Physical Presence/ Temporary Visa Time Calculation/ Tax Questions.

[Scottpark77]

It is a complicated thread. Please be patient with me and your advice will be appreciated.

My temporary Visa status starts from 2012-09-20 as a Study Permit. it ended on 2017-09-30.
My work visa (PGWP) status starts from 2017-11-07. It ends on the date that I became permanent residence on 2019-07-17
There is a gap. from 2017-09-30 to 2017-11-07.

**I have applied my PGWP status on 2017-09-12 but it only got approved on 2017-11-07. What status am I during this time period?
Do I include this period of time into my temporary resident status time?
**(I am from a country that I do not have to have a visa to stay in Canada if it is less than 6 months.)

my estimated date for 1095days in Canada will be 2021-08-15. When I enter the dates (for preparation) the Physical Presence calculator tells me to list periods of time I had authorized temporary resident I had between 2016-08-16 to 2019-07-17.
Do I enter the date the Student permit got approved? (which is, 2012-09-20 to 2019-07-17)
or, do I enter Student Permit from 2016-08-16 to 2019-07-17 since it is asking only the 5 years before application time?

For Tax, Do I only enter the years that I filed INCOME tax? what about other taxes?
I had tax return filed only on 2017 2018 2019.
on 2020 I did not have ANY income. I still field taxes since I am eligible for GST/HST.
on for 2013-2017 years I have filed all the years with T1102A forms, for tuition credits.
do I put yes on 2016 tax filed? for tuition credit? or since it is not a income tax and I did not have any income that year, no?
which years shall I put YES to the years tax filed section?

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

It is a complicated thread. Please be patient with me and your advice will be appreciated.

My temporary Visa status starts from 2012-09-20 as a Study Permit. it ended on 2017-09-30.
My work visa (PGWP) status starts from 2017-11-07. It ends on the date that I became permanent residence on 2019-07-17
There is a gap. from 2017-09-30 to 2017-11-07.

**I have applied my PGWP status on 2017-09-12 but it only got approved on 2017-11-07. What status am I during this time period?
Do I include this period of time into my temporary resident status time?

You would have been on "implied status" when the processing of your PGWP application was in process from 2017-10-01 to 2017-11-06 (It is now known as 'maintaining status', I think). If you were on implied status, it means that you were considered a student legally residing in Canada from 2017-10-01 to 2017-11-06.

See the following FAQs:

Q4: How do I declare time spent in Canada prior to becoming a permanent resident?
Q5: Why should I declare time spent in Canada as a temporary resident?
**(I am from a country that I do not have to have a visa to stay in Canada if it is less than 6 months.)

my estimated date for 1095days in Canada will be 2021-08-15. When I enter the dates (for preparation) the Physical Presence calculator tells me to list periods of time I had authorized temporary resident I had between 2016-08-16 to 2019-07-17.
Do I enter the date the Student permit got approved? (which is, 2012-09-20 to 2019-07-17)
or, do I enter Student Permit from 2016-08-16 to 2019-07-17 since it is asking only the 5 years before application time?

Since you're only being asked information for the past 5 years, enter the start date as 2016-08-16. Another tip for you, never apply with exactly 1095 days, especially if you had trips outside Canada. Also remember, you should be eligible for citizenship ON THE DAY BEFORE YOU SIGN YOUR CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION. Which means, at a minimum, you can only sign the application on the 1096th day of your physical presence. It is best to leave buffer of about 2 weeks to be on the safer side.

For Tax, Do I only enter the years that I filed INCOME tax? what about other taxes?
I had tax return filed only on 2017 2018 2019.
on 2020 I did not have ANY income. I still field taxes since I am eligible for GST/HST.
on for 2013-2017 years I have filed all the years with T1102A forms, for tuition credits.
do I put yes on 2016 tax filed? for tuition credit? or since it is not a income tax and I did not have any income that year, no?
which years shall I put YES to the years tax filed section?

The question specifically asks for Income Taxes. For 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, you can mention 'YES' for both the questions "Required to file taxes?" and "Filed Taxes?". For 2016, I honestly don't know if filing it with "T1102A" form is considered as a part of "Income tax return". May be someone who was a student here and applied for citizenship can be of better assistance for this particular question.

 

[bellaluna]

it’s still an “income tax return” even if no income is declared. Not meant to be taken literally.

Filing your income taxes (even with zero income) is required to be able to claim credits and benefits. If you got a NOA for those years, you’ve declared your income tax.