Online education considered as attending school? LEON ,Msafiri Please help !!!!

[informatics]

Hi,

I will be eligible to apply for citizenship within few months.When I moved to Canada in 2011,I was pursuing an online degree from a university based in my home country.I completed the last two semesters of my degree after moving to Canada.In Sept. 2013 I started studying (in class) at a post-scondary institution in AB.With my application I am planning to send my post-secondary schools records from Canada.

My question is does online education qualify as "attending the school outside Canada"

As my online degree does not exhibit the word "online" on it ,I was wondering could it give the impression to CIC that during that period I was present in my home country instead of Canada and could increase my chances of getting an RQ ?

What should I do in this scenario ? Declare online degree or not ?

Kindly advise.

Thanks.

 

[touché]

Re: Online education considered as attending school ??? Please help !!!!

Hi,

I will be eligible to apply for citizenship within few months.When I moved to Canada in 2011,I was pursuing an online degree from a university based in my home country.I completed the last two semesters of my degree after moving to Canada.In Sept. 2013 I started studying (in class) at a post-scondary institution in AB.With my application I am planning to send my post-secondary schools records from Canada.

My question is does online education qualify as "attending the school outside Canada"

As my online degree does not exhibit the word "online" on it ,I was wondering could it give the impression to CIC that during that period I was present in my home country instead of Canada and could increase my chances of getting an RQ ?

What should I do in this scenario ? Declare online degree or not ?

Kindly advise.

Thanks.

Just be honest about where you were at each point in time. This should not hurt your case.

 

[informatics]

Re: Online education considered as attending school ??? Please help !!!!

Just be honest about where you were at each point in time. This should not hurt your case.

Thanks for your input .

Any other suggestions ??????

 

[ramsfe]

If you fulfill the 1095 of physical residency in Canada, then you are good to go. If you think that this won't be clear to CIC agents, then you have the possibility of writing a letter to explain the situation

 

[informatics]

If you fulfill the 1095 of physical residency in Canada, then you are good to go. If you think that this won't be clear to CIC agents, then you have the possibility of writing a letter to explain the situation

Thank you so much for your suggestion.Well since I landed in Canada in 2011 ,I have never left the country ,not even for a single day .Infact I intentionally avoided to get even a US visit visa just to minimize my chances of getting RQ.Besides,let me explain ,I completed my online degree only in August 2012 and I plan to apply with just a month after completing my 1095 days (around the first quarter of 2014).So,in that case if CIC takes my online degree period of study as a period spend outside Canada,I will be in much trouble as in that case I will be short of around 1 year of my 3 years requirement.

Secondly as my husband is the only one who has been working, I have been always a homemaker and student (both inside and outside Canada),I do not have any pay stubs to show my period of physical presence in Canada.

In the light of the facts mentioned above ,what you guys could suggest me as I have refrained from making any trips just to avoid getting an RQ in future ,so now I do not want to get one just because of my online degree.

Could getting a CBSA report and sending it with my application could help ?

All suggestions are highly welcomed.

Thanks.

 

[links18]

Yes, you better believe this could be an issue. One of the main things CIC looks at is your education history. They are going to ask you to list all schools attended during the period in question. You received a degree from this institution? Then yes, that is "attending" school. And no, don't expect CIC officials to figure out this was distance learning. You are going to be claiming that you were simultaneously living in Canada while attending a school in another country. This will almost inevitably raise eyebrows.

I know people in a similar boat, who were in Ph.D. programs at foreign universities but wrote their dissertations in Canada. They were regularly given blank stares at the border by CBSA and CBP. How are you living in Canada but going to school in New York City? The idea that doctoral candidates don't necessarily need to be on campus doesn't immediately register with immigration bureaucrats.

Heck, I know a Canadian citizen doctoral candidate at a U.S. university who was simultaneously writing his dissertation and "internet commuting" for a student job at this university while living in Canada. Can you imagine the issues he had when they asked him where he worked at the border?

Can you get a letter from a school official explaining the situation?