starting to fill application forms ---any words of advice!!!!!??

[vvargas]

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by all the paper I printed off yesterday. There's so much to fill in and read at the same time, I'm scared I will miss something which will result in the application to be either delayed or rejected!!!!!! Is anyone a canadian citizen but doesn't know when they became a citizen?? My citizenship card says - YP (which I assume means year processed) 90 ---- so i'm guessing it was some time in the year 1990... how can I find out exactly what date???????

 

[AllisonVSC]

I can't help with your citizenship question, but I'm sure someone else here will. As for the feeling overwhelmed and worried, I think that's a pretty normal reaction to a first read of the papers. But considering that the application process is cumbersome and confusing, here are my suggestions.

1. Read everything at least twice. Mark the parts which are confusing and unclear and ask about those here.
2. Consider making a rough draft of the application pages and read it for errors several times before making a final. I caught mistakes and had to make changes right up until the day I mailed mine.
3. Make a list of things to do and documents to acquire.
4. Use sticky notes to point you to parts of the app you still need to attend to.
5. Pay attention to the checklists. They will help you focus and help you arrange your documents.

And when in doubt, ask the forum. It is a very active place, and no doubt several people will respond with suggestions, clarifications, or tales of how they handled it. Best wishes for a smooth process! Allison

 

[MandiF]

Sorry I don't know about the citizen question either, but I would say, is answer everything truthfully.

If you don't know something, or are unsure, don't just make it up, or leave it out because its easier/less complicated/is too hard to explain. Answer everything as full and truthfully as you can, as if you get caught out in an untruth, that's the end of the process, misrepresentation and banned from Canada.

Its happened a few times recently to the people on the forum, and its just not worth it.

 

[Canooknic]

My old citizenship said '88, so I assumed the same as you. I only send my application off 3 weeks ago so unfortunately don't know if its right or not !! Sorry, not a lot of help, but at least we both came up with the same answer !

 

[dair2dv8103100]

I unfortunately do not have advice...but I do have a question

Maybe there is a thread for this already??

I am starting to look at the forms and when they ask for husbands Details of Family Members does this include family that does not live with him. Ie; sisters that are married and living in another city? a brother that is in Boston ??? how the heck are we supposed to get a photo of him when he has been living in Boston for like 3 years and very little contact with the family.

He has 7 living siblings, 2 deceased siblings. His father is deceased and mother is living. He lives in the family home only with his mother when she visits there. Otherwise she stays with one of the sisters. We have to fill out and provide photos of all these people??

 

[Cdagal]

The only ones whom you need pictures for (or medical examinations) would be your spouse and any of his own dependant children so that they can be later sponsored as well. Additional family information is just name, address and birthdate of the parents and siblings. There is no requirement for examinations or pictures of those people.

 

[dair2dv8103100]

The only ones whom you need pictures for (or medical examinations) would be your spouse and any of his own dependant children so that they can be later sponsored as well. Additional family information is just name, address and birthdate of the parents and siblings. There is no requirement for examinations or pictures of those people.

Ok, that is a relief...sort of ... still have to gather info for 7 siblings though...should be interesting...LOL

 

[vvargas]

My old citizenship said '88, so I assumed the same as you. I only send my application off 3 weeks ago so unfortunately don't know if its right or not !! Sorry, not a lot of help, but at least we both came up with the same answer !

Please let me know how everything turns out!! I have asked for a copy of my record of landing, hoprfully this doens't take too long!
Thanks everyone for the very useful suggestions!!!!!!

 

[vvargas]

hey!!
When sending pictures with the forms do you send a photo copy or the real thing?? Also, I've been with my husband for 2 1/2 years now and I never thought to keep copies for plane tickets, phone cards, western union receipts, anything!!!!! is anyone in the same position, does anyone have any suggestions???

 

[dair2dv8103100]

hey!!
When sending pictures with the forms do you send a photo copy or the real thing?? Also, I've been with my husband for 2 1/2 years now and I never thought to keep copies for plane tickets, phone cards, western union receipts, anything!!!!! is anyone in the same position, does anyone have any suggestions???

Yes, I am in a similar situation. I also lost a years msn history when my computer crashed last Dec... all you can do is send in what you have and write a letter explaining the situation.

I am sure others have some suggestions and I would love to hear them as well. But we can only give what we have and just have to explain to them the rest and hope they understand. :-X

 

[AllisonVSC]

hey!!
When sending pictures with the forms do you send a photo copy or the real thing?? Also, I've been with my husband for 2 1/2 years now and I never thought to keep copies for plane tickets, phone cards, western union receipts, anything!!!!! is anyone in the same position, does anyone have any suggestions???

Did you pay for the plane tickets or restaurant bills in each other's cities with your credit/debit card? If so, look through your old statements (you can probably request them for a small fee is you didn't keep them). Did you take any photos while traveling together? Did you use a travel agent or online booking site? Travelocity had several of my old itineraries. How about passport stamps? Send each other any letters or cards through the mail?

 

[denoose]

When answering any of the questions that need more lines to answer than given next to the question , make sure you supply on the top left hand corner the document that has the question on it and the number of the question you are answering and also the name for whom the paer is about . This needs to be done for each and every extra page you send .

Airline tickets . places you stayed , photos , emails , letters and any phone bills . They do not except phone cards .

Good luck

 

[BeShoo]

They do not except phone cards

Well, you can send them in, but they don't really prove much of anything. There is generally no way of knowing who called who and when or even if they were ever used. They are better than nothing if that's all you have. It's just that they are not very much better than nothing.

 

[vvargas]

WELL.... I've been living here for the past 4 years, so most things we've paid for have been cash, a few things I've paid on my credit card so I'll definitly look into asking for past statements... Pictures definitely loads!!!!! but will that be enough?

Thanks everyone for your answers, very helpful!!!! Starting to officially fill in the papers this weekend, does anyone know how long it takes to have the medical exam and police clearance done?? I know it varies in different countries, but an estimate?

Ohhhh one last question - what if you do the medical exam before you send the applications??? Do they just hold the medical exam until they receive the entire package, or do u need to send the forms first???

 

[BeShoo]

The medical exam doesn't take long, but I suppose it depends where you get it done. We had ours done in Canada. We were able to get an appointment in about a week or 10 days. We had to go to the doctor's office, then to a lab for blood tests and an x-ray lab for an x-ray (didn't need an appointment for the lab tests). It took us a few days to get to all those places. You can do the medical as soon as you like, but you have to "land" before one year has passed since the medical or re-do it. The whole process of processing the application often takes 6 to 12 months, more or less, depending on where you are coming from and which local office is doing it. Many people take a month or more getting their applications ready, so you might not want to do the medical too early.

The police check varies depending on where you have lived. For the U.S., the FBI is currently taking around 8 weeks for most checks.

It's hard to answer your questions without more information. Are you sponsoring a spouse or partner or who are you sponsoring? Where are they living and what country are they citizens of?