*********Question of residence addresses for the past 4 years*******************

[Munchenxx]

Question to your experts:

I came to Canada with a Work Permit in 2011 and has been living in Montreal since then.

Since many of the houses/apartments in Montreal are not so sound-proof, I can't sleep tight with noise and hence had been moving frequently in my first 1.5 years here.

When I applied for PR in Jun 2012, I use the address of the house that I was living in at that time. After submitted my PR package, I moved to some other places. But to save potential time, I didn't tell CIC of the moves afterwards. Instead, I still used that house address to receive mails from CIC. My ex-roommate helped me to receive these mails.

In Nov 2012, I obtained my PR visa, and I drove by land to the US-Canada board custom port to activate my PR identity. I filled a CBSA landing form there, and provided the SAME house address in the form (In fact I didn't live there in Nov 2012 anymore). That means, during all my PR application period, CIC thought i was living in that house between Jun 2012 to Nov 2012.

Now I am applying for citizenship , and CIC requires me to provide resident addresses of that past 4 years.
I am thinking should I tell CIC the truth now, or should I just provide the house address till Nov 2012 to avoid conflict with my PR application records ？ :'( :'( :'(

One thing I must emphasize: I have been living legally in Montreal since ever and never left except three short vacation round trips.

Thanks a lot!

 

[chikloo]

Question to your experts:

I came to Canada with a Work Permit in 2011 and has been living in Montreal since then.

Since many of the houses/apartments in Montreal are not so sound-proof, I can't sleep tight with noise and hence had been moving frequently in my first 1.5 years here.

When I applied for PR in Jun 2012, I use the address of the house that I was living in at that time. After submitted my PR package, I moved to some other places. But to save potential time, I didn't tell CIC of the moves afterwards. Instead, I still used that house address to receive mails from CIC.
In Nov 2012, I obtained my PR visa, and I drove by land to the US-Canada board custom port to activate my PR identity. I filled a CBSA landing form there, and provided the SAME house address in the form (In fact I didn't live there in Nov 2012 anymore). That means, during all my PR application period, CIC thought i was living in that house between Jun 2012 to Nov 2012.

Now I am applying for citizenship , and CIC requires me to provide resident addresses of that past 4 years.
I am thinking should I tell CIC the truth now, or should I just provide the house address till Nov 2012 to avoid conflict with my PR application records ？ :'( :'( :'(

One thing I must emphasize: I have been living legally in Montreal since ever and never left except three short vacation round trips.

Thanks a lot!

I had the same issue as I moved a lot. I forgot to update my ids/banks regularly as I did not know how long I will be staying there. I listed all the addresses I lived in during the last 4 years. Problem is in some address I did not have address proof as I was crashing with friends. They have also moved out and the landlord did not want to provide any letter stating I was living there during that time. To add to my luck I was given RQ and they asked me to collect documents for all the address I have lived in the last 4 years.

So if you can provide address proof D/L, bank statement, lease or letter from landlord then include it. Worst case if you get RQ you will be able to substantiate it. If not think hard before including that address. You never know what way it will affect you.

 

[Munchenxx]

I had the same issue as I moved a lot. I forgot to update my ids/banks regularly as I did not know how long I will be staying there. I listed all the addresses I lived in during the last 4 years. Problem is in some address I did not have address proof as I was crashing with friends. They have also moved out and the landlord did not want to provide any letter stating I was living there during that time. To add to my luck I was given RQ and they asked me to collect documents for all the address I have lived in the last 4 years.

So if you can provide address proof D/L, bank statement, lease or letter from landlord then include it. Worst case if you get RQ you will be able to substantiate it. If not think hard before including that address. You never know what way it will affect you.

Does CIC check our rental records during the procedure or not? Or they just would ask to check the rental contracts during the final interview?

the landlord is my friend and i just paid monthly rent in cash to him when i lived there.there was no official rental contract at all then. I think it wont be difficult to ask him to provide a contract till Nov 2012.

Again, i have been living in Montreal legally all the time. Also I have been working in the same company as a regular employee since my first day here in Canada. The work record from HR can prove that i am working here physically.

i just dont understand why CIC woudl dive into these details. AS long as i am in Canada physically, what matters which street and which house i live indeed. Stupid!

 

[Munchenxx]

i will reach 1096 days on May 07, 2015, and i would wait one extra week as buffer b4 i submit the application package. Say, around May 15,2015. Hope this can avoid me from getting stupid RQ.

All my entry/leave dates of the vacations have been double confirmed with CBSA and there is no error here.

 

[eileenf]

If you are ever considering not telling CIC the truth about something, it is really important that you consult with a reputable lawyer first. Many applicants prioritize consistency over honesty and double down on elisions of the truth. This is usually a mistake. Sometimes it is a big mistake. There are situations where it may be justified to not tell CIC the whole truth (like refugees who made quick trips back to their home countries to visit a dying family member).

I do not think yours is such a case, but that is a decision that you need to make with a lawyer.

If you cannot consult with a lawyer, default to telling the truth.

 

[Munchenxx]

If you are ever considering not telling CIC the truth about something, it is really important that you consult with a reputable lawyer first. Many applicants prioritize consistency over honesty and double down on elisions of the truth. This is usually a mistake. Sometimes it is a big mistake. There are situations where it may be justified to not tell CIC the whole truth (like refugees who made quick trips back to their home countries to visit a dying family member).

I do not think yours is such a case, but that is a decision that you need to make with a lawyer.

If you cannot consult with a lawyer, default to telling the truth.

the thing is, if i tell the truth now, it would conflict with the address record of my PR application. I mean, anyway i am in Canada. CIC ask these info just to make sure you are in Canada instead of some other country right?

 

[eileenf]

the thing is, if i tell the truth now, it would conflict with the address record of my PR application. I mean, anyway i am in Canada. CIC ask these info just to make sure you are in Canada instead of some other country right?

I will repeat:
Do not prioritize consistency over honesty unless you have the advice of a REPUTABLE lawyer to do so.

The problem comes if you have to provide documentation of your time here. And then you have to admit to lying about where you lived, manufacture evidence or just act shady and vague. Any of these majorly undermines your credibility with CIC. No credibility means a stressful delayed process where everything is called into question, not just a few residential addresses. Do not risk your credibility with CIC unless you are completely informed about the risks. Only a lawyer (or barring that a settlement worker) who knows your case can do that.

In general, PR people are not citizenship people. Different workers, different cubicles, different sections. But yes it is possible that when you renew your PR card the Immigration people could pull your citizenship file. Would they care or even notice the discrepancy in addresses between PR and citizenship? Maybe, maybe not.

You need to have a better gauge of the respective risks. No one on here can tell you that.

Talk to a lawyer.

Good luck. Don't be foolhardy.

 

[alphazip]

You don't say whether each time you moved, you changed the address with regard to your driver's licence, car insurance, bank, employer, etc. If you did, then the proof you may need if you were to get an RQ would not match the address you're claiming on your application. However, you will have to decide for yourself what works best in your situation.