Single Student Citizenship Application

[keshavkan]

Hello There,

I am a PR and meet the new 3/5 physical presence requirement for citizenship. Just found out about the rule changes so I far exceed it. I couldn't find a sticky/pinned thread with questions, so I'll try asking them here:

1. Are there any additional recommended documents I should attach in addition to all required documents?
2. Q 15a) I'm still a student in fourth year university. Should my university transcript be enough? (I can also provide a high school transcript but that will be from a while ago)?
3. Q 10b) I was in India for more than 6 months during my eligibility period of 5 years. But not in the last 4 years, which is what the question asks for. Should I still get a PCC from India?
4. I became a PR in 2005 with my family. The rest of my family has not stayed back and fulfilled their residency obligation. I have renewed my PR twice so far. Could that conceivably cause any issues with my application? I've been a student for most of that time and did a few internships at notable Canadian companies. Also did an internship in the US.

 

[meyakanor]

You might be able to simply provide transcript to prove English/French language skills. I'm assuming you are attending a Canadian university? Did you finish your high school in Canada?

1. You attended or are currently attending a secondary or post-secondary education program in English or French, either in Canada or abroad.
   • A degree, diploma, certificate or official transcripts from a secondary or post-secondary education program showing you studied in English or French, in Canada or abroad.
   • If the original document is in a different language, include:
     • a letter from the school showing that the language of instruction was in English or French along with
     • an official translation of the original document and
     • the address and contact information (phone number) of the education institution

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/application-forms-guides/guide-0002-application-canadian-citizenship-under-subsection-5-1-adults-18-years-older.html

About police certificate from India, the requirement is that, if you spent more than 180 days in any one particular country within the past 4 years, then you should provide PCC, otherwise you don't have to.

However, IMO, if it's not that hard to obtain Indian PCC, you should attempt to get it anyway, since you spent a significant amount of time (over 180 days) in India within the relevant period.

 

[keshavkan]

You might be able to simply provide transcript to prove English/French language skills. I'm assuming you are attending a Canadian university?

Yes. It's a Canadian university. Sorry forgot to mention that.

 

[meyakanor]

Yes. It's a Canadian university. Sorry forgot to mention that.

The instruction guide I quoted above clearly mentioned that you only need to provide official transcript of the university you are currently attending, and that should be enough to satisfy the language requirement. I would still include the high school diploma though (since, I guess, you also finished high school in Canada?).

 

[keshavkan]

The instruction guide I quoted above clearly mentioned that you only need to provide official transcript of the university you are currently attending, and that should be enough to satisfy the language requirement. I would still include the high school diploma though (since, I guess, you also finished high school in Canada?).

That is true. Thank you meyakanor!

 

[afiasco]

Hey, I'm also a student and I was wondering about Q. 11. I meet the residency requirement as of last month. I'm trying to list exactly what I was doing from 2013 to 2018. Bear with me.

For Q. 11
So I started Uni in Canada in 2014. Do I need to mention what I was doing in 2013? I was in high school, and unemployed. Since it asks to not leave any gaps do I mention was in high and unemployed?

Every summer I went back home to Pakistan for a few days for vacation. Do I need to mention this in Question 11? And tell them what I was doing every summer vacation? If so, who would be the contact?

Since I started university in Canada in 2014, should I list my undergraduate duration (2014-2018) ONLY ONCE like this:

2014-2018 UBC, Canada, College Registrar, 250XXXX,

or should I break it up into

2014 sept - april 2015: UBC 1st year student, Vancouver

2015 Summer vacation, location

2015 Sept - april 2016: 2nd year student, name of school, country, contact

2016 Summer Vacation, location

2016 Sept - april 2017: 3rd year student, name of school, country contact.

and so forth.

I know I'm probably messing with everyone's brains right now, but I have no shame in asking stupid questions. And I've gone over threads and not found the answer to this.

 

[btbt]

Hey, I'm also a student and I was wondering about Q. 11. I meet the residency requirement as of last month. I'm trying to list exactly what I was doing from 2013 to 2018. Bear with me.

For Q. 11
So I started Uni in Canada in 2014. Do I need to mention what I was doing in 2013? I was in high school, and unemployed. Since it asks to not leave any gaps do I mention was in high and unemployed?

Every summer I went back home to Pakistan for a few days for vacation. Do I need to mention this in Question 11? And tell them what I was doing every summer vacation? If so, who would be the contact?

Since I started university in Canada in 2014, should I list my undergraduate duration (2014-2018) ONLY ONCE like this:

2014-2018 UBC, Canada, College Registrar, 250XXXX,

or should I break it up into

2014 sept - april 2015: UBC 1st year student, Vancouver

2015 Summer vacation, location

2015 Sept - april 2016: 2nd year student, name of school, country, contact

2016 Summer Vacation, location

2016 Sept - april 2017: 3rd year student, name of school, country contact.

and so forth.

I know I'm probably messing with everyone's brains right now, but I have no shame in asking stupid questions. And I've gone over threads and not found the answer to this.

So, your application is going to be read by a human being, so as long as it's clear what you mean you'll be fine.

Yes, you need to be mention what you were doing in 2013, as that falls within the five years before the day you'll be applying.

You can list year by year, with summer vacations interspersed. You could also just have one entry that spans the whole of your time at uni, and then have extra entries for summer jobs if you had them -- you can have overlap, you just can't have gaps. Listing the main items first (being a student was your main activity) makes that more obvious. But going just chronological is fine, too. So pick whichever makes most sense to you.

(If you do list summer breaks on their own entries: the contact would be "n/a" as there is nobody but you to talk to about that "activity")

You don't need to mention your vacations in Pakistan in q.11. You will have to list them in your physical presence calculation, but it would only make sense to list going to Pakistan in q.11 if you studied or worked there, or took care of family, or if you were there for a long time. Question 11 is about the big activities (work, school, retirement, homemaking, unemployed/searching for work), not about a short vacation.

 

[afiasco]

So, your application is going to be read by a human being, so as long as it's clear what you mean you'll be fine.

Yes, you need to be mention what you were doing in 2013, as that falls within the five years before the day you'll be applying.

You can list year by year, with summer vacations interspersed. You could also just have one entry that spans the whole of your time at uni, and then have extra entries for summer jobs if you had them -- you can have overlap, you just can't have gaps. Listing the main items first (being a student was your main activity) makes that more obvious. But going just chronological is fine, too. So pick whichever makes most sense to you.

(If you do list summer breaks on their own entries: the contact would be "n/a" as there is nobody but you to talk to about that "activity")

You don't need to mention your vacations in Pakistan in q.11. You will have to list them in your physical presence calculation, but it would only make sense to list going to Pakistan in q.11 if you studied or worked there, or took care of family, or if you were there for a long time. Question 11 is about the big activities (work, school, retirement, homemaking, unemployed/searching for work), not about a short vacation.

Thank you so much for clarifying!
Also, are we putting down the addresses for work and school in Q. 11 or where we were living/sleeping at that time.

"Physically located" is exceptionally vague.

 

[btbt]

Thank you so much for clarifying!
Also, are we putting down the addresses for work and school in Q. 11 or where we were living/sleeping at that time.

"Physically located" is exceptionally vague.

"Physically located" while doing that activity, i.e. while you were a student and taking classes. So the address of the school will do. If your university had multiple campuses I would just give the main one; it's clear which institution you were at for that time period.

If you want to write down where you lived at the time you'd do that in Question 10. If you had an official address and also student accommodation you can enter both there, or add a letter explaining that, during the academic term, you lived in student housing and provide the details in that letter.