PLEASE ADVISE: No Canada Entry Stamps in Passport

[IamAlbertan]

I took the test today and got 20/20. That made me happy. However, i had one issue during the interview with the officer. My passport does not have the entry stamps to Canada. I had two trips- 2012 for 23 days to my home country and 7 days to Mexico in 2013. The officer said that she will request a report from CBSA of my entry records (which will take a week or two). Once they confirm everything, they will send me the notice for oath tAking within 2-4 months.

My questions are:
1. does CBSA have the complete record of our entry to Canada? I dont really remember how they checked my documents when I came back here from those 2 trips.
2. Should this be a major concern for me?

Please share your experience & knowledge regarding this issue. Thank you.

 

[Nainarvet]

I took the test today and got 20/20. That made me happy. However, i had one issue during the interview with the officer. My passport does not have the entry stamps to Canada. I had two trips- 2012 for 23 days to my home country and 7 days to Mexico in 2013. The officer said that she will request a report from CBSA of my entry records (which will take a week or two). Once they confirm everything, they will send me the notice for oath tAking within 2-4 months.

My questions are:
1. does CBSA have the complete record of our entry to Canada? I dont really remember how they checked my documents when I came back here from those 2 trips.
2. Should this be a major concern for me?

Please share your experience & knowledge regarding this issue. Thank you.

CBSA definitely would have record of all your entries into Canada. I guess you would have travelled by air in both cases - i.e., your home country and Mexico. In that case, if you had met with an officer, he would have made an entry in your passport. But being a PR, if you had chosen to use the automated system at the airport to enter Canada (by scanning your PR card and providing travel details), you won't have any entry on your passport, but the CBSA would still have a record of it. So I don't see any issues here and the citizenship officer would be able to verify those dates by getting the CBSA report.

 

[IamAlbertan]

CBSA definitely would have record of all your entries into Canada. I guess you would have travelled by air in both cases - i.e., your home country and Mexico. In that case, if you had met with an officer, he would have made an entry in your passport. But being a PR, if you had chosen to use the automated system at the airport to enter Canada (by scanning your PR card and providing travel details), you won't have any entry on your passport, but the CBSA would still have a record of it. So I don't see any issues here and the citizenship officer would be able to verify those dates by getting the CBSA report.

Thanks for ur response. I really hope that they have the records of my entry. I pointed out to the officer the exit stamps from my home country and from Mexico as proof but she said they need to see the date that I came back to Canada.

Anyone who had the same experience or has Any idea of how this will impact my application?

 

[bambino]

Thanks for ur response. I really hope that they have the records of my entry. I pointed out to the officer the exit stamps from my home country and from Mexico as proof but she said they need to see the date that I came back to Canada.

Anyone who had the same experience or has Any idea of how this will impact my application?

Wow, this a special kind of stupid, and so unnecessary. Those foreign country stamps and your evidence (what you put on the form and told the officer in person) is more than enough for any fair-minded person to conclude on the balance of probabilities, the appropriate onus in these cases, that you had listed the actual travel dates. A-holes!

 

[Smile_Canada]

I have a questions similar to this one,

I remember that when i went to India last time there was no check on Airport about exit from Canada, but Indian authorities put entry stamp but that doesn't verify when u actually exited from Canada

And while coming back Indian authorities again put exit stamp, and i scanned my PR at automated machine, So CBSA have record of entry. But how will they verify exit.

Second question is what abut trips to US by road, agree they scan ur PR cards everytime u enter, again how they verify the exits. Do they get report from US as well.

Third Question,
Why they wait till Test and Interview, to check entry exit stamps and get Reports from CBSA. I think they should get copies of all pages of Passport with application and verify entry/exists before Test. Because test should mean that they have verified everything and its last step for citizenship.

 

[Smile_Canada]

Wow, this a special kind of stupid, and so unnecessary. Those foreign country stamps and your evidence (what you put on the form and told the officer in person) is more than enough for any fair-minded person to conclude on the balance of probabilities, the appropriate onus in these cases, that you had listed the actual travel dates. A-holes!

No I think Ofiicer has valid point, ur exit stamp from Mexico tells u exited Mexico, but do u really reached Canada.

You could go anywhere from Mexico, doesn't prove anything unless they do some entry stamp or computer entry in Canada.

 

[IamAlbertan]

Wow, this a special kind of stupid, and so unnecessary. Those foreign country stamps and your evidence (what you put on the form and told the officer in person) is more than enough for any fair-minded person to conclude on the balance of probabilities, the appropriate onus in these cases, that you had listed the actual travel dates. A-holes!

It is disappointing but Of course I could not argue with the officer or insist my point. I am just concerned of what will be the outcome or will this result to RQ?

 

[bambino]

No I think Ofiicer has valid point, ur exit stamp from Mexico tells u exited Mexico, but do u really reached Canada.

You could go anywhere from Mexico, doesn't prove anything unless they do some entry stamp or computer entry in Canada.

I respectfully disagree The key phrase here is "on the balance of probabilities", meaning is it more likely than not. The evidence before the officer was sufficient to decide that. The CBSA report may help prove almost conclusively that these were the precise return dates, but that is NOT the required standard of proof.

Furthermore, there is no Canadian exit stamp. To paraphrase your statement, "he could go anywhere before Mexico". Looking at the passport, it is entirely possible that IAmAlbertan had spent five months in Guatemala and a year in Mauritius prior to entering Mexico. ;D

 

[IamAlbertan]

I respectfully disagree The key phrase here is "on the balance of probabilities", meaning is it more likely than not. The evidence before the officer was sufficient to decide that. The CBSA report may help prove almost conclusively that these were the precise return dates, but that is NOT the required standard of proof.

Furthermore, there is no Canadian exit stamp. To paraphrase your statement, "he could go anywhere before Mexico". Looking at the passport, it is entirely possible that IAmAlbertan had spent five months in Guatemala and a year in Mauritius prior to entering Mexico. ;D

As much as I wanted to give my opinion to the officer, I just kept my mouth shut. Its just frustrating that this stamp issue seems to be happening to many applicants yet CIC do not revise or improve their rules to address this issue or perhaps CBSA should stamp all passports of the permanent residents. Just saying.

 

[bambino]

And that was absolutely the wise thing to do, my friend. Hope everything in the CBSA report checks out and you become a citizen in a couple of months.

 

[Nainarvet]

I respectfully disagree The key phrase here is "on the balance of probabilities", meaning is it more likely than not. The evidence before the officer was sufficient to decide that. The CBSA report may help prove almost conclusively that these were the precise return dates, but that is NOT the required standard of proof.

Furthermore, there is no Canadian exit stamp. To paraphrase your statement, "he could go anywhere before Mexico". Looking at the passport, it is entirely possible that IAmAlbertan had spent five months in Guatemala and a year in Mauritius prior to entering Mexico. ;D

That's so true! Canadian exits are not recorded and so, can be an issue. From our side, I guess we should try and take a copy of e-tickets to show our itinerary for that trip, which would corroborate the entry stamp in the destination country. I understand this is too much and absolutely not required, but suggesting this only to take the onus on ourselves to prove the dates and to eliminate unnecessary issues at the time of the test.

 

[gee8mail]

I'm also in the same situation. Do anyone know how long will it take from the date of interview till the Oath Letter (Assuming everything is checked out)

 

[thecoolguysam]

I have a questions similar to this one,

I remember that when i went to India last time there was no check on Airport about exit from Canada, but Indian authorities put entry stamp but that doesn't verify when u actually exited from Canada

And while coming back Indian authorities again put exit stamp, and i scanned my PR at automated machine, So CBSA have record of entry. But how will they verify exit.

Second question is what abut trips to US by road, agree they scan ur PR cards everytime u enter, again how they verify the exits. Do they get report from US as well.

Third Question,
Why they wait till Test and Interview, to check entry exit stamps and get Reports from CBSA. I think they should get copies of all pages of Passport with application and verify entry/exists before Test. Because test should mean that they have verified everything and its last step for citizenship.

for first question, they will cross check your indian entry stamp to match your residence calculator to show that you exited canada.

Between canada and usa they now share entry/exit information since 30th June 2013. So when you travel by land to USA and come back to Canada both sides will know when you exited and when you entered.

When you submit your initial application, they verify the details by cross checking your residence calculator and cbsa entries and then they determine the eligibility.
However, when on interview they meet you and check your passport and if they have any doubts regarding your stamps or entries by cross referencing with your residence calculator, they might initiate in depth review. that's why sometimes they either issue small (mini) RQ or full fledged RQ and if doubts are clear then they give you oath letter

Just remember, cic officer will check all your stamps and will tally with your residence calculator.

 

[IamAlbertan]

Will this incident result to an RQ? Has anyone from Edmonton went through the same situation? If so, what happened afterwards? Thanks!

 

[Smile_Canada]

I respectfully disagree The key phrase here is "on the balance of probabilities", meaning is it more likely than not. The evidence before the officer was sufficient to decide that. The CBSA report may help prove almost conclusively that these were the precise return dates, but that is NOT the required standard of proof.

Furthermore, there is no Canadian exit stamp. To paraphrase your statement, "he could go anywhere before Mexico". Looking at the passport, it is entirely possible that IAmAlbertan had spent five months in Guatemala and a year in Mauritius prior to entering Mexico. ;D

Exactly thats my point, the stamps from Mexico doesn't prove anything about Entry/exit from Canada, they need better systems and processes to avoid this whole RQ scenario.

And personally i know few people abusing systems, don't live in country but will use address proofs, utility bills etc to prove their stay in Canada, so CIC officers questioning this is valid.
But due to this sometime innocent people had to go through all this, and culprits still get away with it.