Researching Citizenship Process, advice?

[Hnhkrk]

Wow. I'm pretty shocked to see so many people so upset about the process we have to go through for citizen ship, and it's making my wonder why?

Here is my situation:

Today, I became a Permanent Resident of Canada. I am a US citizen, and applied for my PR through a spousal sponsorship. I have no criminal record, and my application was processed in a measly 7 months because it was so straight forward and minimalistic. I will be studying for my Bachelors in Canada, and all my certifications will come from the Canadian government.

Basically, I'm going to be settling in Canada and establishing my life here, and I'm curious as to what I'm going to have to go through in order to obtain Citizenship because I would like to be able to vote one day.

From what I've read, people are having serious problems becoming citizens because of their travel records. This worries me a little bit because my whole family lives in the United States, and I will be visiting them two or three times a year. Will this be a problem, or is it only a problem when you spend long periods of time outside of the country?

What exactly is the process of applying for Citizenship, and what is RQ? From what I understood we are supposed to wait 5 years, and then apply for citizenship the same way we applied for residency.

 

[free]

Hi
Do not go back and forth too much or for so long.if in 3 out of 4 years you did not travel out of country many times ,so you would not be in so much trouble.it is advisable to just travel out 1 time in this 3 out of 4 years and for a short time

 

[Swede]

Wow. I'm pretty shocked to see so many people so upset about the process we have to go through for citizen ship, and it's making my wonder why?

Here is my situation:

Today, I became a Permanent Resident of Canada. I am a US citizen, and applied for my PR through a spousal sponsorship. I have no criminal record, and my application was processed in a measly 7 months because it was so straight forward and minimalistic. I will be studying for my Bachelors in Canada, and all my certifications will come from the Canadian government.

Basically, I'm going to be settling in Canada and establishing my life here, and I'm curious as to what I'm going to have to go through in order to obtain Citizenship because I would like to be able to vote one day.

From what I've read, people are having serious problems becoming citizens because of their travel records. This worries me a little bit because my whole family lives in the United States, and I will be visiting them two or three times a year. Will this be a problem, or is it only a problem when you spend long periods of time outside of the country?

What exactly is the process of applying for Citizenship, and what is RQ? From what I understood we are supposed to wait 5 years, and then apply for citizenship the same way we applied for residency.

To be eligible to apply for citizenship you need 3 years of physical presence in Canada, 2 of which as a PR. Any time spent in Canada before you obtained your PR will count for half.

Most people don't have problems becoming citizens, it just takes them a long, long time. At the moment the total processing time for a successful citizenship application is about 24 months and some applicants, it seems especially those who have travelled a lot, get a residency questionnaire (RQ) where they have to provide additional information about their comings, goings and doings in Canada. The processing time for an RQ is an additional 48 months.

Supposedly, the new (November 2012) forms ask for more information than before, so hopefully the need for RQs will decrease in the future.

So, don't worry about being able to become a citizen, but don't count on voting until the next decade...

 

[Hnhkrk]

To be eligible to apply for citizenship you need 3 years of physical presence in Canada, 2 of which as a PR. Any time spent in Canada before you obtained your PR will count for half.

Most people don't have problems becoming citizens, it just takes them a long, long time. At the moment the total processing time for a successful citizenship application is about 24 months and some applicants, it seems especially those who have travelled a lot, get a residency questionnaire (RQ) where they have to provide additional information about their comings, goings and doings in Canada. The processing time for an RQ is an additional 48 months.

Supposedly, the new (November 2012) forms ask for more information than before, so hopefully the need for RQs will decrease in the future.

So, don't worry about being able to become a citizen, but don't count on voting until the next decade...

I'm not that set on voting, It's just something I'd like to do eventually. If it takes 2 years to process my application, I'm fine with it as long as I'm still able to work, go to school, and travel. It sounds like some of these people are complaining too much.

Hi
Do not go back and force too much or for so long.if in 3 out of 4 years you did not travel out of country many times ,so you would not be in so much trouble.it is advisable to just travel out 1 time in this 3 out of 4 years and for a short time

I'm sorry, I don't completely understand what you are saying? I don't plan on staying out of Canada for more than a week or two here and there. I won't be leaving for long periods of time or very often. However, if I can only travel to the US 1 time in 4 years, I'm going to be pretty sad.

 

[free]

I'm not that set on voting, It's just something I'd like to do eventually. If it takes 2 years to process my application, I'm fine with it as long as I'm still able to work, go to school, and travel. It sounds like some of these people are complaining too much.

I'm sorry, I don't completely understand what you are saying? I don't plan on staying out of Canada for more than a week or two here and there. I won't be leaving for long periods of time or very often. However, if I can only travel to the US 1 time in 4 years, I'm going to be pretty sad.

I did not see my family for 3 years.I was alone and single.just had one trip for 1 month in these 3 out of 4 years!I did not have many problems without visiting my family.people are different

 

[Hnhkrk]

I did not see my family for 3 years.I was alone and single.just had one trip for 1 month in these 3 out of 4 years!I did not have many problems without visiting my family.people are different

I left my family last July to stay with my husband while my PR application processed, and it has been really hard. My family and I are really close, and my younger siblings and I are very, very, close (example: I have a sister tattoo covering my whole foot). Are you a US citizen, or is your homeland somewhere over seas? I think that this makes a difference.

 

[Swede]

I'm not that set on voting, It's just something I'd like to do eventually. If it takes 2 years to process my application, I'm fine with it as long as I'm still able to work, go to school, and travel. It sounds like some of these people are complaining too much.

I think many applicants need the passport for travel purposes, but also because they need to go back on extended visits to their countries of origin for various reasons. Personally, the only thing I'm losing out on not being a citizen is my right to vote or run for office.

 

[Hnhkrk]

I think many applicants need the passport for travel purposes, but also because they need to go back on extended visits to their countries of origin for various reasons. Personally, the only thing I'm losing out on not being a citizen is my right to vote or run for office.

Oh, so many people don't have a passport from their counties of origin? How does that even work? Don't you need a passport to get PR?

 

[free]

I left my family last July to stay with my husband while my PR application processed, and it has been really hard. My family and I are really close, and my younger siblings and I are very, very, close (example: I have a sister tattoo covering my whole foot). Are you a US citizen, or is your homeland somewhere over seas? I think that this makes a difference.

they are in asia.everybody misses his or her family.in your situation ,you can increase your tolerance and explain to your family that they can wait.it is up to you. american and canadian systems are not too different in any social aspect

 

[Swede]

Oh, so many people don't have a passport from their counties of origin? How does that even work? Don't you need a passport to get PR?

True, they have passports, but they might not be very "useful" ones, so they need to apply for visas for countries they wish to travel to. Generally, I think not having physical presence requirements is what many are looking for.

 

[Hnhkrk]

True, they have passports, but they might not be very "useful" ones, so they need to apply for visas for countries they wish to travel to. Generally, I think not having physical presence requirements is what many are looking for.

Well if that is someone's main reason for apply for citizenship, I don't feel like they should throw a fit when their intentions are questioned. I feel like an immigrant citizen should care about the country and have an attachment to it, not just want a passport from it because it's more convenient.

 

[eileenf]

Hi, Do not go back and forth too much or for so long.if in 3 out of 4 years you did not travel out of country many times, so you would not be in so much trouble.it is advisable to just travel out 1 time in this 3 out of 4 years and for a short time

Hi Hnhkrk,
Congratulations on landing today!
Regarding future citizenship, the most important thing is to a) apply for citizenship when you meet the residency requirement 1095 days of physical presence out of 4 years, (or ideally have exceeded it by at least a few days b) diligently keep track of all your travel dates, c) keep documentary evidence of your physical presence in Canada, in case you ever need to prove your residence here through a Residence Questionnaire (leases, rent receipts, credit card statements, bank statements, school transcripts, utilities, keeping in mind that online statements typically are only available for 12 months, so download periodically).

Regarding the suggestion to restrict travel to only one time per year or so, there is no guarantee that this will diminish your risk of getting a Residence Questionnaire, and there is no requirement to do so as far as citizenship law go, so I don't recommend making things harder on yourself and your family than they need to be for little if any benefit.

 

[Hnhkrk]

Hi Hnhkrk,
Congratulations on landing today!
Regarding future citizenship, the most important thing is to a) apply for citizenship when you meet the residency requirement 1095 days of physical presence out of 4 years, (or ideally have exceeded it by at least a few days b) diligently keep track of all your travel dates, c) keep documentary evidence of your physical presence in Canada, in case you ever need to prove your residence here through a Residence Questionnaire (leases, rent receipts, credit card statements, bank statements, school transcripts, utilities, keeping in mind that online statements typically are only available for 12 months, so download periodically).

Regarding the suggestion to restrict travel to only one time per year or so, there is no guarantee that this will diminish your risk of getting a Residence Questionnaire, and there is no requirement to do so as far as citizenship law go, so I don't recommend making things harder on yourself and your family than they need to be for little if any benefit.

Thanks!

I don't really plan on stressing about it or restricting my travel to see my family. It's going to be evident where my life is settled by the time I can apply for citizenship, and even if I do receive a RQ, I wouldn't mind. I would rather Canada put me through a few extra steps to keep the leeches and frauds out than have a simplified application process that lets them in.

 

[Halloum]

Congratulations again for landing on this great dominion! My only two pieces of advice for you is to (1) make sure that you get your passport stamped every time you enter or exit Canada; and (2) Maintain your records and documentation.

By the way, some people are stateless, they only have a travel document that allows them to enter all countries but the country who issued this very document. A lot of countries denies the holders of such documents visas. How would you feel if you cannot see your 80 years old parents and your siblings because you are denied a visa in the country they reside and your Canadian citizenship is delayed beyond a reasonable duration of time (and you have never left the country since say 2006 even for a split second)? many other cases where the unreasonable delay restricted career advancement for some. And of course, not everybody's case is like this. Some truly want to get CS ASAP just to flee the next day. So let's stay away from generalising- as only unmature people do this- and let's try to be a little more considerate, especially when we do not have the full picture. Are you aware that recently many people who where lining up for years to become PRs had there applications returned to them because of unbearable backlogs? how would you feel if this happened to you? (and it could happen, if the applications backlog does not get under control any time soon).

All the best !!

 

[eileenf]

even if I do receive a RQ, I wouldn't mind. I would rather Canada put me through a few extra steps to keep the leeches and frauds out than have a simplified application process that lets them in.

I'm not sure what a citizenship leech would be, but I think many of us who have received the RQ wouldn't mind either, if it were indeed just a few extra steps. Unfortunately, as it stands now, it is a confusing, invasive, secretive and poorly administered process. It has unknown delays quoted variously at an additional 1 to 4 years beyond average processing times, contradictory instructions and a dearth of reliable resources to aid recipients in filling it out.

I believe the importance of citizenship cuts both ways. If citizenship is too important to give to the undeserving, it is too important to withhold from the deserving.

This is why many of us are doing our best to advocate for fair and timely processing for citizenship applications. But my advice is to just keep track of your records, live your life and do your best.