Stay PR or apply for Citizenship?

[Kohl]

Hi I would like some opinions on whether or not to stay as PR or apply for citizenship.

The PR process was extremely nerve wracking for me as I have an anxiety disorder and although I had no reason to believe I would be denied, I spent the last few months in a state of panic worrying about all the possible "what ifs" and what could go wrong or lead to somehow a denial. Again I had no logical reason to expect a denial, it was simply my anxiety disorder run amok.

I am a housewife but I file my taxes every year showing 0 income. I have taken two three week trips outside of Canada (once to visit family, the other to move my belongings to Canada via Uhaul).

I'm curious how those of you experienced applying for PR vs applying for citizenship, particularly those with anxious dispostions. If you chose to apply for citizenship was the process easier or harder than PR? If you chose not to apply, what was your reasoning?

I feel that applying and receiving citizenship could relieve my anxiety of ever possibly being deported (although I don't ever plan on committing a crime or not meeting my residency requirements). However I am not sure if the citizenship application process is as intense or nerve wracking as the PR experience was for me.

I am not sure how my anxiety could effect my mental health and if I would be coming up with all sorts of "what if" scenarios such as "What if I get denied because I filed tax returns but never paid taxes? What if I get denied because I checked the wrong box or answer a question wrong and am deemed as applying misrepresentationally?"

In summation I am just curious whether most people find the citizenship application more mentally taxing than the PR application. Secondarily for those with anxiety conditions I am curious what decision you made—to stay as a PR or to go forward with a citizenship application.

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Rigly68]

My experience was that the process of applying for citizenship was way easier than applying for PR. I am anxious as well and imagined all kind of scenarios of what if's.
My process took 5 months to complete and I still worried every time someone received the test invite or oath invite before me although they applied after me. But again looking back I am not complaining, actually it was an exciting time as you look forward to the day you take the oath. And positive anticipation is awesome .
Not having to always worry about renewal of PR card was one of the motivators for me.

Also this forum helps a lot...you will always find someone to listen to you or give advise! I would say go for it!

 

[robinhood_1984]

Apply for Citizenship, then you never have to worry about renewing the PR card again, a real chore in itself unless they've made it easier in the last few years since I last did it, though mine was much more complicated due to my hundreds of border crossings due to my job as a truck driver.

My advice would be to just apply for it and forget about it until you receive correspondence from them. This is what I will do. We have PR, we're not on a ticking time limit by which time we have to be out of the country so there is nothing to lose by applying. Having said that, I don't see why you'd fail to get it, nothing you've mentioned in your post is illegal or makes you ineligible for citizenship are far as I know.

I too can get quite anxious about things and that is also a reason for me wanting citizenship. I want the security it brings. I'm married to a Canadian woman and have two Canadian children so I feel its important to secure my future here. Plus as I said, my job makes it a bureaucratic chore every 5 years to reapply for my PR card because I have hundreds of border crossings and it takes considerable time to go back, document them all and include them in applications etc. My citizenship application physical presence forms run to a total of 17 pages for example. Another reason for me is that as a British citizen, I have to get an I94 visa waiver in my passport every 3 months which means going inside US customs on my way in, its a hassle, can sometimes delay me for considerable time at the border and while some border guards are pleasant, others can be extremely obnoxious and I'll welcome the day when I'm no longer subject to that system by having a Canadian passport (hopefully!)

So yes, APPLY!

PS: The citizenship application was a complete doddle compared to PR. If you can apply for, and obtain PR, you'll have no problem with this application.

 

[Seym]

If anything, for most applicants, the citizenship application is by far easier than the PR application and is a very smooth process, almost administrative. There's a reason why more than 95% of the applications are approved and why a huge percentage of PR end up becoming canadian citizens.

Take your time filing the forms, ask questions in case of doubt here, send your package and then forget about it, being reminded from time to time via some mail by IRCC

If it can help you make a decision : IRCC doesn't base its decision at all on your work history and the amout of taxes you paid, you only need to comply with the tax filing requirement, which you do since you've filed tax every year !

Whatever happens with your application, you may also keep in mind that, hey, you're a PR and you'll continue to be a PR during the process. It's completely different from a process whose ultimate result answers one of these 2 questions : "will y ever live in Canada ?" or "should I leave Canada by this date ?"

When I was filing my citizenship application, some what if questions kept showing up, and it's understandable, the canadian citizenship is a big deal, but looking at the process now that I'm on the verge of becoming a citizen (by the end of this month, I'm so delighted and it will grow on me on the days coming as I realize that I'm a canuck in the making !!), none of those what if questions ever became a concern, and the process was a breeze. It's not the case for everyone obviously, but hope for the best, there's no reason not to

Good luck with your application if you decide to go forward with it !!

 

[ohhhhusa]

My pr application took 4 years! 4 very long years, for 2 of those years I was stuck in Canada with no work permit and I had to quit grad school because I had no money. I am still paying for those 2 years and it changed me for ever. I was depressed, my credit is ruined, lost friends, 4 months of homelessness.... I can go on and on! Took 4 very long years of hard work to somewhat recover financially.
Citizenship is very different!
1. I’ve seen people get their citizenship in 3-5 months.
2. What if it takes a while? It’s not gonna hurt you at all.
My advice is this: wait until they finish dealing with the post C6 avalanche (maybe 5-6 months) then apply! By then things will get back to normal and it will over before you know it.

 

[robinhood_1984]

My pr application took 4 years! 4 very long years, for 2 of those years I was stuck in Canada with no work permit and I had to quit grad school because I had no money. I am still paying for those 2 years and it changed me for ever. I was depressed, my credit is ruined, lost friends, 4 months of homelessness.... I can go on and on! Took 4 very long years of hard work to somewhat recover financially.
Citizenship is very different!
1. I’ve seen people get their citizenship in 3-5 months.
2. What if it takes a while? It’s not gonna hurt you at all.
My advice is this: wait until they finish dealing with the post C6 avalanche (maybe 5-6 months) then apply! By then things will get back to normal and it will over before you know it.

That sounds like an absolutely horrendous experience. I'm sure that most people, myself included would not have been able or willing to stick that out.

 

[amitdi]

me thinks you seem to have larger problems if are really thinking about anxiety on a citizenship application. dont take it wrongly. but my advice is dont think about citizenship application now, get your mental health in order. apply only when comfortable. you are not at all going to miss out on anything by being PR only, even though the desperados on this forum will shout otherwise.

as far as the actual application is concerned, its a smooth ride for 80%. but 20% seem to have non-routine issues like RQ, fingerprints, delays, etc. eventually you'll reach there.

all the best.

 

[Joshua1]

All my naturalized friends agree that the PR process was much much much harder than citizenship.

As an advise, please note that most people do not understand mental illness. So, if you choose to talk about it on an open forum, while some would be empathetic, you should also expect undesirable comments from others.

Go for it!

 

[Quink]

Think of it this way... what are the consequences of applying for citizenship and it being denied? The answer is... absolutely no consequences! You'll still be a permanent resident. You are not up against a deadline for a temporary permit expiring or anything like that. The citizenship application can take 5 months or 5 years and as long as you keep up your residency obligations for PR then nothing at all will change for you.

Secondly, the citizenship application is very straight forward. You either qualify or you don't - there's only one stream, only one set of requirements, and if you fulfil them then all you need to do is fill out the forms, and pay your money. The hardest part for someone with anxiety will be the test, but if you've come this far then I'm sure you'll be able to get through it. I haven't reached that stage yet but everyone who has seems to report that it isn't as hard as they expected.

Based on all that, the citizenship application is absolutely WAY less stressful than PR (or at least it should be - there are a lot of people around here who are freaking out but I don't think they should be as worried as they are).

Best of luck!

 

[Kohl]

Thanks for your reply. I am sure I will cry taking the oath. I was so jealous watching the new citizens take it last year on July 1st.

I also saw a lot of people get PR before me who had applied after me. That was definitely an anxiety trigger. I think this time I will stay off the boards and let the news come as it may.

I also like your way of framing it as looking forward to the citizenship and the oath rather than framing it as a worrisome period of time.

My experience was that the process of applying for citizenship was way easier than applying for PR. I am anxious as well and imagined all kind of scenarios of what if's.
My process took 5 months to complete and I still worried every time someone received the test invite or oath invite before me although they applied after me. But again looking back I am not complaining, actually it was an exciting time as you look forward to the day you take the oath. And positive anticipation is awesome .
Not having to always worry about renewal of PR card was one of the motivators for me.

Also this forum helps a lot...you will always find someone to listen to you or give advise! I would say go for it!

 

[Kohl]

I too have a Canadian child and a Canadian husband with a job that pays well enough for me to stay home. Unfortunately our daughter had massive issues at birth and continuing disease and we need to be in Canada where healthcare is a right and not a privilege.

I like your point about just filling the forms in and forgetting about it. Not having to think about it every day, or check the website constantly would definitely keep the anxiety down. I would also like to do it before I travel out of country anymore to keep my application as simple as possible so I don't end up with a big physical presence form.

I also have British citizenship by descent but have never filled out the forms to legalize my British citizen status as I don't see myself ever living in England. I didn't realize British citizens have that extra "I94" waiver to deal with so I'm glad I've never gone through with that process!

Apply for Citizenship, then you never have to worry about renewing the PR card again, a real chore in itself unless they've made it easier in the last few years since I last did it, though mine was much more complicated due to my hundreds of border crossings due to my job as a truck driver.

My advice would be to just apply for it and forget about it until you receive correspondence from them. This is what I will do. We have PR, we're not on a ticking time limit by which time we have to be out of the country so there is nothing to lose by applying. Having said that, I don't see why you'd fail to get it, nothing you've mentioned in your post is illegal or makes you ineligible for citizenship are far as I know.

I too can get quite anxious about things and that is also a reason for me wanting citizenship. I want the security it brings. I'm married to a Canadian woman and have two Canadian children so I feel its important to secure my future here. Plus as I said, my job makes it a bureaucratic chore every 5 years to reapply for my PR card because I have hundreds of border crossings and it takes considerable time to go back, document them all and include them in applications etc. My citizenship application physical presence forms run to a total of 17 pages for example. Another reason for me is that as a British citizen, I have to get an I94 visa waiver in my passport every 3 months which means going inside US customs on my way in, its a hassle, can sometimes delay me for considerable time at the border and while some border guards are pleasant, others can be extremely obnoxious and I'll welcome the day when I'm no longer subject to that system by having a Canadian passport (hopefully!)

So yes, APPLY!

PS: The citizenship application was a complete doddle compared to PR. If you can apply for, and obtain PR, you'll have no problem with this application.

I

 

[Kohl]

Thanks for the advice. From the replies I am getting here I'm definitely leaning towards applying.

I am more proud of my Canadian PR than I am of my American citizenship.

My PR application was very straightforward so I never used an immigration lawyer. I did the paperwork myself. But that also meant not having someone to bounce my questions off of.

I did well the first 1# years of waiting until I got pulled for additional screening due to my work (college internship!) for a U.S. State Legislature! Then my PR app went off the rails in terms of the extended background check and additional security screenings.

Having your whole life scrutinized is tough for someone who likes to be in control, and being out of control is what triggers my anxiety. Here's to hoping I'm not put through the ringer again (like getting my citizenship app picked for quality control or something).

If anything, for most applicants, the citizenship application is by far easier than the PR application and is a very smooth process, almost administrative. There's a reason why more than 95% of the applications are approved and why a huge percentage of PR end up becoming canadian citizens.

Take your time filing the forms, ask questions in case of doubt here, send your package and then forget about it, being reminded from time to time via some mail by IRCC

If it can help you make a decision : IRCC doesn't base its decision at all on your work history and the amout of taxes you paid, you only need to comply with the tax filing requirement, which you do since you've filed tax every year !

Whatever happens with your application, you may also keep in mind that, hey, you're a PR and you'll continue to be a PR during the process. It's completely different from a process whose ultimate result answers one of these 2 questions : "will y ever live in Canada ?" or "should I leave Canada by this date ?"

When I was filing my citizenship application, some what if questions kept showing up, and it's understandable, the canadian citizenship is a big deal, but looking at the process now that I'm on the verge of becoming a citizen (by the end of this month, I'm so delighted and it will grow on me on the days coming as I realize that I'm a canuck in the making !!), none of those what if questions ever became a concern, and the process was a breeze. It's not the case for everyone obviously, but hope for the best, there's no reason not to

Good luck with your application if you decide to go forward with it !!

Tha

 

[Kohl]

Four years?? Unbelievable! And I thought my 2.5 year wait was long. Kudos to you and I'm sorry you had to go through that.

My pr application took 4 years! 4 very long years, for 2 of those years I was stuck in Canada with no work permit and I had to quit grad school because I had no money. I am still paying for those 2 years and it changed me for ever. I was depressed, my credit is ruined, lost friends, 4 months of homelessness.... I can go on and on! Took 4 very long years of hard work to somewhat recover financially.
Citizenship is very different!
1. I’ve seen people get their citizenship in 3-5 months.
2. What if it takes a while? It’s not gonna hurt you at all.
My advice is this: wait until they finish dealing with the post C6 avalanche (maybe 5-6 months) then apply! By then things will get back to normal and it will over before you know it.

 

[Kohl]

Thank you for your kind reply. Luckily I was a spousal sponsorship so my anxiety had no bearing on my PR application.

It is not easy to live daily with anxiety, especially as mine does not respond to medication. I have worked hard and learned skills to manage it on a day to day basis, but when important decisions are out of my hands...well, my anxiety tends to get out of hand!

All my naturalized friends agree that the PR process was much much much harder than citizenship.

As an advise, please note that most people do not understand mental illness. So, if you choose to talk about it on an open forum, while some would be empathetic, you should also expect undesirable comments from others.

Go for it!

 

[Kohl]

Wow, I was somehow under the impression that if your citizenship application is denied that your PR is also revoked.

I am so glad to learn that is not the case as that was the biggest pre-anxiety I have had about the process.

My PR app was straightforward and I did it on my own (no need for a lawyer). Additionally there are no immigration lawyers in this part of Canada so there is no one to explain to me things like that I would not lose PR if my citizen application was denied.

Since I've only been out of the country for 37 days, my application should be as straightforward as they come. I have no reason to expect any problems; it is simply the anxiety, which I get when an important decision gets taken out of my control.

Thank you so much for pointing out that applying for citizenship doesn't turn my PR status into a "do or die situation."

Think of it this way... what are the consequences of applying for citizenship and it being denied? The answer is... absolutely no consequences! You'll still be a permanent resident. You are not up against a deadline for a temporary permit expiring or anything like that. The citizenship application can take 5 months or 5 years and as long as you keep up your residency obligations for PR then nothing at all will change for you.

Secondly, the citizenship application is very straight forward. You either qualify or you don't - there's only one stream, only one set of requirements, and if you fulfil them then all you need to do is fill out the forms, and pay your money. The hardest part for someone with anxiety will be the test, but if you've come this far then I'm sure you'll be able to get through it. I haven't reached that stage yet but everyone who has seems to report that it isn't as hard as they expected.

Based on all that, the citizenship application is absolutely WAY less stressful than PR (or at least it should be - there are a lot of people around here who are freaking out but I don't think they should be as worried as they are).

Best of luck!