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RQ versus Physical Presence Questionnaires, including CIT 0205

kl_king

Full Member
Oct 20, 2017
26
15
For Ontario there is a standard form to submit

I would assume that BC and Alberta have the same type of process. I don't think that this is for the specific doctors surgery, but for provincial level data.
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,449
3,202
Good morning, a welcome home present after my holiday has arrived, in the form of a letter titled Quality Assurance exercise and request for additional evidence. As has been specified by other posters in this forum, this letter specifically states that "Your application was randomly selected for a special review exercise in connection with the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's (IRCC) Quality Assurance programme." The package that i have received includes:

- A covering letter
- Form CIT 0205 (05-2017) E - Physical Presence Questionnaire - Quality Assurance Exercise
- Appendix - Required Documents
- Request for fingerprints
- Request for a non-family member Canadian citizen as a reference who has known me for at least 2 years
- A consent form for a disclosure of the history of arrivals and departures in the Unites States

Speculatively, I am from a Visa except country and have travelled to the US through the land border several times during the eligible period (for single day meetings). In the list of required documents this consent for disclosure form is specifically refereed to as "Consent to I-94". This could, potentially, be one of the reasons for this process in the case of my application.

There is nothing particularly surprising in the list of requested documents:
- Colour photocopies of all pages of passports from the relevant period
- Entry/ Exit records issued be the countries of your citizenship and/or all countries of current or past (permanent or temporary) resident status other than Canada.
- Provincial / Territorial Personal Health Claims summary
The a longer list of other if scenarios and required paperwork for rentals, home ownership, studying, employment / benefits claims, business ownership / self employment, and professional association memberships.

I'll be happy to answer specific questions relating to these forms if it is of use, and I suspect shall shortly be asking some of my own!

Oh, and the letter was dated 14th December, but not received by me until after the new year, so very helpful for the 60 days to respond (30 is stated in the FP letter separately.)
Sorry to see you are among the selected. But thank you for your detailed accounting of what is requested. Even though it is largely the same as others have now reported, it is helpful to get this level of detail and to have corroborating reports.

We are now getting a more clear picture of the WHAT in the PPQ-QAE procedure. There is little indication, in contrast, of the WHY . . . the communication from IRCC says this is "random," but whether that means it is truly a blind draw of any application from all applications, or whether IRCC is screening applications according to some specified criteria, is NOT certain. And many suspect it is not a blind draw from all applications.

The "WHAT" will not illuminate the "WHY" but if there are differences in the WHAT, if what some applicants are asked to provide in conjunction with the PPQ (CIT 0205) differs from what others are asked to provide, that would at least suggest some criteria is employed.


THUS, HERE IS A QUERY for all those who so far have received the PPQ-QAE:

In addition to confirming that the questionnaire form received is CIT 0205 titled "Physical Presence Questionnaire - Quality Assurance Exercise" please confirm which, if any, of the following was NOT received as part of the PPQ-QAE:
  • FP request
  • Canadian citizen reference form
  • Consent for U.S. travel history disclosure form
  • An appendix listing required documents, including
    • Passports
    • Entry/Exit records from other countries
    • Provincial Health Claim Summary
    • Applicable documents related to residence, school, work, or business
I realize some have already provided this level of detail, and that helps. I also realize some may otherwise be reluctant to share details. Thus, I am not expecting everyone listed below to respond. In any event, so far the following have reported receiving the PPQ-QAE (or are reporting on behalf of another applicant who has received):

@alsaour
@omerhaha
@srionline117
@Natan
@galant
@Fiore2017
@placebo1234
@Romans8:28
@IvanP
@cherif2100
@canadapr98
@Husky9
@joksol
@kl_king

If everyone is receiving precisely the same requests that will NOT confirm for sure this really is a RANDOMLY imposed procedure, but if there are significant differences in what affected applicants are asked to provide, that would tend to indicate there is some criteria involved.

CAVEAT: Unfortunately this is the kind of procedure IRCC tends to be secretive about and even though it has been in play for some time, suddenly many many more applicants are getting this. Which is to say we are probably in the early stages of this escalated scrutiny. Which is to recognize that those of you who are now going through this, will go through this with little information about how IRCC is in practice handling these cases. IT IS GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME TO LEARN HOW THINGS WILL GO IN THIS PROCESS.

When CIC implemented the pre-test RQ program in 2012, for example, it took three to four months just to get a grasp on the scope of what CIC was doing, and much longer to see how it was going to go for those applicants affected (my guess at the time was way off, it ended up taking CIC many, many months longer to handle qualified applicants than I had guessed it would).


Another PPQ recipient query from other thread:
My question is on form CIT 0205 ( 11-2017 ) E.
Question # 2: During the eligibility period, have you worked, studied or lived in any country other than Canada?

I do not work or live in USA but I attended 1 week training twice in Houston Texas and Denver Colorado USA respectively. No or YES ?

Is the answer YES or NO
My response in that thread:

Best response is probably "yes" if it was a formal training course and a certificate (or such) was issued upon completion.

BUT only you can decide how to best respond to this. Again, the best answer is probably "yes" but perhaps it is "no." AND the real best answer is what you understand to be an accurate (truthful) response to the question as YOU understand it.

I'd guess there is not much at stake in how you answer this, either way, relative to taking a brief training course, even if it was a formal course which resulted in being granted a certificate of completion. The more formally structured the training was probably pushes the better answer toward a "yes" but I doubt it matters much. And overall, being more forthcoming and forthright tends to be the better approach, which tends to push the better answer toward a "yes." But how you respond to this question is really up to you, your call.

Observation: More than a few persons applying for citizenship may be inclined to answer questions like this in a way they believe will better help their case. That inclination should be ignored. The best answer is the accurate answer, EVEN IF the applicant apprehends that answer might cause some concerns. Answer accurately. If the accurate answer might raise concerns, consider how to best deal with that; do NOT consider giving a different answer because of that.

Note: Among the more or less obvious assumptions underlying this response, a key one is that all absences from Canada were accurately reported in the presence calculation.
 

cherif2100

Hero Member
Mar 1, 2012
574
27
Visa Office......
Beirut
NOC Code......
3012
App. Filed.......
2011/11/21
Doc's Request.
2012 / 07 /10
Nomination.....
2012/10/ 06
AOR Received.
2012 /12 / 19
File Transfer...
2013 to bucharest
Med's Request
2013/09/24
Med's Done....
27-SEP-2013 // in process 9 Nov
Interview........
2012/11/21
Passport Req..
2014/04/15
VISA ISSUED...
2014/04/23
LANDED..........
2014/05/14
• document number for a renewed passport would be the number provided on the bio page or only the number mentioned on the renewal page ? Noting that the number of the bio page is the one showing at the bottom of all the pages... thanks!
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,449
3,202
• document number for a renewed passport would be the number provided on the bio page or only the number mentioned on the renewal page ? Noting that the number of the bio page is the one showing at the bottom of all the pages
I am not sure what this question is about.

Note, for example, that the passport information submitted in response to PPQ should be the SAME as was provided in Item 14 in the current application form (application form also asks for place of issue).

(PPQ appendix also instructs applicant to submit photocopies of ALL pages of all relevant passports.)

Obviously, if there is a difference between the passport information submitted in the application (CIT 0002 (10-2017), Item 14, versus the PPQ (CIT 0205 (11-2017), Item 5, what is different should be acknowledged and explained on a separate page.

The passport number, or "document" number, should be fairly obvious. Most passports specifically identify this number as the passport number and it is also embedded in a machine readable string.


Some general observations:

Obviously, the "document number" depends on the particular document. While almost all passports are structured according to certain uniform international standards, there are nonetheless variations possible from country to country. The location or designation of the document number for a passport can thus vary some depending on which country issued it, but generally it should be easily identified.

Most passports I am familiar with specifically reference the "Passport No." (in respective language) in the upper right corner of the bio page (upper right relative to position held reading the bio page, which is often perpendicular to the other pages) and also have that number embedded in a machine-readable string along the bottom. This number is not shown on other pages in the passports I am familiar with (noting again, passports vary some from country to country).


Renewed or Extended Passports:

Generally, there is a difference between a renewed passport which involves being issued a new passport (which typically but not necessarily will mean a new document number), versus a type of renewed passport which is renewed by making an addition or modification to it (possibly included added pages). Or, otherwise extending a passport's validity which similarly involves a modification or addition to the existing passport in effect making it valid to a future date beyond the original expiry date. This is more likely to involve variations from country to country than how the passport number (document number) is designated and displayed.

Generally, an addition to a document, including a passport, does not change the document number.
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,449
3,202
Just keeping up with other forum participants reporting the PPQ-QAE, to the extent I notice them:

No idea. For me status is still IP even though i received PPQ/RQ/FP. :( there is no 4th line for me.
my fingerprint agency had no option to send directly to IRCC. so RCMP send FP certificate to me. i have to post all my docs together including PPQ/RQ and FP, etc..etc..
If you see this, and are willing, can you confirm that your PPQ included all of the following in addition to the PPQ form itself (CIT 0205) and the FP request:
  • Canadian citizen reference form
  • Consent for U.S. travel history disclosure form
  • An appendix listing required documents, including
    • Passports
    • Entry/Exit records from other countries
    • Provincial Health Claim Summary
    • Applicable documents related to residence, school, work, or business
 

JamesBond007

Star Member
Dec 9, 2014
113
12
Just keeping up with other forum participants reporting the PPQ-QAE, to the extent I notice them:



If you see this, and are willing, can you confirm that your PPQ included all of the following in addition to the PPQ form itself (CIT 0205) and the FP request:
  • Canadian citizen reference form
  • Consent for U.S. travel history disclosure form
  • An appendix listing required documents, including
    • Passports
    • Entry/Exit records from other countries
    • Provincial Health Claim Summary
    • Applicable documents related to residence, school, work, or business
Yes. they requested all of these documents you mentioned.
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,449
3,202
Yes. they requested all of these documents you mentioned.
Appreciated.


More in effort to keep up-to-date with forum participants reporting the PPQ-QAE -- this is another applicant who applied BEFORE the changes taking effect October 11, 2017, who received what appears to be the PPQ-QAE package.

It's a full Residence Questionnaire, the envelope enclosed the following:-
1.) A physical presence questionnaire
2.) A list of required documents
3.) A letter requesting fingerprints
4.) A form requesting a reference
5.) A consent from
i just received same letter
please can i got your help in some parts
HI
what should i do at the end of the questionnaire where they keep space for
IRCC address (please Affix Label)
thanks
I responded in the other topic.

My impression is that the package you received (containing the PPQ-QAE questionnaire) should have included a label with the correct IRCC office address for processing your response to the questionnaire. If there is no such label, call the IRCC help centre (can be difficult to get through so you may need to be both persistent and patient) and ask. When you do this be sure to specifically state the formal name of the form/questionnaire. You do not state what that is but I infer you are asking about CIT 0205 titled "Physical Presence Questionnaire - Quality Assurance Esercise" and if I am correct, be sure to be clear this is the form/questionnaire you are asking about.

Otherwise, be sure to send your response to the address that IRCC provides. Read all the information IRCC sent with the correspondence which was probably labeled "QUALITY ASSURANCE EXERCISE AND REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE" and make sure you are sending in the response to the proper office. If you do that, even if you leave the space for the label blank it should be OK.

There is a lot more information and discussion about this questionnaire in other topics, including in particular one titled "RQ versus Physical Presence Questionnaires, including CIT 0205" and another titled "Randomly selected for quality assurance."
 

luic

Full Member
Feb 27, 2016
49
0
Just keeping up with other forum participants reporting the PPQ-QAE, to the extent I notice them:



If you see this, and are willing, can you confirm that your PPQ included all of the following in addition to the PPQ form itself (CIT 0205) and the FP request:
  • Canadian citizen reference form
  • Consent for U.S. travel history disclosure form
  • An appendix listing required documents, including
    • Passports
    • Entry/Exit records from other countries
    • Provincial Health Claim Summary
    • Applicable documents related to residence, school, work, or business
1. Any idea how long the US retains travel history going backwards?
2. Does the US travel history refers to I-94 or IRCC will get a different certificate of travel movement? if different, is the scope of travel coverage the same as in I-94 or is it possible that each of them renders different travel movements?
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,449
3,202
1. Any idea how long the US retains travel history going backwards?
2. Does the US travel history refers to I-94 or IRCC will get a different certificate of travel movement? if different, is the scope of travel coverage the same as in I-94 or is it possible that each of them renders different travel movements?
There are others in the forum who are far more acquainted with the U.S. Travel History and how to obtain it.

Additionally, there are other threads in which travel history is the subject of discussion, including some in which U.S. Travel History is the focus of discussion.


Hi: I submitted the documents today for the PPQ.

I will contact IRCC tomorrow whether they received the PPQ File which I sent.
Good to see reports about progress in dealing with this process, and it should indeed help if those affected can update the forum periodically.

It would be especially helpful for those affected to report being scheduled for the test and interview, if and when that happens of course. IRCC has stated that applicants subject to this procedure should not see any delay in processing. Whether that is even possible remains to be seen.


As for contacting IRCC to check if a submission has been received, unless the applicant has some reason to be concerned about delivery there is little reason to contact IRCC to confirm receipt. While it should make little difference, remember than any contact about the case file in particular results in a notation of the action in the file . . . so a reviewing agent will see every occasion the applicant made a case specific contact. That should not affect decision-making much, if at all, but some might perceive that applicants with reason to be confident about their case are less likely to be concerned, and the converse for those with reason to lack confidence . . . and go looking to find the weakness that undermines the applicant's confidence. Again, not likely to raise a red flag but most applicants prefer to totally minimize the risk of drawing unwanted attention to their application.



REMINDERS:

-- Always make a full and accurate copy of what is being submitted before submitting it. Inconvenient, yes. But there are many reasons for doing this.

-- Use a courier service with tracking to submit. Not necessary to use registered service; no need to obtain a signature upon deliver. But using a courier service with tracking sufficiently increases the already high probability the package is delivered, and the applicant can confirm delivery without making a case specific inquiry to IRCC.
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,449
3,202
I overlooked another forum participant reporting PPQ-QAE (recent post quoted here, and then some older posts posted below):
This question is for all but for seniors especially.
I had received a QAE request and I am in process of collecting a zillion documents that they have asked for.
My question is that does this request delay your application ?
I checked few forums and blogs on the internet and it suggests that it took almost 3 years sometimes to finalize a case receiving RQs. (this was Harper era 2012-2015). Did anything change now with RQ applications ?
Also, Does you application become non-routine because of this request ? I called up IRCC & they told me that there is no such thing as "non-routine" now- they have stopped doing that ?
is that true ?
I was thinking of going to school in the US for 2 years but this request has slowed down my process and plans.
My response there:

Also see discussion in the topic titled "RQ versus Physical Presence Questionnaires, including CIT 0205"

The cover letter most receive, and I assume you have as well, states:
"Being selected for this exercise should not delay the processing of your application as long as you provide the documents as requested."

Whether that will be the usual case remains to be seen. At the least, though, there is reason to hope that IRCC will make a concerted effort to avoid delays for applicants hit by the PPQ-QAE.

There are some similarities between this PPQ-QAE and the notorious surge in RQ (2010 to early 2012), and the draconian pre-test RQ policy attendant OB-407 in 2012, the latter of which nearly brought all citizenship application processing to a standstill and resulted in scores of qualified applicants suffering delays for two and three years. But there are also some significant differences. The label is one, this being called a Quality Assurance Exercise and which is purportedly RANDOM. While there is reason to doubt it is entirely random, it appears that IRCC is making an effort to process this relatively in-stride, so to say, as if those selected can anticipate having their application processed more or less in queue.


Routine vs Non-routine:

During the Harper government years CIC was reporting timelines based on whether the application was routine or "non-routine," with "non-routine" meaning anything outside the specific standard steps and actions. Thus, for example, any request for additional information, including Finger Prints, rendered the application "non-routine." BUT it was not as if the label meant anything in particular beyond that, beyond the mere fact there was some additional action, some of which had little impact on the overall timeline while others, like a full-blown RQ, could have a big impact on the timeline.

I often use "non-routine" in a more generic sense, meaning about the same thing, as in something outside or in addition to the usual steps and actions. I typically limit references to non-routine cases to things which do tend to actually involve significant other actions which are likely to affect the timeline. The fact that IRCC is no longer identifying applications as "non-routine" means little or nothing. Applications diverted from the mainstream processing track are, in practice, in effect, diverted from the routine processing track . . . hence, non-routine. And likely to take longer.

How much longer is currently a wide, wide open question.

I have some guesses. Some working-speculation. But there is not enough reliable information yet to practically discuss those guesses.

While the parameters of what happened in the 2010 through mid-2013 period are relatively well-known now, in retrospect, back then it took a long time for forum participants to learn much detail about the escalated rate of RQ generally (2010 to early 2012), and then it took many months for us to figure out what was happening after OB 407 implemented a draconian pre-test RQ regimen in April 2012 (OB 407 was NOT publicly published; it took from April when it first took effect into mid-summer for us to even learn about OB-407 let alone get much of a handle at all on what was happening, and then it took months more to learn some of the details . . . and it was not until well into 2013 that the impact could be assessed, and even then we were still guessing a lot).

Summary: we do not really know how this is going to go.

Confession: I was among those who underestimated the impact of OB-407 . . . and I did so by quite a lot. At least six months or so for those who were on the better end of the pre-test RQ process. So I am not making any bets on this one. I lean toward thinking it will not be anywhere near as bad as it was 2010 to 2013 (by 2014 most of the long delayed cases were resolved, but a sizable number did continue to take longer and longer) but we just do not know . . . and as bureaucracies are wont to do, subsets of clients can too often, too easily, suffer from lack of attention.
Other posts (in other topics) relevant to reported PPQ by @Chai_to_Double-double

Hi All,
I have received a random PPE request and IRCC has asked me for zillion documents.
its going to be a lot of work for me.

I have travelled to Cuba & India during my relevant period. I tried to reach out to Indian High Commission & they have told me that they dont keep such entry/exit records. Cuban Embassy haven't even bothered to respond to me. I don't think they will. I was just a mere tourist in that country for 2 times for 1 week each. (like other hundreds of thousands of Canadians that go for the all inclusive trips to Cuba.

What should I do ? IRCC should know that its almost impossible to provide such ridiculous documents.
Also, I have fallen out with one of my landlords with whom I stayed for about 3 years. I don't any rental contract or lease. What should I do to prove my residency ? I was employed for the entire duration of my relevant period.

Senior please advise.
My concern is that what if I provide credit card statements- All months & maybe cellphone bills for some of the months during which I was a resident at that address... Will that suffice for address confirmation ?

Also, Can they still contact that landlord if I state that I fell out with my landlord, My fear is that he is gonna say no that I was not living there as we ended things on a bad note.
What will suffice is a huge question with many subparts, many contingencies. Credit card statements alone are not likely to suffice, but what matters is whether the other information and documentation complete a picture showing where you lived, where you worked or went to school, a paper trail of a life being lived in Canada.

IRCC can engage in an active investigation, including making telephone contact or such. Whether they will do so for one past landlord, that seems less than likely but possible. Main thing is whether there is something in your information, or the absence of information or documentation, which leads IRCC to have overt suspicions. If there is nothing to make IRCC suspect you have misrepresented your address or time in Canada, the odds of that kind of probing are probably small.
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,449
3,202
From another topic, another victim:

Hi Guys
I have some question in regard to my app’ication That I was hoping some one could help , I submitted my application on 31 October got my AOR on 14 dec & in process on 3 Jan .. I just received the letter that my application been gone under a quality assurance review ... they asked me a lot of supporting documents ( finger print, employment letter, travel history , etc )... one of them is an entry/exit record for the countries I have visited .. I got it for my US travels but for my travels back home ( Iran) I can’t collect it since we do not have any embassy in Canada but the records are traceable from my passport stamps ( in & out ) if I provide the copy of these pages would be sufficient ? Or what would be next step I could take .... any one think that I better to get lawyer at this stage ? Thanks for your comments & help
See discussion in many posts above.

My guess is you received the same collection of requests as others who have received the PPQ-QAE (CIT 0205 plus additional requests), and thus you probably received a consent form allowing IRCC to directly access your U.S. Travel History from the U.S. If so, if you also got this consent form for the U.S., sign and submit that, no need to submit a travel history from the U.S. UNLESS there is a specific request for the U.S. travel history.

As discussed above, the applicant needs to make a concerted, diligent effort to submit what he or she can. But of course applicants cannot submit what they do not have and cannot REASONABLY obtain. I am not familiar with what it would take to obtain a record of movement from Iran, or whether one can be obtained at all. But, if it is not possible to obtain one through a reasonable effort IN CANADA, the applicant can and should explain that. IRCC knows what it takes to obtain Travel History or Record of Movement from other countries. So as long as your explanation is truthful, that it is true you cannot reasonably obtain the record IN CANADA, that should suffice. Obviously, while an applicant may be obligated to diligently make a genuine request for documents from other government bodies, including foreign governments, an applicant cannot reasonably be obligated to travel abroad for that purpose and almost certainly would not be expected to do that. But, again, IRCC is acquainted with how individuals can obtain such records, if they can be obtained.

Beyond that, perhaps read much of the discussion in previous posts and if you still have questions, come back and ask.

And if you could provide some detail, at least in confirming or not confirming you received what most others are reporting they received with the CIT 0205 PPQ-QAE, that would help the forum advance its understanding of this profoundly intrusive and inconvenient process.