Posted on: 19-05-10 12:04:23
I had recently completed my residency obligations and qualifying for citizenship, but beyond last 4 years i had "???" on my immigration status as i was out of the country.
My question is whether the immigration officer count each day from the date I become permanent/landed immigrant or its just accountable for last 4 years from the date of application ??
can he ask me the questions about the time i was out of canada ?? any documents to proof ?? or will i be disqualify even though i am in living canada from last 4 years.
Quote:For citizenship, last 4 years are considered.
Originally posted by asf447
My question is whether the immigration officer count each day from the date I become permanent/landed immigrant or its just accountable for last 4 years from the date of application ??
You need to have physical presence for 3 out of the last 4 years.
For PR, every 5 year period is considered.
Quote:You have to establish your residency.
can he ask me the questions about the time i was out of canada ?? any documents to proof ?? or will i be disqualify even though i am in living canada from last 4 years.
If you have been living here, you'll have things like utility bills, bank accounts, tax returns, etc.
Shouldn't be a problem.
Good luck.
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"Mah deah, there is much more money to be made in the destruction of civilization than in building it up."
-- Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind"
When applying for citizenship you need to be resident in Canada 1095 (3 years) days out of the last 1460 (4 years) days.
However, there have been cases where people have been able to file for citizenship, even with less than 1095 days of residency. For example, if you had a job that required you to be outside Canada, but you can demonstrate that you maintained residential ties (your family might have been here, you may have had a house that you continued to pay property taxes on, you filed income taxes every year, your kids might have been going to school here), you could argue that you are eligible for citizenship even though you were not physically present.
However, such cases are entirely up to the citizenship judge presiding over your case. The great advantage of citizenship is that you do not need to worry about maintaining PR status every few years anymore.
Quote:While this is technically true, such a case has a high chance of being denied if the absence was due to personal reasons (job abroad, family circumstances, etc.).
Originally posted by homer729
However, there have been cases where people have been able to file for citizenship, even with less than 1095 days of residency. For example, if you had a job that required you to be outside Canada, but you can demonstrate that you maintained residential ties (your family might have been here, you may have had a house that you continued to pay property taxes on, you filed income taxes every year, your kids might have been going to school here), you could argue that you are eligible for citizenship even though you were not physically present.
However, such cases are entirely up to the citizenship judge presiding over your case.
You may have a slightly better chance if you were working on a Federal Govt. job that required you to be posted abroad or some such circumstances.
Also, be prepared for a very long processing time for such a case.
Just the waiting time for a citizenship judge appointment is more than 6 months (in the Toronto area).
Once you add all the other timelines in, this could take close to 2 years or more.
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"Mah deah, there is much more money to be made in the destruction of civilization than in building it up."
-- Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind"
