Gaining Canadian Citizenship after becoming a US LPR - Success!

[Kai G. Llewellyn 821]

Hey all,

 

Just wanted to give y'all an update with my Canadian Citizenship. I applied for Canadian citizenship on June 24th 2021 and became a US LPR on August 9th 2021. Historically, Canada used to require citizenship applicants to intend to live in Canada once granted citizenship, in 2017 this requirement was removed. My application was approved in early June and I was sworn in as a Canadian citizen on June 21st 2022 while being a resident of the US and not of Canada. I strongly recommend that you have an address in Canada where IRCC can send notices and your citizenship certificate (while ceremonies are still online), this could be an address of a trusted friend or family member. As before, there are no issues maintaining PR of both countries so long as you are in compliance with Canada's residency obligation (2 years in Canada for every rolling 5 year period), and the US's requirement to maintain primary domicile in the US.

 

I hope this is useful for Canadian PR's planning to move to the US and want to apply for Canadian citizenship too, as I am aware a few members were planning on doing this.

Edited June 22, 2022 by Kai G. Llewellyn

[Van24 13]

Congratulations! And thank you for sharing!

Can I ask you about logistic? Once you are sworn - you have to surrender your PR card and then apply for a Canadian passport. I think, right now, it takes several weeks. Are you going to wait it out in Canada?

From my understanding, you are free to leave while you are waiting. But how to get back? As a PR/Canadian citizen you cannot enter using US green card.

What's the process here?   

[Kai G. Llewellyn 821]

1 hour ago, Van24 said:

Congratulations! And thank you for sharing!

Can I ask you about logistic? Once you are sworn - you have to surrender your PR card and then apply for a Canadian passport. I think, right now, it takes several weeks. Are you going to wait it out in Canada?

From my understanding, you are free to leave while you are waiting. But how to get back? As a PR/Canadian citizen you cannot enter using US green card.

What's the process here?   

I'm planning to rock up with my British Passport and Green card, and claim Canadian Citizenship at the land border. Per Section 6 of the Charter, Canadian citizens have the right to enter Canada.

 

Incidentally, I did speak to a CBSA officer at the Blaine Nexus enrollment center, they also confirmed I could continue to use my Nexus card while waiting for the citizenship certificate and passport to show up. They advised there'd probably be a few more questions while confirming my status, but it shouldn't be a big deal.

 

Flying into Canada...yeah, you can't do that without a Canadian Passport if you're a citizen, unless you get a special authorization. Land border, you have a lot more flexibility because you arrive for inspection on Canadian soil.

Edited June 22, 2022 by Kai G. Llewellyn

[Van24 13]

9 minutes ago, Kai G. Llewellyn said:

I'm planning to rock up with my British Passport and Green card, and claim Canadian Citizenship at the land border. Per Section 6 of the Charter, Canadian citizens have the right to enter Canada.

 

Incidentally, I did speak to a CBSA officer at the Blaine Nexus enrollment center, they also confirmed I could continue to use my Nexus card while waiting for the citizenship certificate and passport to show up. They advised there'd probably be a few more questions while confirming my status, but it shouldn't be a big deal.

 

Flying into Canada...yeah, you can't do that without a Canadian Passport if you're a citizen, unless you get a special authorization. Land border, you have a lot more flexibility because you arrive for inspection on Canadian soil.

Thank you! Didn't know that you can use NEXUS card after surrendering PR/waiting for passport! 

[jpfashizzle 9]

16 hours ago, Kai G. Llewellyn said:

I'm planning to rock up with my British Passport and Green card, and claim Canadian Citizenship at the land border. Per Section 6 of the Charter, Canadian citizens have the right to enter Canada.

 

Incidentally, I did speak to a CBSA officer at the Blaine Nexus enrollment center, they also confirmed I could continue to use my Nexus card while waiting for the citizenship certificate and passport to show up. They advised there'd probably be a few more questions while confirming my status, but it shouldn't be a big deal.

 

Flying into Canada...yeah, you can't do that without a Canadian Passport if you're a citizen, unless you get a special authorization. Land border, you have a lot more flexibility because you arrive for inspection on Canadian soil.

Hello @Kai G. Llewellyn,

 

Thanks for sharing your experience! I thought I was the only one in this boat. A little bit of background:

- I am an Indian Citizen, Canadian LPR since 2018 living in Canada

- I have applied for my Canadian Citizenship and am awaiting just my Language Skills, Physical Presence, Prohibitions and Oath Ceremony (based on others' trends, I expect my Oath invite towards the end of Jul'22)

- That being said, I also have my US Immigration Interview in Montreal on Jul-25th!

 

Questions:

- To ensure that I can get my Canadian Citizenship AND my US Greencard, what are the ideal timelines for everything to happen/fall in place?

- Do I need to declare to Canada that I am applying for US PR?

- Should I wait to travel to the US until after my Canadian Oath Ceremony?

- Do they really ask you to "cut" your Canadian PR card at your Canadian Oath Ceremony?

- Once I enter the US on an immigrant visa/stamp, I don't think I will be able to return to Canada until I get my US PR card (~100 days after landing in the US); I have a permanent residence with my Fiancé in Canada - Do you think it will be OK?

- Did you apply for Expedited Processing of your Canadian Passport after your Canadian Oath Ceremony? Is this an option for me if I have my Canadian Oath ceremony after my US Immigration interview (which I hope will be the case)?

 

Sorry for the loads of questions! Thank you for your help!!

 

Thanks!

[waterlooengineer 30]

15 minutes ago, jpfashizzle said:

Hello @Kai G. Llewellyn,

 

Thanks for sharing your experience! I thought I was the only one in this boat. A little bit of background:

- I am an Indian Citizen, Canadian LPR since 2018 living in Canada

- I have applied for my Canadian Citizenship and am awaiting just my Language Skills, Physical Presence, Prohibitions and Oath Ceremony (based on others' trends, I expect my Oath invite towards the end of Jul'22)

- That being said, I also have my US Immigration Interview in Montreal on Jul-25th!

 

Questions:

- To ensure that I can get my Canadian Citizenship AND my US Greencard, what are the ideal timelines for everything to happen/fall in place?

- Do I need to declare to Canada that I am applying for US PR?

- Should I wait to travel to the US until after my Canadian Oath Ceremony?

- Do they really ask you to "cut" your Canadian PR card at your Canadian Oath Ceremony?

- Once I enter the US on an immigrant visa/stamp, I don't think I will be able to return to Canada until I get my US PR card (~100 days after landing in the US); I have a permanent residence with my Fiancé in Canada - Do you think it will be OK?

- Did you apply for Expedited Processing of your Canadian Passport after your Canadian Oath Ceremony? Is this an option for me if I have my Canadian Oath ceremony after my US Immigration interview (which I hope will be the case)?

 

Sorry for the loads of questions! Thank you for your help!!

 

Thanks!

 

Hey there. I just recently got my Canadian Citizenship so I can help with a few of the questions:

 

Questions:

- To ensure that I can get my Canadian Citizenship AND my US Greencard, what are the ideal timelines for everything to happen/fall in place? Ideally you would get your Canadian Citizenship prior to moving to the US as a PR. If that is not the case, you can easily just come to Canada when you get the oath date. Since your language, physical presence and prohibitions are still in process, I would expect you would get the US PR earlier than the oath for your Canadian Citizenship. 

- Do I need to declare to Canada that I am applying for US PR? No need. 

- Should I wait to travel to the US until after my Canadian Oath Ceremony? If you do get your Canadian citizenship application approved before your interview, then yes. Wait until the oath ceremony. 

- Do they really ask you to "cut" your Canadian PR card at your Canadian Oath Ceremony? Yes, they do. You have to cut it infront of a clerk since you are no longer a Canadian PR.

- Once I enter the US on an immigrant visa/stamp, I don't think I will be able to return to Canada until I get my US PR card (~100 days after landing in the US); I have a permanent residence with my Fiancé in Canada - Do you think it will be OK? Yes, you will have a visa stamped on your passport. This visa acts as your Green Card until you get the actual Green card a few months later. You should have no issues coming to Canada to attend the oath. 

- Did you apply for Expedited Processing of your Canadian Passport after your Canadian Oath Ceremony? Is this an option for me if I have my Canadian Oath ceremony after my US Immigration interview (which I hope will be the case)? Yes you can do that. Once you get your Citizenship certificate (that can take 2-4 weeks to be delivered to your address), you can walk in to any Passport Canada office. Ideally, with an appointment but they are hard to find. You can line up early (5-6 am) and get a passport made within 2 days even with a flight ticket booked. (comes with an extra charge of $110) Or 3-45 days with a flight ticket or proof of travel (comes with an extra charge of $50).

 

Just to give you an idea. I had my oath ceremony on June 15th, 2022. I requested for an expedite delivery of my certificate. Received my certificate on June 17th. I kept looking for appointments on e-Service Canada and was lucky to find one for June 20th, 2022. Went to my appointment and showed them a flight ticket for June 25th, 2022. My passport was ready to be picked up today (June 23rd 2022). I paid $50 for express processing. 

[jpfashizzle 9]

1 hour ago, waterlooengineer said:

 

Hey there. I just recently got my Canadian Citizenship so I can help with a few of the questions:

 

Questions:

- To ensure that I can get my Canadian Citizenship AND my US Greencard, what are the ideal timelines for everything to happen/fall in place? Ideally you would get your Canadian Citizenship prior to moving to the US as a PR. If that is not the case, you can easily just come to Canada when you get the oath date. Since your language, physical presence and prohibitions are still in process, I would expect you would get the US PR earlier than the oath for your Canadian Citizenship. 

- Do I need to declare to Canada that I am applying for US PR? No need. 

- Should I wait to travel to the US until after my Canadian Oath Ceremony? If you do get your Canadian citizenship application approved before your interview, then yes. Wait until the oath ceremony. 

- Do they really ask you to "cut" your Canadian PR card at your Canadian Oath Ceremony? Yes, they do. You have to cut it infront of a clerk since you are no longer a Canadian PR.

- Once I enter the US on an immigrant visa/stamp, I don't think I will be able to return to Canada until I get my US PR card (~100 days after landing in the US); I have a permanent residence with my Fiancé in Canada - Do you think it will be OK? Yes, you will have a visa stamped on your passport. This visa acts as your Green Card until you get the actual Green card a few months later. You should have no issues coming to Canada to attend the oath. 

- Did you apply for Expedited Processing of your Canadian Passport after your Canadian Oath Ceremony? Is this an option for me if I have my Canadian Oath ceremony after my US Immigration interview (which I hope will be the case)? Yes you can do that. Once you get your Citizenship certificate (that can take 2-4 weeks to be delivered to your address), you can walk in to any Passport Canada office. Ideally, with an appointment but they are hard to find. You can line up early (5-6 am) and get a passport made within 2 days even with a flight ticket booked. (comes with an extra charge of $110) Or 3-45 days with a flight ticket or proof of travel (comes with an extra charge of $50).

 

Just to give you an idea. I had my oath ceremony on June 15th, 2022. I requested for an expedite delivery of my certificate. Received my certificate on June 17th. I kept looking for appointments on e-Service Canada and was lucky to find one for June 20th, 2022. Went to my appointment and showed them a flight ticket for June 25th, 2022. My passport was ready to be picked up today (June 23rd 2022). I paid $50 for express processing. 

 @waterlooengineer Thank You SO much for your quick and detailed response.

 

How/When can you request for an expedited delivery of your Citizenship Certificate? Do you need to demonstrate any urgency/proof?

 

Also, How/When can your request for an expedited delivery of your Canadian Passport? Is it at your Service Canada appointment, in person? Did your flight ticket need to be a return-ticket back to Canada?

It's great that you paid $50 for the 3-45 days timeline (and not the $110) and still got your Canadian Passport only 3 days later!

 

Thanks!

[waterlooengineer 30]

36 minutes ago, jpfashizzle said:

 @waterlooengineer Thank You SO much for your quick and detailed response.

 

How/When can you request for an expedited delivery of your Citizenship Certificate? Do you need to demonstrate any urgency/proof?

 

Also, How/When can your request for an expedited delivery of your Canadian Passport? Is it at your Service Canada appointment, in person? Did your flight ticket need to be a return-ticket back to Canada?

It's great that you paid $50 for the 3-45 days timeline (and not the $110) and still got your Canadian Passport only 3 days later!

 

Thanks!

 

You cannot request for an expedited delivery of the Citizenship certificate during the ceremony. You would have to put in an urgent request earlier. So I would suggest you to request for urgent processing right now and then bring it up during the ceremony again. I had to provide them proof for my urgent request including flight tickets. 

 

Yes, for the passport, you request for expedited delivery during your appointment. Again, you would need to show them a proof of travel. It can only be a 1 way ticket, that is fine. 

Edited June 23, 2022 by waterlooengineer

[jpfashizzle 9]

8 minutes ago, waterlooengineer said:

 

You cannot request for an expedited delivery of the Citizenship certificate during the ceremony. You would have to put in an urgent request earlier. So I would suggest you to request for urgent processing right now and then bring it up during the ceremony again. I had to provide them proof for my urgent request including flight tickets. 

 

Yes, for the passport, you request for expedited delivery during your appointment. Again, you would need to show them a proof of travel. It can only be a 1 way ticket, that is fine. 

OK gotcha - How did they accept your Urgent Request with a ticket? Couldn't they have said "Just fly with your Canadian PR Card?

 

So I think b/c of my US Immigration interview scheduled on July 25th, I will wait until after that to send a request for urgent processing...?

Edited June 23, 2022 by jpfashizzle

[Kai G. Llewellyn 821]

- To ensure that I can get my Canadian Citizenship AND my US Greencard, what are the ideal timelines for everything to happen/fall in place?

You can apply for Canadian citizenship at any time, so long as you meet the requirements of Canadian citizenship. You must maintain your Canadian PR while going through the process, including spending sufficient amount of time in Canada. I'd say my timeline is ideal, as I had gotten the ball rolling before I became a LPR.

 

- Do I need to declare to Canada that I am applying for US PR?

You don't need to declare that you are applying for US LPR status. BUT you do need to tell them immediately once you have become a LPR of the US. The reason being is that your application asks for immigration status you have held in other countries, and you need to update them of any changes to your application since submission. Failure to do so could cause a refusal in your application.

 

- Should I wait to travel to the US until after my Canadian Oath Ceremony?

You can leave immediately once you've done your Oath. But if you need to fly back to Canada, you will not be able to. You can freely enter the country over the land border with anything, or nothing at all as you'd be a citizen.

 

- Do they really ask you to "cut" your Canadian PR card at your Canadian Oath Ceremony?

Yep. Kinda felt sad in doing so!

 

-Once I enter the US on an immigrant visa/stamp, I don't think I will be able to return to Canada until I get my US PR card (~100 days after landing in the US); I have a permanent residence with my Fiancé in Canada - Do you think it will be OK?

Yes, your Immigrant Visa acts as a de facto green card for 1 year once it is endorsed with a CBP entry stamp, which you get on your initial admission as an immigrant.

 

- Did you apply for Expedited Processing of your Canadian Passport after your Canadian Oath Ceremony? Is this an option for me if I have my Canadian Oath ceremony after my US Immigration interview (which I hope will be the case)?

I plan to get an expedited passport, but I neglected to ask for an expedited arrival of a citizenship certificate, so I'm rocking without any documentation of my Canadian citizenship right now. Should be fun. xD

[jpfashizzle 9]

1 hour ago, Kai G. Llewellyn said:

- To ensure that I can get my Canadian Citizenship AND my US Greencard, what are the ideal timelines for everything to happen/fall in place?

You can apply for Canadian citizenship at any time, so long as you meet the requirements of Canadian citizenship. You must maintain your Canadian PR while going through the process, including spending sufficient amount of time in Canada. I'd say my timeline is ideal, as I had gotten the ball rolling before I became a LPR.

 

- Do I need to declare to Canada that I am applying for US PR?

You don't need to declare that you are applying for US LPR status. BUT you do need to tell them immediately once you have become a LPR of the US. The reason being is that your application asks for immigration status you have held in other countries, and you need to update them of any changes to your application since submission. Failure to do so could cause a refusal in your application.

 

- Should I wait to travel to the US until after my Canadian Oath Ceremony?

You can leave immediately once you've done your Oath. But if you need to fly back to Canada, you will not be able to. You can freely enter the country over the land border with anything, or nothing at all as you'd be a citizen.

 

- Do they really ask you to "cut" your Canadian PR card at your Canadian Oath Ceremony?

Yep. Kinda felt sad in doing so!

 

-Once I enter the US on an immigrant visa/stamp, I don't think I will be able to return to Canada until I get my US PR card (~100 days after landing in the US); I have a permanent residence with my Fiancé in Canada - Do you think it will be OK?

Yes, your Immigrant Visa acts as a de facto green card for 1 year once it is endorsed with a CBP entry stamp, which you get on your initial admission as an immigrant.

 

- Did you apply for Expedited Processing of your Canadian Passport after your Canadian Oath Ceremony? Is this an option for me if I have my Canadian Oath ceremony after my US Immigration interview (which I hope will be the case)?

I plan to get an expedited passport, but I neglected to ask for an expedited arrival of a citizenship certificate, so I'm rocking without any documentation of my Canadian citizenship right now. Should be fun. xD

Thanks for your responses @Kai G. Llewellyn!!!

 

Re the "...BUT you do need to tell them immediately once you have become a LPR of the US. The reason being is that your application asks for immigration status you have held in other countries, and you need to update them of any changes to your application since submission. Failure to do so could cause a refusal in your application."

>>> Just curious, I know they ask you to bring your current passport to your Oath Ceremony - Do they actually go through it, like review the pages? I ask as mine will have the US Immigrant Visa in it, so I don't want them to refuse me because they think I have intent to move to the US.

 

Thanks!

[Kai G. Llewellyn 821]

26 minutes ago, jpfashizzle said:

Thanks for your responses @Kai G. Llewellyn!!!

 

Re the "...BUT you do need to tell them immediately once you have become a LPR of the US. The reason being is that your application asks for immigration status you have held in other countries, and you need to update them of any changes to your application since submission. Failure to do so could cause a refusal in your application."

>>> Just curious, I know they ask you to bring your current passport to your Oath Ceremony - Do they actually go through it, like review the pages? I ask as mine will have the US Immigrant Visa in it, so I don't want them to refuse me because they think I have intent to move to the US.

 

Thanks!

At the Oath Ceremony, no. They just do an ID check, so will just want to see the Bio Page. You don't need to use your passport. Your PR card plus ANY other government issued ID (foreign or domestic but must be in English or French) is acceptable.

 

However, if you get called for a Program Integrity Interview (they used to do this for everyone, but now only select applicants) then they may check your passport pages. They absolutely will if you are called for an interview where they have questions over your physical presence. That being said, having a US immigrant visa in your passport is not a negative factor if you are otherwise in compliance with the physical presence required for citizenship. But as I said before, your active LPR status must be disclosed to IRCC.

 

Back in 2017 they removed the intent to live in Canada requirement for Citizenship. So IRCC cannot refuse your application because of your intent to live in the US or already happen to be living in the US. I am officially a nonresident of Canada, I have WA Driver's License, and non-resident as far as the CRA is concerned, but they still swore me in as a Canadian citizen thanks to those changes in 2017.

 

For the sake of transparency, I would also suggest notifying USCIS of your citizenship change too, and underline that Canada permits nonresidents to become citizens, and that your residency in the US has not changed.

Edited June 23, 2022 by Kai G. Llewellyn

[jpfashizzle 9]

1 hour ago, Kai G. Llewellyn said:

At the Oath Ceremony, no. They just do an ID check, so will just want to see the Bio Page. You don't need to use your passport. Your PR card plus ANY other government issued ID (foreign or domestic but must be in English or French) is acceptable.

 

However, if you get called for a Program Integrity Interview (they used to do this for everyone, but now only select applicants) then they may check your passport pages. They absolutely will if you are called for an interview where they have questions over your physical presence. That being said, having a US immigrant visa in your passport is not a negative factor if you are otherwise in compliance with the physical presence required for citizenship. But as I said before, your active LPR status must be disclosed to IRCC.

 

Back in 2017 they removed the intent to live in Canada requirement for Citizenship. So IRCC cannot refuse your application because of your intent to live in the US or already happen to be living in the US. I am officially a nonresident of Canada, I have WA Driver's License, and non-resident as far as the CRA is concerned, but they still swore me in as a Canadian citizen thanks to those changes in 2017.

 

For the sake of transparency, I would also suggest notifying USCIS of your citizenship change too, and underline that Canada permits nonresidents to become citizens, and that your residency in the US has not changed.

Thanks @Kai G. Llewellyn - Yes I will definitely disclose my US LPR to IRCC. 

[Ontarkie 13,915]

On 6/23/2022 at 8:38 AM, jpfashizzle said:

Hello @Kai G. Llewellyn,

 

Thanks for sharing your experience! I thought I was the only one in this boat. A little bit of background:

- I am an Indian Citizen, Canadian LPR since 2018 living in Canada

- I have applied for my Canadian Citizenship and am awaiting just my Language Skills, Physical Presence, Prohibitions and Oath Ceremony (based on others' trends, I expect my Oath invite towards the end of Jul'22)

- That being said, I also have my US Immigration Interview in Montreal on Jul-25th!

 

Questions:

- To ensure that I can get my Canadian Citizenship AND my US Greencard, what are the ideal timelines for everything to happen/fall in place?

- Do I need to declare to Canada that I am applying for US PR?

- Should I wait to travel to the US until after my Canadian Oath Ceremony?

- Do they really ask you to "cut" your Canadian PR card at your Canadian Oath Ceremony?

- Once I enter the US on an immigrant visa/stamp, I don't think I will be able to return to Canada until I get my US PR card (~100 days after landing in the US); I have a permanent residence with my Fiancé in Canada - Do you think it will be OK?

- Did you apply for Expedited Processing of your Canadian Passport after your Canadian Oath Ceremony? Is this an option for me if I have my Canadian Oath ceremony after my US Immigration interview (which I hope will be the case)?

 

Sorry for the loads of questions! Thank you for your help!!

 

Thanks!

You said fiancé. That means you are getting a K1 visa. You cannot leave the US after entry on a K1, the other quoting you above have said you can leave with the stamp. That only applies if you are married an getting a spousal visa. If you are indeed getting a K1 visa you cannot leave until advance parole this is taking up to 8 months to get. Do not enter the US until you do your Oath is that is so close to your Visa interview. You will have 6 months from the medical to enter on your K1. 

[Kai G. Llewellyn 821]

3 minutes ago, Ontarkie said:

You said fiancé. That means you are getting a K1 visa. You cannot leave the US after entry on a K1, the other quoting you above have said you can leave with the stamp. That only applies if you are married an getting a spousal visa. If you are indeed getting a K1 visa you cannot leave until advance parole this is taking up to 8 months to get. Do not enter the US until you do your Oath is that is so close to your Visa interview. You will have 6 months from the medical to enter on your K1. 

Good catch! Completely missed fiancé being referenced there. Yes, you can't re-enter with a K-1. So you will need to wait for your Oath before entering with a K-1.

Edited June 24, 2022 by Kai G. Llewellyn