Difference between revisions of "How to Apply for a Citizenship Grant (17:VI)"

==A. The Process==

===1. Mail-in Process===

A citizenship application has to be mailed in on the proper forms provided by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration. The new forms are easy to understand and to complete. To order a citizenship application, phone the Immigration and Citizenship Canada Call Centre or consult the website (see Section II.B: Resources, above). All appropriate application forms and accompanying literature will be mailed directly to the client. In-person application assistance is not available from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

The Department of Citizenship and Immigration publishes Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship, a book that gives general information regarding the right to vote in elections and run for elected office, voting procedures, and chief characteristics of Canadian physical and political geography. It will help the applicant answer questions in the written test he or she must take to become a citizen. This book is mailed to the applicant after the application for a citizenship grant has been received at the case processing centre.

LSLAP clinicians should encourage clients to carefully fill in all the forms they receive in the mail or from the website. Those forms will be the most current, and can be found at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/become.asp   

 

*a birth certificate or other satisfactory proof of the applicant’s date and place of birth;

*Record of Landing or Permanent Resident Card;

*satisfactory language evidence

*satisfactory proof of entry into Canada and of lawful admission for permanent residence. This could include passport(s) or a Certificate of Identity;

*a Certificate of Marriage or legal name change document if the applicant’s name has recently changed; and

*a provincial identification card, such as a driver’s license, care card, extended health card, or B.C. ID.

*must be 35 mm (1-3/8”') by 53 mm (2 1/16”') plus a 10 mm (3/8”') white signature strip at the bottom.

**'''Note:''' These photos are smaller than passport photos, and are different than those required for Permanent Resident Cards. Check to make sure that the applicant has signed his or her photographs and the signature matches the applicant's signature on the application.

===3. Fees===

The fee is $630 for an adult grant. This amount includes a $530 processing fee and a $100 Right of Citizenship fee. The fee for children under 18 is only the $100 processing fee. The processing fee is not refundable unless the applicant withdraws his or her application before processing begins. The Right of Citizenship fee is refundable if the applicant is not approved for citizenship. Fees change regularly. The most recent information about applicable fees may be obtained from the CIC website (see '''Section II.B: Resources'''); see also the ''Citizenship Regulations'', SOR/93-246 in which the fees are proscribed.

The financial institution will electronically forward the details of the payment to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, but keep the bottom portion of the receipt. The client should keep the top portion for his or her records and attach the second portion to his or her application. Students should advise clients that photocopies of this receipt are unacceptable because only an original receipt with a unique serial number may be submitted. One receipt may be used for the whole family if the family is being processed together.

===4. Filing===

===5. After Filing the Application===

Once the Registrar receives the application and supporting documents, the Department will begin processing the application and determine whether the applicant meets the requirements of the Act. When it has been determined that an applicant is eligible to apply for citizenship, and they have passed the required clearances, they are scheduled for a citizenship test and an interview with a citizenship official. If the applicant is between the ages of 14 and 64, he or she must pass a test about Canada’s history, geography and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. The applicant is given at least seven days (usually two - three weeks) written notice prior to the date of the examination. If the applicant is 65 years or older he or she does not have to write the test, however, they are still required to attend an interview.

===6. Processing Time===

• all the necessary documents and correct fees are received by Citizenship and Immigration Canada;

 

 

 

 

===1. Interview and test===

All applicants will be scheduled for a meeting with a citizenship officer, which is generally referred to as an “interview”. This interview happens the same day that the citizenship test is scheduled, and is conducted at the test location. The applicant must bring with them their passports, and other documents that they provided as part of their citizenship application. They should be prepared to speak briefly with the citizenship officer conducting the Interview in English or French, and the officer may ask questions about the application (such as requesting clarification on travel dates or other facts that are material to the application).

As of June 2015, applicants for Citizenship are required to affirm that they intend to continue residing in Canada after receiving Canadian citizenship.  If they do not affirm this, then it is believed that they will not be granted Canadian citizenship. As of the writing of this manual, this provision is legally controversial and is almost certainly going to be the subject of legal challenges, and as such clinicians should check the status of this provision. However, clients should be advised that they should answer all questions truthfully in their application.   

Where an applicant has no language problems (which are assessed at the interview), meets the residency requirements, and has no suspected prohibitions, he or she will be required to take a written examination. The examination consists of multiple-choice questions and tests an applicant’s knowledge of Canada and language ability. It is mandatory for citizenship applicants to correctly answer two questions related to s 15(a) of the Citizenship Regulations and one question related to s 15(b). Subsection 15(a) sets out the right to vote and run for elected office and s 15(b) deals with voting procedures. Starting from June 3, 2013, citizenship applicants who fail their first citizenship test, but otherwise met all other criteria, have the opportunity to rewrite the test a few weeks later before being referred to a citizenship judge. If the applicant passes the test, he or she returns later for the citizenship ceremony.

Questions in the citizenship test are based on the information provided in a free booklet called Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship. Citizenship and Immigration Canada will send this booklet to applicants once their applications for citizenship are filed. A PDF version of the booklet can also be downloaded from the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.

#*'''Note:''' A local non-profit organization, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, publishes The Citizenship Handbook, a free guide intended to help introduce new Canadians to the country’s political process. The handbook is available in English, Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese and Punjabi. Call (604) 687-2919 for more information.

===2. Citizenship Judge===

It should be noted that diversion to a citizenship judge can add significant time to processing, and is not always successful, so if the client can avoid this through adequate preparation they should do so.

The purpose of the hearing is to determine whether or not the applicant fulfils the requirements of the Citizenship Act to become a citizen. Friends and relatives of the applicant may ask to attend the hearing but it is the judge’s discretion whether to allow them to attend. Clients should bring all relevant documents to the hearing, such as passport(s), IMM1000 (record of landing), confirmation of permanent residence, permanent resident card, separation or divorce papers, and any additional proof of residency in Canada.

==C. The Oath of Citizenship and the Citizenship Ceremony==