Residence Questionnaire

[rayman_m]

Hi Eileen,

If an applicant job description is: "Real Estate Investment" such as (buy/sale/development/renting etc) but all the transactions/ investment under personal name. In that case writing the words: "Real Estate Investment" under Work/Eduction and writing: "Attached investment and work detail" under the Employer Name would be OK? Include a self explanatory letter with activity details details with property titles and NOA for 3/4 years?

If write the wrod: "Self-Employed" that may not be the correct definition under CRA criteria. As a self-employed under CRA rule a person have to have sole-proprietorship business registration, business bank account, HST etc..

 

[eileenf]

Hi Rayman, I really can't say specifically how you should describe your employment.

Lashari, I have always been confused by question 1 of the RQ, "What was your arrival date in Canada (the date on which you first came to Canada to live or the date on which you became a Permanent Resident of Canada) and what was your status (permanent resident, visitor, student, worker, refugee claimant, etc)?"

My personal understanding was that one should write which ever came first: PR or arrival date in Canada, but I'm not sure. You will have to make your best judgement or consult a lawyer, settlement worker or an immigration professional.

Good luck.

 

[Lashari72]

Hi eileenf,

Thanks for your response.
I guess in my case the answers to Q1 & Q 2 of RQ would be March 2007 - the day I become PR - because my first EVER arrival in Canada was as Landed Immigrant in March 2007. I never come to Canada before as student, visitor etc.
Thanks

 

[rayman_m]

I talked with CIC agent and they said if a person comes before as a visitor but not for LIVE (not lived 183 days) then the 1st arrival to Canada would be the date became PR..

 

[Lashari72]

Hi Reyman_m

Thanks for the info. I never visited Canada before.

See my case is different. My first ever arrival in Canada was as immigrant and become PR on the same day i.e. March 2007. I stayed in Canada for 52 days , got my PR card and went back.

I cam back to Canada in 2010 and at that time I was already PR for 2 and a half years.

so in my case I have only one date of Arrival which is March 2007.

 

[nguyentu2001]

Hi Lashari,
If you received the RQ CIT 0171 092012 last month, that may indicate that the CIC
1. made a mistake,
or
2. sent you a more demanding form because they have more concerns or suspicions of your application.

I say this based on my understanding that the CIC currently tries to send the least demanding document possible to fulfill their concerns. So they'll send CIT 0520 if they only want to ask for a specific document or a few specific documents and CIT 0171 102013 otherwise. If CIT 0171 102013 does not address the concerns, they will ask for more documents afterward. So, if you got the earlier (more demanding) version of the RQ, this may indicate that they have more concerns than normal. If you think that that could be the case, I would recommend that you seriously consider consulting a qualified citizenship lawyer.

Regarding whether you should disclose the property you inherited (with your siblings) outside Canada, I highly recommend always telling the truth, as clearly and simply as possible. If you are considering not telling the truth (which I absolutely advise against) you really need to consult with a lawyer, because saying "no" when the truth is "yes" is risky. What if you go to a citizenship judge hearing and the citizenship judge asks you? Will you still deny it? The judge may sense you're not telling the truth and imagine that you weren't being wholly truthful about other things as well. It just seems like you'd risk undermining your credibility for no good reason.

I would include a copy of whatever documentation you have regarding the inheritance or the property. And write a letter saying "I inherited this property with my 5 siblings at the death of my grandmother on this date (or whatever)." If you can add something about how you're not really involved with the property or that you hired someone else to manage it, put that in. But the CIC does not really care whether you inherited 1000 hectares or 1 hectare.

Also, there is nothing wrong with inheriting property. (As long as your property isn't an al-Qaida training camp or a rogue nuclear reactor, it's not going to be a big problem). Inheriting farm land or an apartment does not mean you're unworthy for Canadian citizenship.

My RQ motto was "the truth is my refuge". I know it's a bit dramatic to have an RQ motto, but it was a good reminder that, even if I'm not the "perfect immigrant" and even if it felt really bad that the CIC seemed to not trust me or my application, I'm not a liar. I did live here for 1098 days before my citizenship application and another 940 days since then. I am worthy of citizenship. I try to remember that I'm worthy and I try to act like it.

Thank you for contributing great info to the forum!!!!