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Wrong date on Canada Entry Stamp and one Stamp Missing on passport

Samlia

Hero Member
Aug 29, 2014
346
78
Hi guys I did my citizenship test today 20/20.

But i got another problem with my dates. During my interview we found out the date on my last entry stamp to Canada is wrong on the passport. The Canadian border officer put a wrong date entry stamp. My flight was via USA and USA border officer put a correct stamp the same day. Citizenship officer said she will investigate this and check the CBSA history and send me an email. What does it mean?

Just curious how much time this issue will take to resolve? anyone had the same issue before?

Thanks
 

bimale4bipeople

VIP Member
Apr 15, 2018
4,627
1,674
Hi guys I did my citizenship test today 20/20.

But i got another problem with my dates. During my interview we found out the date on my last entry stamp to Canada is wrong on the passport. The Canadian border officer put a wrong date entry stamp. My flight was via USA and USA border officer put a correct stamp the same day. Citizenship officer said she will investigate this and check the CBSA history and send me an email. What does it mean?

Just curious how much time this issue will take to resolve? anyone had the same issue before?

Thanks
I am not an expert, but after I reviewed what you wrote above, here is what my thinking is:

I think if your document e.g. tickets are in order it could be an issue on the part of the CBSA officer for which they need to check internally and update their records to be in line with the ones you provided.
If that is the case I don’t think it should be a problem.
The good part will be if they find error on there end they can fix it in there system which will ensure you will not have future entrey/exit issues within Canada
 

canvis2006

Champion Member
Dec 27, 2009
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When you see "Decision Made" in eCAS status it would mean you're okay.
I don't think its your mistake, it was CBSA's mistake so hopefully you won't be affected.........wait for oath letter.
 

Samlia

Hero Member
Aug 29, 2014
346
78
I am not an expert, but after I reviewed what you wrote above, here is what my thinking is:

I think if your document e.g. tickets are in order it could be an issue on the part of the CBSA officer for which they need to check internally and update their records to be in line with the ones you provided.
If that is the case I don’t think it should be a problem.
The good part will be if they find error on there end they can fix it in there system which will ensure you will not have future entrey/exit issues within Canada
Another thing I didn’t mention i filled my residency calculator dates from CBSA and US entry exit reports until july 2017 and submitted my citizenship application on nov 2017. I matched all the dates with these reports before submission. The only trip in question was in september 2017 lol (cbsa report i got was upto july only) which has wrong entry stamp from canadian border officer and i would assume that cbsa report should show the correct dates if she pulls that info.

Why i am asking this question because i would like to get an idea if they are going to issue me RQ for this problem although this is not my mistake?
 

Samlia

Hero Member
Aug 29, 2014
346
78
When you see "Decision Made" in eCAS status it would mean you're okay.
I don't think its your mistake, it was CBSA's mistake so hopefully you won't be affected.........wait for oath letter.
I still see in process. The citizenship officer kept telling me that she will send me an email and will check the cbsa report too. She seemed very lazy to go through my passport stamps as i have almost 12 trips during my residency period.
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,427
3,173
During my interview we found out the date on my last entry stamp to Canada is wrong on the passport. The Canadian border officer put a wrong date entry stamp. My flight was via USA and USA border officer put a correct stamp the same day. Citizenship officer said she will investigate this and check the CBSA history and send me an email. What does it mean?
Another thing I didn’t mention i filled my residency calculator dates from CBSA and US entry exit reports until july 2017 and submitted my citizenship application on nov 2017. I matched all the dates with these reports before submission. The only trip in question was in september 2017 lol (cbsa report i got was upto july only) which has wrong entry stamp from canadian border officer and i would assume that cbsa report should show the correct dates if she pulls that info.

Why i am asking this question because i would like to get an idea if they are going to issue me RQ for this problem although this is not my mistake?
Trying to forecast RQ is a guessing-game. But these days there are very few reporting getting RQ. Odds are good all is well.

Odds are near certain that all you can do now is watch for communication or notice from IRCC and respond accordingly. Nothing to gain by worrying. It could be days, weeks, months, many months.

If you applied with a good margin over the minimum and there is only one small mistake in the application and presence calculation, ODDS ARE VERY GOOD ALL IS WELL. No need to read any more of my observations below.



Otherwise . . .

IRCC recognizes that an applicant's presence calculation is not always perfectly accurate. Minor discrepancies are RARELY a problem. Only if the small discrepancy suggests reason to doubt the applicant's credibility will it be a problem.

Except, yes, for applicants who applied with a rather small margin over the minimum, the specific dates can matter. There is NO leeway as to the minimum number of days actually physically present. So, if a small discrepancy means the applicant was present fewer than 1095 days, that would indeed be a big problem (applicant would NOT meet eligibility requirements and IRCC has almost no discretion in such a case).

That is: Applicants make mistakes. IRCC allows some leeway for mistakes. As long as the mistake does not directly affect eligibility, there is no reason to worry about how things will go. More than a few applicants have reported errors as big as omitting trips for a week or even three weeks without a problem: no RQ, no RQ-lite. (Obviously they had enough of a margin over the minimum to cover the omitted week or three weeks.)


". . . not my mistake?"

If NO margin covering mistake: If there is not enough margin over the minimum to cover the difference, then whose mistake it is does not matter. To be eligible the applicant must meet the minimum presence requirement. One day short does not meet the requirement. Why the applicant applied one-day (or more) short does not change the fact that the applicant is NOT eligible on that date and cannot be granted citizenship.

Otherwise, if there is plenty of margin over the minimum, enough to readily cover the mistake, what matters is whether the mistake suggests a reason to doubt the applicant's credibility. So long as a mistake does not have a significantly negative impact on the applicant's credibility, it should NOT cause any problems, and thus is NOT likely to trigger non-routine procedures, NOT likely to trigger RQ.

Thus, for example, if the "mistake" is NOT your mistake, it should not affect your credibility, it should not trigger any non-routine processing.

THAT SAID . . . I am not entirely clear about what the mistake is. As long as you accurately declared ALL the dates you entered and exited Canada in your presence calculation, and it shows you met the presence requirement, there is NO reason for any concern. That is, the main thing is that YOU accurately AND completely reported all dates you entered and exited Canada.

The fact that there is a discrepancy between the actual date you entered, and accurately reported in your presence calculation, and some other document, like a passport stamp, should not be of any concern. Again, the main thing is that you accurately reported the actual date of entry in your presence calculation . . . which the CBSA travel history will almost certainly confirm.

Obviously, if you entered the WRONG date in your presence calculator because you relied on the date in a passport stamp, that IS YOUR MISTAKE. The applicant is obligated to accurately and completely report all dates of entry and exit. You were there, of course, so you had every opportunity to accurately record and report that date. As is the applicant's obligation. That is, if you relied on erroneous information that is your mistake. Not a serious mistake, but nonetheless your mistake.

In any event, again, many if not most applicants makes some mistakes and small mistakes are usually NO big deal, none at all. In fact, this sort of mistake, erroneously relying on an inaccurate source of information (such as a passport stamp), is very common. So that in itself should not be reason to worry.
 

Samlia

Hero Member
Aug 29, 2014
346
78
Trying to forecast RQ is a guessing-game. But these days there are very few reporting getting RQ. Odds are good all is well.

Odds are near certain that all you can do now is watch for communication or notice from IRCC and respond accordingly. Nothing to gain by worrying. It could be days, weeks, months, many months.

If you applied with a good margin over the minimum and there is only one small mistake in the application and presence calculation, ODDS ARE VERY GOOD ALL IS WELL. No need to read any more of my observations below.



Otherwise . . .

IRCC recognizes that an applicant's presence calculation is not always perfectly accurate. Minor discrepancies are RARELY a problem. Only if the small discrepancy suggests reason to doubt the applicant's credibility will it be a problem.

Except, yes, for applicants who applied with a rather small margin over the minimum, the specific dates can matter. There is NO leeway as to the minimum number of days actually physically present. So, if a small discrepancy means the applicant was present fewer than 1095 days, that would indeed be a big problem (applicant would NOT meet eligibility requirements and IRCC has almost no discretion in such a case).

That is: Applicants make mistakes. IRCC allows some leeway for mistakes. As long as the mistake does not directly affect eligibility, there is no reason to worry about how things will go. More than a few applicants have reported errors as big as omitting trips for a week or even three weeks without a problem: no RQ, no RQ-lite. (Obviously they had enough of a margin over the minimum to cover the omitted week or three weeks.)


". . . not my mistake?"

If NO margin covering mistake: If there is not enough margin over the minimum to cover the difference, then whose mistake it is does not matter. To be eligible the applicant must meet the minimum presence requirement. One day short does not meet the requirement. Why the applicant applied one-day (or more) short does not change the fact that the applicant is NOT eligible on that date and cannot be granted citizenship.

Otherwise, if there is plenty of margin over the minimum, enough to readily cover the mistake, what matters is whether the mistake suggests a reason to doubt the applicant's credibility. So long as a mistake does not have a significantly negative impact on the applicant's credibility, it should NOT cause any problems, and thus is NOT likely to trigger non-routine procedures, NOT likely to trigger RQ.

Thus, for example, if the "mistake" is NOT your mistake, it should not affect your credibility, it should not trigger any non-routine processing.

THAT SAID . . . I am not entirely clear about what the mistake is. As long as you accurately declared ALL the dates you entered and exited Canada in your presence calculation, and it shows you met the presence requirement, there is NO reason for any concern. That is, the main thing is that YOU accurately AND completely reported all dates you entered and exited Canada.

The fact that there is a discrepancy between the actual date you entered, and accurately reported in your presence calculation, and some other document, like a passport stamp, should not be of any concern. Again, the main thing is that you accurately reported the actual date of entry in your presence calculation . . . which the CBSA travel history will almost certainly confirm.

Obviously, if you entered the WRONG date in your presence calculator because you relied on the date in a passport stamp, that IS YOUR MISTAKE. The applicant is obligated to accurately and completely report all dates of entry and exit. You were there, of course, so you had every opportunity to accurately record and report that date. As is the applicant's obligation. That is, if you relied on erroneous information that is your mistake. Not a serious mistake, but nonetheless your mistake.

In any event, again, many if not most applicants makes some mistakes and small mistakes are usually NO big deal, none at all. In fact, this sort of mistake, erroneously relying on an inaccurate source of information (such as a passport stamp), is very common. So that in itself should not be reason to worry.
Hats off to your detailed reply. Thanks for all the above information!!

Yes my entry and exit dates match with my trips and I didn’t miss anything. The only mistake is on my passport stamps. So, after reading all the comments I don’t need to worry because i did my part correctly. There would just be some waiting game invloved.

Thanks
 

ronnie1100

Member
Jul 22, 2015
17
0
Hats off to your detailed reply. Thanks for all the above information!!

Yes my entry and exit dates match with my trips and I didn’t miss anything. The only mistake is on my passport stamps. So, after reading all the comments I don’t need to worry because i did my part correctly. There would just be some waiting game invloved.

Thanks
I have the same issue, one of the stamp is wrong. Just wondering how long did it take for the whole process for them to clarify? Did the officer eventually send you an email?
 

Samlia

Hero Member
Aug 29, 2014
346
78
Yes officer told me they will send an email requesting supporting documents for the travel like Boarding passes or any tickets purchased. Did you get entries report from Canada Border service agency. That document can help you your entries and exits and can even be used as a proof.

It took me exact one year to get a Letter for Oath Ceremony. Once your processing timeline has been passed i would recommend to go your MP. They are a big help but don't reach them if your application is still within processing time.
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,427
3,173
I have the same issue, one of the stamp is wrong. Just wondering how long did it take for the whole process for them to clarify? Did the officer eventually send you an email?
An erroneous stamp entry in a passport is NOT itself an "issue." So it is NOT likely you have the "same issue."

How things go from here depend on the particulars in your individual situation, the details in your specific case.

If your situation is similar to that described by @Samlia, much of what I posted more than a year and a half ago, above, applies. That is, as I stated above, all you can do now is watch for communication or notice from IRCC and respond accordingly. . . . It could be days, weeks, months, many months.

And again, how it goes for you, in particular, will DEPEND on the facts in your particular case.

@Samlia was issued a CIT 0520 (see post linked here), which is often referred to as RQ-lite. Obviously IRCC had some questions beyond the inaccuracy of a passport stamp, but apparently not particularly serious questions. For @Samlia the CIT 0520 only requested limited records to verify travel dates, and apparently there was no request for other RQ-related evidence. Since even that request constituted RQ-related non-routine processing, it was another six months before there was a Decision-Made to grant citizenship, and around seven months to the oath ceremony itself. It is worth noting that even though many applicants are scheduled for the oath significantly sooner after the test event, many others have had to wait a similar amount of time for the oath even though their application was ROUTINELY processed. So the delay for @Samlia was not especially lengthy, particularly given that it was a non-routine application subject to some RQ-related requests.

Thus, assuming that during your test event PI Interview there was some concern expressed about your travel history, triggered by a discrepancy between a passport stamp and other information, even though it is NOT likely your "issue" is the "same issue," as I observed back in the summer of 2018 for @Samlia :
all you can do now is watch for communication or notice from IRCC and respond accordingly. Nothing to gain by worrying. It could be days, weeks, months, many months.
Note that @Samlia received the CIT 0520 less than two weeks after the test event interview. But, since the nature of what is at issue in your case is likely at least somewhat different, what happens next FOR YOU could range from being scheduled to take the oath to similarly receiving some version of RQ-related requests, and any of these things could happen in days, week, months, or not for many months. Again, all you can do now is wait and watch for communication or notice from IRCC and respond accordingly.

While we may be able to describe a more particular range for what is likely if you offered more detail about the particulars in your case, it would still be very difficult if not impossible to forecast what will actually happen, and even more difficult to forecast when or how long it will take.




SOME FURTHER OBSERVATIONS REGARDING ERRONEOUS PASSPORT STAMPS:

What impact an erroneous stamp entry in a passport has, IF ANY, can vary greatly. Little or NO impact is the most likely effect if the error is in a date stamp for entry into Canada since the applicant's CBSA travel history will almost certainly have the correct date of entry. (CBSA travel history may have omissions, though this is increasingly unusual, but the data it shows is almost always accurate.)

Of course, this assumes the applicant's presence calculation travel history IS ACCURATE. Thus, for example, even though there is an entry stamp into Canada for a date that is NOT the correct date of entry, the CBSA travel history will confirm the applicant's ACCURATELY declared date of entry.

In contrast, if the applicant reported a date of entry, in the presence calculation, based on the erroneous passport stamp, the applicant thus reported an inaccurate date. If that is the only mistake this would NOT ordinarily cause much if any concern, but since it constitutes an erroneous reporting of facts it can contribute to an impression the applicant cannot be relied upon to be an accurate reporter of the facts -- obviously, since the applicant was there at the time of entry, the applicant knows the accurate date and of course it is the applicant's responsibility to report the accurate date regardless what any other source or document might indicate. That is, if the entry stamp is inaccurate AND the applicant's presence calculation also reports that as the date of entry, the problem is NOT that the entry stamp is in error. The problem is the applicant's declaration as to the date of entry is in error.

Even if the situation first becomes apparent to the interviewer during the test event PI Interview, when the interviewer is reviewing the applicant's passport stamps, that is very easily resolved and it should take only MINUTES for either the interviewer or the responsible Citizenship Officer to access the applicant's CBSA travel history and confirm the correct date of entry as reported by the applicant in the presence calculation. Even though this may not be done soon after the interview, it should not take long and should have rather little impact, if any, on the timeline.

There are various contextual situations in which the erroneous entry stamp can raise questions or trigger concern. These can range from minimal concern to more extensive and serious concerns. For @Samlia, for example, it appears the circumstances raised enough concern for IRCC to issue the RQ-lite, but not so much concern as to trigger a more intrusive or extensive request for additional evidence related to proof of actual presence in Canada.

Remember, it is the applicant's responsibility to ACCURATELY report actual dates of exit and entry. Since the applicant was personally there each and every time the applicant left and returned to Canada, the applicant not only has total access to this information, the applicant is the ONE BEST source for this information. If the applicant kept accurate records, and populated the presence calculation travel history accordingly, NO PROBLEM.

As it is often cautioned in this forum, applicants should NEVER rely entirely on any individual item of evidence (like a passport stamp) or other sources of information (including CBSA or U.S. or another country's records of entry or exit), any of which can be inaccurate. Again, the applicant's own records are the ONE BEST SOURCE. If the applicant failed to keep complete and accurate records, it is incumbent on the applicant to do due diligence in verifying, as best as possible, the accurate dates of travel . . . regarding, which, again, applicants should NEVER rely entirely on a single source.



In any event . . . a passport stamp is merely a single item of evidence. Actual facts matter more. And accurate reporting of the actual facts matters more.

Thus, what that "issue" actually is can vary widely. It can range from something of minimal import (virtually not important at all) to something which raises significant questions about the applicant's presence calculation or even the applicant's credibility. The details matter.
 

fromhamilton

Member
Sep 2, 2019
17
2
I have the same issue, one of the stamp is wrong. Just wondering how long did it take for the whole process for them to clarify? Did the officer eventually send you an email?
My passport did not have many entries because most of travels were to the US by land, not a big issue if you have some buffer residency...