RQ versus Physical Presence Questionnaires, including CIT 0205

[Kambiz2002]

@dpenabill

Once again thank you for you response. There are couple of points about your argument above: you have mentioned that But "these days RQ is NOT common. These days there are so few reports of full-blown RQ it appears to actually be fairly unusual."

I am not sure how you can make such a claim. I understand some people may choose to share information on this forum, but some or many may choose not to do so. We don't know the answer to that. Also, last year there has been a very large influx of citizenship application for the IRCC. So, it is possible (in all likelihood actually) that IRCC might have referred all the cases which it had even some unanswered questions about a particular applicant (and maybe particular groups of people of certain backgrounds which I might be able to prove as times passes by in my own forum) to receive the RQs (either CIT 0520 or 0171) so it could be processed at a later date once they have processed enough "routine applicants" as they like to call it. So, I am happy you got your citizenship without the "nightmare" of RQs, but for those of us who receive them specially from countries which seem to have been more likely to have received them, it is not the end of the world. My suggestion to all applicants is that as long as they are honest with every detail, it should work out fine, but there could a significant delay.

 

[Kambiz2002]

I forgot to answer your question about why I might have received the RQ: I had extensive travel, self-employed history, short buffer days (less than a month) but that was the only way that could I have applied as I was both helping family abroad for a bit less than two years out of 5 and living in Canada at the same time. I understand it is not the case with many applicants and it is also something that IRCC may not see every day. BUT I HAVE BEEN VERY HONEST ABOUT THE NUMBER OF DAYS I STAYED IN CANADA WHICH WHERE OVER 1095: I exactly had 1095 days + my buffer days and I can prove that beyond a reasonable doubt.

If a reasonable person would spend the "time" on the application, they should be able to notice it as I spent a good number hours preparing it, making sure it was easy to follow, and also to back it up. I am also well prepared (at this stage which is the full RQ) to provide whatever extra docs that it would prove my physical presence whether it is in front of a CJ or if it is needed at the federal court.

 

[dpenabill]

There are couple of points about your argument above: you have mentioned that But "these days RQ is NOT common. These days there are so few reports of full-blown RQ it appears to actually be fairly unusual."

I am not sure how you can make such a claim. I understand some people may choose to share information on this forum, but some or many may choose not to do so. We don't know the answer to that.

It is true that the number of applicants being issued RQ is NOT known and NOT easily estimated. Not usually. There were periods of time in the past when we had a lot more detailed information, including the actual number of RQ'd cases.

So I do not attempt to estimate how many get RQ today. But over the course of the last ten years the forum reports of RQ have varied at least roughly proportionate to what was known, when we did have such information (at times in the past we did have access to a lot, lot more information from CIC/IRCC, including monthly RQ numbers for some periods of time). And there is enough of a pattern, over the decade, to roughly indicate that currently RQ is not all that common. Which makes sense given a lot of changes which should reduce the number of applications involving uncertainties which cannot be resolved by specific documents or the CIT 0520 requests.

why I might have received the RQ: I had extensive travel, self-employed history . . .
. . . BUT I HAVE BEEN VERY HONEST. . .
. . . If a reasonable person would spend the "time" on the application . . .

Based on what you report about your situation, it is easy to see how total stranger bureaucrats might see a need to more thoroughly screen the requirements and require proof. More than a few immigrants have lives which cannot avoid such scenarios. They carry a bigger burden than most. As I previously noted, the full-blown RQ is more non-routine than other non-routine processing. And of course by their nature bureaucracies struggle to handle even routine matters efficiently. The more non-routine a matter is, the less efficient a bureaucracy tends to handle it. Machines are prone to jam if there are wrinkles.

The ultimate outcome, however, will most likely be based on a fair and reasonable assessment of the information provided. May take some time getting there. That is the process.

Indeed, it is very likely that a Citizenship Officer will take the time to carefully assess your information, and very likely that Citizenship Officer will be a reasonable person. The amount of time your application will sit in a queue before that happens, however, tends to be significantly longer than many think it should be.

If the Citizenship Officer does not see things the same way you think the officer should, enough so the Citizenship Officer is not satisfied, the procedure prescribes that person's judgment alone is NOT enough to deny the application. In this event the application will be referred to a Citizenship Judge and the worst case scenario is you get an opportunity to address the CJ about your case, an opportunity to persuade the CJ of your credibility and qualification for citizenship.


Note Re Honesty:

A common confusion about credibility is that it is based on honesty. Honesty is a big factor, of course, but more in the way any hint of dishonesty tends to severely compromise if not destroy a person's credibility.

BUT credibility itself is about the extent to which an individual can be relied upon to be an accurate reporter, not just an honest reporter. Thus, for example, innocent mistakes do not mean an individual is dishonest. BUT they are examples of not being an accurate reporter. The extent to which innocent mistakes might compromise IRCC's perception of an applicant's credibility will vary, of course, depending on the nature, extent, and frequency of such errors. And of course not all errors are created equal, so some mistakes can loom much larger than others.

The converse will ordinarily work in favour of an applicant who gets the details meticulously right. Scores of applicants are off by a day here or there, many because they rely on things showing when they arrived somewhere (be that passport stamps or something else) to report the date they left Canada, when in fact they left a day earlier. Usually this is no big deal, so long as they had a margin to easily cover any such mistakes. In contrast, the more thoroughly accurate an applicant is, about the dates, the more that bolsters the applicant's credibility as an accurate reporter . . . which should help the total stranger bureaucrat be comfortable relying on the applicant's other information.

There are of course many other factors which can influence perceptions of credibility. Law enforcement investigators remark that their suspicions are often more aroused by someone providing too much information, especially when someone offers an explanation for something before an explanation is asked for or offers elaborate details in response to a straight-forward question.

In any event, the more precisely accurate the information you provided, the more that is likely to make it easy for a Citizenship Officer to be satisfied with your evidence.

 

[Kambiz2002]

@dpenabill

Thanks for the detailed info. I actually totally agree and appreciate all your points above. Your explanations about honesty, credibility and how the non-routine cases put a large burden on the decision makers makes sense. Yet, there are people like me here and there that due to extenuating circumstances might barely meet the requirements, but yet they do meet them and the law is very clear.

 

[Moood]

HI MY UPDATE
APPLICATION RECEIVED 16 OCT 2017
IN PROCESS 5 DEC 2017
FULL RESIDENTIAL QUESTIONNAIRE 15 DEC 2017
REPLY FOR RQ 22 JAN 2018
TEST 4 APRIL 2018
DECISION MADE 5 DEC 2018
CEREMONY 15 JAN 2019
TOTAL JOURNEY 15 MONTHS
THANK YOU EVERY ONE I HOPE EVERY BODY WILL GOT IT SOON

 

[SunnyWays]

Best I can surmise this probably means your grant of citizenship has been approved and you will be scheduled for the oath. My GUESS is that will happen sooner rather than later, but the timeline is not easily forecast.

So, this is almost certainly good news and congratulations are probably in order.

I do not follow, not much, the details about when and how IRCC communicates such progress to the client/applicant. It is likely, very likely, that how this goes now is very much consistent with how it goes for routinely processed applicants generally. Including variations in how it goes (there is a tendency among some to think things will go the same for everyone when in fact anecdotal reporting overwhelming shows quite a lot of variation from one applicant to another). Including variations in the timeline between the Decision Made and when the oath is actually scheduled.

@dpenabill

finally the road to citizenship has ended for me and I am one proud Canadian Citizen, thank you very much for your contributions,
for everyone else waiting for the process to end, the only thing i can suggest is to wait((as if you don't know that already lol))but a quick tip, i ordered my GCMS notes almost every month to see what was happening with my file, so it is your call if you want to do it, at least in my case some changes of dates on GCMS notes always gave me the hope that someone is working on my file and it is not sitting somewhere collecting dust,
Good Luck!

 

[sonny_saa]

Hey guys so I received the infamous cit 0520 form during my interview.

Here's what went down:

I moved from Alberta to Ontarion 1.5 years ago but never switched out my driver's license or health card because I sold my car and stopped driving and I haven't been to a doctor in years so I never bothered with getting new ids (not the smartest move I know)

The officer wasn't pleased at all that I decided not to switch out my id's, later in the interview she asked me what I do. I'm self employed and that's what I told her. At that point she asked me to provide my income tax returns for the past 2 years and mentioned that once she receives them then she can process the file further.

During the interview it seemed that she wasn't satisfied that I was actually residing in Ontario.

I've sent her the docs and my tax papers clearly show my Ontario address.

What's your take, will I get a decision soon?

 

[click.trick]

Hey guys so I received the infamous cit 0520 form during my interview.

Here's what went down:

I moved from Alberta to Ontarion 1.5 years ago but never switched out my driver's license or health card because I sold my car and stopped driving and I haven't been to a doctor in years so I never bothered with getting new ids (not the smartest move I know)

The officer wasn't pleased at all that I decided not to switch out my id's, later in the interview she asked me what I do. I'm self employed and that's what I told her. At that point she asked me to provide my income tax returns for the past 2 years and mentioned that once she receives them then she can process the file further.

During the interview it seemed that she wasn't satisfied that I was actually residing in Ontario.

I've sent her the docs and my tax papers clearly show my Ontario address.

What's your take, will I get a decision soon?

why did they ask for income tax returns? they didn't get those from CRA directly..?
did u get the CIT 0520 or just were asked for tax returns?

I would send any document to clarify the doubt she has, if its regarding residence, I would recommend to send any other document that proves your residence in Ontario

 

[dpenabill]

Hey guys so I received the infamous cit 0520 form during my interview.

Here's what went down:

I moved from Alberta to Ontarion 1.5 years ago but never switched out my driver's license or health card because I sold my car and stopped driving and I haven't been to a doctor in years so I never bothered with getting new ids (not the smartest move I know)

The officer wasn't pleased at all that I decided not to switch out my id's, later in the interview she asked me what I do. I'm self employed and that's what I told her. At that point she asked me to provide my income tax returns for the past 2 years and mentioned that once she receives them then she can process the file further.

During the interview it seemed that she wasn't satisfied that I was actually residing in Ontario.

I've sent her the docs and my tax papers clearly show my Ontario address.

What's your take, will I get a decision soon?

As you have learned, inconsistent information in a citizenship application tends to raise questions. Submitting identification (in this instance invalid identification) which purportedly shows that where you live is thousands of km from where you claim to be living, in the application, is indeed something that waves a rather obvious RED FLAG.

(Reminder: Provincial drivers license requires notification to the issuing agency of an address change within a specific period of time, which varies from province to province but typically is 30 or 60 sixty days. Technically your Alberta drivers license was NO LONGER a valid form of identification, even if you nonetheless presented it as such and it was accepted as such (just because it is common to get away with something does NOT mean that meets the rules); I'm assuming IRCC has otherwise been satisfied you have established your identity.)

You do not indicate what else was requested in the CIT 0520 you personally received. As others report, best you can do at this stage is fully respond to IRCC requests.

Depending on what questions or concerns the interviewer has, and similarly the Citizenship Officer responsible for your application, and of course depending on your timely response to the CIT 0520, this may result in a moderate delay or a long delay. These days even moderate delays appear to be quite lengthy. But some reports reflect only a short delay. So you could be scheduled for the oath soon. Or not for many months. Or you could be issued further requests for additional information or documents.

Odds are you will NOT receive a decision soon. You might. But probably not.

That said, as to the interviewer's demeanor and apparent concern you have not been living in Ontario, it is very difficult to discern much from an interviewer's demeanor or apparent attitude, or even the interviewer's comments. Sometimes they are more challenging just to see how the person reacts.

BUT to be sure, if they have actual concerns about whether you have in fact been living in Ontario, those are concerns about whether you have in fact been living in Canada. If your information and documentation satisfies them that your address history, in your application, is accurate, things should go OK. But otherwise, IRCC is NOT much interested in whether you may have been living in another province. The concern is whether you have been outside Canada. OR the concern is that you have made material misrepresentations about where you in fact live. Both of which would NOT be good. The latter particularly not good.

 

[sonny_saa]

As you have learned, inconsistent information in a citizenship application tends to raise questions. Submitting identification (in this instance invalid identification) which purportedly shows that where you live is thousands of km from where you claim to be living, in the application, is indeed something that waves a rather obvious RED FLAG.

(Reminder: Provincial drivers license requires notification to the issuing agency of an address change within a specific period of time, which varies from province to province but typically is 30 or 60 sixty days. Technically your Alberta drivers license was NO LONGER a valid form of identification, even if you nonetheless presented it as such and it was accepted as such (just because it is common to get away with something does NOT mean that meets the rules); I'm assuming IRCC has otherwise been satisfied you have established your identity.)

You do not indicate what else was requested in the CIT 0520 you personally received. As others report, best you can do at this stage is fully respond to IRCC requests.

Depending on what questions or concerns the interviewer has, and similarly the Citizenship Officer responsible for your application, and of course depending on your timely response to the CIT 0520, this may result in a moderate delay or a long delay. These days even moderate delays appear to be quite lengthy. But some reports reflect only a short delay. So you could be scheduled for the oath soon. Or not for many months. Or you could be issued further requests for additional information or documents.

Odds are you will NOT receive a decision soon. You might. But probably not.

That said, as to the interviewer's demeanor and apparent concern you have not been living in Ontario, it is very difficult to discern much from an interviewer's demeanor or apparent attitude, or even the interviewer's comments. Sometimes they are more challenging just to see how the person reacts.

BUT to be sure, if they have actual concerns about whether you have in fact been living in Ontario, those are concerns about whether you have in fact been living in Canada. If your information and documentation satisfies them that your address history, in your application, is accurate, things should go OK. But otherwise, IRCC is NOT much interested in whether you may have been living in another province. The concern is whether you have been outside Canada. OR the concern is that you have made material misrepresentations about where you in fact live. Both of which would NOT be good. The latter particularly not good.

Ok, in my application I clearly stated that my current address was in Ontario and I mentioned that I moved from Alberta. I wasn't aware that I'm legally obliged to switch out my license or notify them of an address change.

The only thing that was asked of me in the cit form was to provide income tax return for 2016+2017. I'm not sure why she only asked for that if she was trying to establish my residency in Canada. Also, she wrote her name on the top of the form and asked me to send it back to her with my returns.

 

[dpenabill]

in my application I clearly stated that my current address was in Ontario and I mentioned that I moved from Alberta. I wasn't aware that I'm legally obliged to switch out my license or notify them of an address change.

If the address history you submitted is accurate, that is what IRCC asked for. Sometimes applicants will be required to provide proof, and some more proof than others. But the truth works. That's why the conventional wisdom emphasizes being truthful. That is what works best most.

As for not being aware about about the need to notify Provincial drivers license authorities about a change in address, as true as that might be, that's a hard sell (file it with excuses like "the dog ate my homework," which is entirely possible but teachers do not buy it, not usually). But as I noted, as long as IRCC was satisfied as to your identity, that works.

But it is a RED FLAG. For multiple reasons (and actually the bigger reason is the inconsistency as to address).

On the other hand, a RED FLAG is just that, something likely to be noticed leading to additional questions, and then what matters is whether the totality of circumstances suggest cause for real concern, and whether the applicant can provide further information or documentation that resolves whatever concern there is. Applications are NOT rejected because there is a RED FLAG. Applications are rejected if upon further investigation due to a RED FLAG IRCC finds grounds to reject it.

Leading to this:

The only thing that was asked of me in the cit form was to provide income tax return for 2016+2017. I'm not sure why she only asked for that if she was trying to establish my residency in Canada. Also, she wrote her name on the top of the form and asked me to send it back to her with my returns.

As I also previously noted, it is very difficult to discern much from how the interviewer acts . . . BUT this at least looks like a good sign. It is a very limited request, for one thing, signaling there is not a lot of concern (that is why I previously referred to what else was requested; makes a difference).

The limited request signals a copy of your returns corroborating your employment history information should readily resolve whatever issue there is. That also suggests less delay rather than more. (Problem with this is that many are reporting rather long processing times even when their case is still totally routine . . . so it is still very difficult to guess how long this will take.)

I am curious what issue you think the tax returns are about IF NOT to corroborate your account of presence/residence in Canada? There is NO employment or income requirement to be granted citizenship. Obviously the request for tax returns is to corroborate your work history, which is considered for the purpose of corroborating residence and presence in Canada. The CIT 0520 is specifically about providing documentation related to evidence of presence in Canada. As noted, if this is the only documentation requested, that is likely a good sign, a sign the interviewer had few real concerns and is focused on verification, and is proceeding on the basis that your tax returns should resolve any questions.

IRCC does NOT engage in GOTCHA games. They see a RED FLAG, sure they make further inquiry. If your information adds up and is mostly consistent, and to the extent further requests are made you provide that information timely, NO PROBLEM.

But the timeline, that is still difficult to predict.

 

[SANAGhada]

@dpenabill

finally the road to citizenship has ended for me and I am one proud Canadian Citizen, thank you very much for your contributions,
for everyone else waiting for the process to end, the only thing i can suggest is to wait((as if you don't know that already lol))but a quick tip, i ordered my GCMS notes almost every month to see what was happening with my file, so it is your call if you want to do it, at least in my case some changes of dates on GCMS notes always gave me the hope that someone is working on my file and it is not sitting somewhere collecting dust,
Good Luck!

Congratulations where is your location office and your total trip period

 

[sainswapna]

I have been following this thread closely for last one year. I guess it's about time to share my timeline.
Location: Ottawa
Single 1465
Received: Aug last week, 2018
AOR: Nov 1st week 2018
In Process: Nov last week, 2018
Test Invite: Jan 3rd week, 2019
Test & Interview: Feb 1st week, 2019
RQ Lite: received within a week after interview CIT 0520 (06-2015) E - Request for supplementary evidence. Replied within a week.
Decision Made: Mar 2nd week, 2019
Oath Invite: Mar 3rd week, 2019
Oath: Apr 2nd week, 2019 - completed!

I am cross border commuter (weekly 2010-2016 and daily for the last 2 years) with no Canadian employment history. I always maintained a meticulous travelogue of all my trips. After applying for citizenship based on my findings in this forum I had requested OHIP records, CBSA reports, FOIA records up front and had them in hand at the time of interview. Meantime I had gathered all possible documents they could ask as well (EZpass/toll, rental agreements, bills, bank statements, etc.). I was expecting a tough interview but to my disbelief, it went very well. The officer asked a few questions about my employment across the border, and family (who are Canadians already), it seems she tried to establish my strong ties to Canada. She looked through all the pages of my passports but it was just too much information to crosscheck. I told her about CBSA/FOIA reports I had readily available, she said no and asked me to hold onto them for a while just in case. She said (affirmingly) that I would hear back about the decision in 4-8 weeks. In a week after the interview, I received RQ Lite: CIT 0520 (06-2015) E - Request for supplementary evidence requesting employment letter and wage documents. Replied back within a week. Got decision made and oath invite after a month. As Depenabill mentioned in a couple of posts from the past, having consistent entry/exit travel history and PR renewed before you apply for citizenship might help your case (more than you would think!). Thanks to all the people who shared their stories, especially Dpenabill for his valuable inputs. Some ignorant users might think Dpenabill posts are too long, please remember when it comes to immigration the devil is in the detail. Better be a defensive pessimist than a complaining optimist. For last one year, I spent hours consuming all shared information in this forum (using search keywords, time filter) which helped me with the preparation.

Best wishes to all waiting!

 

[k300k3]

I have been following this thread closely for last one year. I guess it's about time to share my timeline.
Location: Ottawa
Single 1465
Received: Aug last week, 2018
AOR: Nov 1st week 2018
In Process: Nov last week, 2018
Test Invite: Jan 3rd week, 2019
Test & Interview: Feb 1st week, 2019
RQ Lite: received within a week after interview CIT 0520 (06-2015) E - Request for supplementary evidence. Replied within a week.
Decision Made: Mar 2nd week, 2019
Oath Invite: Mar 3rd week, 2019
Oath: Apr 2nd week, 2019 - completed!

I am cross border commuter (weekly 2010-2016 and daily for the last 2 years) with no Canadian employment history. I always maintained a meticulous travelogue of all my trips. After applying for citizenship based on my findings in this forum I had requested OHIP records, CBSA reports, FOIA records up front and had them in hand at the time of interview. Meantime I had gathered all possible documents they could ask as well (EZpass/toll, rental agreements, bills, bank statements, etc.). I was expecting a tough interview but to my disbelief, it went very well. The officer asked a few questions about my employment across the border, and family (who are Canadians already), it seems she tried to establish my strong ties to Canada. She looked through all the pages of my passports but it was just too much information to crosscheck. I told her about CBSA/FOIA reports I had readily available, she said no and asked me to hold onto them for a while just in case. She said (affirmingly) that I would hear back about the decision in 4-8 weeks. In a week after the interview, I received RQ Lite: CIT 0520 (06-2015) E - Request for supplementary evidence requesting employment letter and wage documents. Replied back within a week. Got decision made and oath invite after a month. As Depenabill mentioned in a couple of posts from the past, having consistent entry/exit travel history and PR renewed before you apply for citizenship might help your case (more than you would think!). Thanks to all the people who shared their stories, especially Dpenabill for his valuable inputs. Some ignorant users might think Dpenabill posts are too long, please remember when it comes to immigration the devil is in the detail. Better be a defensive pessimist than a complaining optimist. For last one year, I spent hours consuming all shared information in this forum (using search keywords, time filter) which helped me with the preparation.

Best wishes to all waiting!

Congratulations ..and thanks a lot for your input on your timeline. I too received RQ lite in March 1st , 2019 and responded by the end of March
and am now waiting . For me, I sent in my credit and bank statements as well along with employment history. Haven’t renewed PR yet though since it won’t be expired in 9 months anyway.

 

[Kambiz2002]

I have been following this thread closely for last one year. I guess it's about time to share my timeline.
Location: Ottawa
Single 1465
Received: Aug last week, 2018
AOR: Nov 1st week 2018
In Process: Nov last week, 2018
Test Invite: Jan 3rd week, 2019
Test & Interview: Feb 1st week, 2019
RQ Lite: received within a week after interview CIT 0520 (06-2015) E - Request for supplementary evidence. Replied within a week.
Decision Made: Mar 2nd week, 2019
Oath Invite: Mar 3rd week, 2019
Oath: Apr 2nd week, 2019 - completed!

I am cross border commuter (weekly 2010-2016 and daily for the last 2 years) with no Canadian employment history. I always maintained a meticulous travelogue of all my trips. After applying for citizenship based on my findings in this forum I had requested OHIP records, CBSA reports, FOIA records up front and had them in hand at the time of interview. Meantime I had gathered all possible documents they could ask as well (EZpass/toll, rental agreements, bills, bank statements, etc.). I was expecting a tough interview but to my disbelief, it went very well. The officer asked a few questions about my employment across the border, and family (who are Canadians already), it seems she tried to establish my strong ties to Canada. She looked through all the pages of my passports but it was just too much information to crosscheck. I told her about CBSA/FOIA reports I had readily available, she said no and asked me to hold onto them for a while just in case. She said (affirmingly) that I would hear back about the decision in 4-8 weeks. In a week after the interview, I received RQ Lite: CIT 0520 (06-2015) E - Request for supplementary evidence requesting employment letter and wage documents. Replied back within a week. Got decision made and oath invite after a month. As Depenabill mentioned in a couple of posts from the past, having consistent entry/exit travel history and PR renewed before you apply for citizenship might help your case (more than you would think!). Thanks to all the people who shared their stories, especially Dpenabill for his valuable inputs. Some ignorant users might think Dpenabill posts are too long, please remember when it comes to immigration the devil is in the detail. Better be a defensive pessimist than a complaining optimist. For last one year, I spent hours consuming all shared information in this forum (using search keywords, time filter) which helped me with the preparation.

Best wishes to all waiting!

Congrats!