. I've been ordering ATIP report non-stop , month after month , after my very first request. I just like to get some solid info. Right, since we are here, I like to point out that call center agents sometimes do not have the most updated info. either they don't have the access or they intentionally withhold some facts to avoid further troubles.
4. I was outside of the country on a very important business trip and unfortunately my PR card was expired before I left the country. I really took a chance here to try to come back to Canada with an expired PR card and landing paper, but, hey, it worked. the downside is , I had to drove cross the border from the states.
5. it took me a bit more than 3 years to finish the whole application and only 6 months for a friend of my with no RQ....she is only a week behind me in taking the oath...I mean, it even took me a year to get RQ...CIC really need to be more transparent regarding its service standard.
I wish each and everyone of you the every best, this forum has been a strong support for me during the past three years, I learned a lot and I will continue to share my experience and help others. Have faith, the day will come. cheers.