What CIC says about writing "N/A"

[Empirical-Scientist]

So, after going through CIC FAQs, I found out the following: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=017&t=4.

What if some of the questions on the application form do not apply to me?

You should fill in all spaces on immigration application forms. If a question does not apply, write “not applicable” or “N/A” in the space. That shows you have read and filled out the form fully.

If you are applying online and the form does not allow you to input “N/A,” leave the space blank.

The form does not allow you to input "N/A" in fields such as phone numbers, dates, checkboxes, etc. Hope this helps.

 

[wanabecanadian]

Thanks for sharing this. So for these questions:

1B. I have special need, if selected NO, still fill in "N/A" in the "if yes explain" box?

2. I have applied for Canadian Citizenship before, if selected NO, still fill in "N/A" in the "When" box?

3B. Request for different name... if not of the checkboxes are selected, still write "N/A" under the "Last Name" and "Given Names" boxes?


etc etc.. ?

 

[Empirical-Scientist]

Thanks for sharing this. So for these questions:

1B. I have special need, if selected NO, still fill in "N/A" in the "if yes explain" box?

2. I have applied for Canadian Citizenship before, if selected NO, still fill in "N/A" in the "When" box?

3B. Request for different name... if not of the checkboxes are selected, still write "N/A" under the "Last Name" and "Given Names" boxes?


etc etc.. ?

No need for those because you already chose an answer, thus you acknowledged you read that section and answered it. Also, the conditional "if yes" clearly states that if you answered yes, then provide your answer. Otherwise, move on.

 

[tiarachel85]

So, after going through CIC FAQs, I found out the following: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=017&t=4.

The form does not allow you to input "N/A" in fields such as phone numbers, dates, checkboxes, etc. Hope this helps.

This post talk about applying online. How can we apply online? If we cant then how can we validate input fields?

 

[Empirical-Scientist]

This post talk about applying online. How can we apply online? If we cant then how can we validate input fields?

You can't apply online. You can, however, fill out the form online and print it out. Unlike Permanent Residence applications, you cannot validate citizenship application at present. The only way to ensure you haven't missed any boxes is to review multiple times per the application guide...

 

[isilrion]

No need for those because you already chose an answer, thus you acknowledged you read that section and answered it. Also, the conditional "if yes" clearly states that if you answered yes, then provide your answer. Otherwise, move on.

The rule I follow regarding where to write "N/A" is: if someone were to tamper with the form, can it be detected? For instance, if I'm not misremembering, the citizenship form asks something like "if you are using another name not in your landing documents, write it here: ....". If you leave that blank and someone writes another name, it won't be immediately clear that the form was tampered with. If you strike out that line, write "N/A"-it, no one could alter it except with more sophisticated methods. You could strike out last name. Likewise, "mailing address, if different from above", I would only need to strike out the first line of the mailing address to signal that anything else in that section should render the form invalid.

In this question, as you say, if you answer no, and the judge sees something written down in the answer, he can immediately deduce that the form was tampered with. So, it's ok to leave it blank (though it would not hurt to strike it out). In another life, I used to process documents like that. It is not only for the client's protection, but for CIC / the officer protection as well: imagine if one were to claim that he didn't write [something] in the form. With rules ensuring that the forms are not tampered with, the only options are that the claimant is lying (he did write that in the form) or that he didn't follow the instructions and sent an invalid form.

(A bit offtopic because the answer was already given, just sharing a bit of personal experience + my opinion as to why they have the N/A requirement. This is just the rule of thumb I use for every form I fill, I make them as tamper-proof as possible even if they don't ask me to write N/A.)

 

[malabadi]

There is a question asking the other countries of citizenship and a box which allows to enter multiple lines, do I need to put the name of the country and N/A in remaining parts of that box to make sure that I have only one citizenship?

 

[dpenabill]

While the instruction to enter "N/A" rather than leave a blank, in the citizenship application, probably is in part to insure document integrity, to minimize the potential for tampered documents, the bigger reason is almost certainly to minimize omissions of material information. This has two important aspects: one is to insure completeness, the other is to insure that material information is included.

In this regard, it is highly likely that the initial completeness screening includes a simple scan for blanks and gaps. Not all blank spaces in the form will trigger a return of the application (to the applicant) for incompleteness. But many will. Returning applications is extra work for CIC, so they want to discourage the instances in which an application will be returned because the applicant failed to enter information. "N/A" indicates, as already suggested, that the applicant has read the item and has made an affirmative decision that the item is not applicable. It is mostly an instruction which requires the applicant to make some response in order to minimize the return of incomplete applications.

Note, however, entering "N/A" will not necessarily work to avoid the return of an incomplete application if, for example, it is an item for which a substantive answer is required.

There is no need to be overly anal about these details. While "N/A" is technically not the appropriate entry when the accurate response is "none," CIC gets it.

Thus, where an item has multiple lines or rows, blank rows following a responsive entry are OK. "N/A" or a strike-through line would be OK as well.

If it makes sense, it will usually work. Best to follow the instructions, to be as responsive to the instructions and particular items as possible, to complete all items in the form, but CIC is not looking for technicalities for the purpose of deeming an application incomplete or for the purpose of denying citizenship. CIC wants a complete and accurate application so that it can efficiently (as efficiently as practical) make an informed decision regarding the application.

On the other hand, there are some key things CIC looks for: every month of the relevant four years, for example, needs to be accounted for in the work history and address history sections. They may not always catch every gap, but that is something they look for and a gap will usually cause a problem.