stanka said:
Can someone please explain me how citizenship calculator works?
I came to Canada in January 2009 and became PR in March 2012. I would be eligible to apply for citizenship in March 2014 but I had to leave Canada for 3 months. So logically I should be able to apply in July 2014 - to compensate for the 3 months of absence. However when I use citizenship calculator it tells me that I will be eligible in September 2014 as if I was absent for 6 months. How come?
Calculator is correct. Look at it this way-- there's a relevant 4 year period window that covers a period from your anticipated application date to back exactly 4 years. You have to have at least 1095 days at application date.
But you have periods of non-PR time where days count as 1/2, so at minimum you'd need 2 years as non-PR + 2 years as a PR to apply and you'd need to use all days in these 4 years.
You might think that because you left for 90 days, application date would just move 3 months ahead, but that's not what happens.
When you're absent, you not only not accumulating new days, but you also losing those 1/2 days each day from 4 years back, because a relevant 4 year window moves.
When you're absent for 90 days, you lose 90*1/2=45 days that drop out from calculation. Just to get back to where you were before leaving country, you need to stay in Canada for 90 days more (each passing day you gain 1 full day and lose 1/2 day from 4 years back, so net gain is 1/2 day while you continue using non-PR time for calculation).
That's why when you leave for 3 months, you can't just move application date 3 months ahead, you have to compensate for drop out days. To compensate it takes the same amount of time you left for.
Ex: had 900 days at some point in time -> left for 90 days -> ended up with 855 days on return -> stay 90 days more to make up to 900 days = 180 days delay (not 90).
I know, I was confused by this too.
