tugrularas/irccfaq huggingface dataset:
Question: What do I do if my PR card isn’t ready before I travel?
Answer: You need a valid permanent resident (PR) card to return to Canada by commercial vehicle. You can use other documents to return to Canada by private vehicle.
If you know your PR card will expire while you’re travelling outside Canada, you should apply for a new one before you leave. You can’t have a third party mail your PR card to you while you’re outside Canada. We don’t send PR cards to non-Canadian addresses.
If your new PR card isn’t ready before you leave, you can still travel but you need a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) to return to Canada by commercial vehicle. You can only apply for a PRTD from outside Canada.
Question: When I sponsor a refugee, do I need to include family members who aren’t coming to Canada at the same time on the application?
Answer: Yes. You must include all family members in your sponsorship application whether or not they are travelling to Canada. There are no exceptions, even if the family members are:

missing
imprisoned
unable to leave their country of birth
presumed dead

Family members must be included on the following forms:

the Application for Permanent Residence
the Sponsorship Undertaking

The One-Year Window of Opportunity won’t apply to family members you don’t list on these forms.
Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs) have agreed to include all of the family members of the people they sponsor in their applications. It is a serious offense to advise someone to misrepresent themselves on the application or to withhold information from us. This includes telling them not to include all their family members.
If you tell someone to misrepresent themselves or their family on an application, you could face serious penalties, including:

a fine of up to $100,000
imprisonment for up to 5 years
cancelling your sponsorship agreement
Question: Who can be my co-signer on my application to sponsor my parents and grandparents?
Answer: To help you meet the income requirement to sponsor your parents and grandparents, your co-signer can be your:

spouse or
common-law partner

If your common-law partner is your co-signer, you’ll have to submit a form to confirm your common-law status (PDF, 637 KB) with your application.



Regardless of how long you’ve been married or in a common-law relationship:

your spouse or common-law partner can be your co-signer 
your co-signer must provide proof of income for the last 3 taxation years before the date of your application

As your co-signer, your spouse or common-law partner must:

meet the same eligibility requirements as you, the sponsor
agree to, for a period of time, financially take care of and provide for the basic needs of the persons you’re sponsoring

You and your co-signer are equally liable if these obligations aren’t performed.
Question: How do I fill out my application for a citizenship certificate if I don’t know everything about my parents or grandparents?
Answer: If you don’t know the information we ask for on the form, enter ‘unknown’ in the spaces provided. If it doesn’t apply to your parents or grandparents, enter ‘not applicable’ or ‘NA’.
We collect information about your parents and your grandparents, because it helps us:

determine what section of the Citizenship Act describes your claim to citizenship
search for citizenship records 

If we don’t have enough information about your parents or grandparents, your application may be delayed and/or we may not be able to assess your claim.
Question: I have a confirmation number. Am I guaranteed to get invited to sponsor my parents and grandparents?
Answer: No. All potential sponsors who successfully submit an interest to sponsor form receive a confirmation number, but only a certain number are invited to apply each intake. After the interest to sponsor form closes, we review the submissions, remove duplicates and randomize the list. We’ll invite potential sponsors to submit a complete application from the randomized list of interest to sponsor forms we received.
When we invite a group of potential sponsors to submit a complete application, we call this a round of invitations. Depending on when the intake happens in a given year and the number of complete applications we receive, we may do more than 1 round of invitations.
Not everyone who’s invited to apply submits a complete application by the deadline in their invitation. Because of this, we send more invitations than the application target for a given intake.
For the 2024 intake, we’ll invite enough sponsors to receive up to 20,500 complete applications. We’ll post the status of those who have been invited to apply on our website on May 31, 2024. You’ll be able to look up your confirmation number to find out if you’re invited to apply.
If you aren’t invited to apply
If you’d like your parents and grandparents to come to Canada, the super visa is another option. Your parents and grandparents may be eligible to apply for a super visa to stay in Canada for 5 years at a time.
Question: Can I submit an old version of the application form for Canadian citizenship?
Answer: It depends on the application and how old the form is.



Use the form dated October 2020 or later for the following applications:

Adult (age 18 or older)
Parent or guardian applying for a minor (under age 18)
Minor without a Canadian parent applying alone





Use the form dated October 2017 or later for the following applications:

Adult who served with the Canadian Armed Forces
Adoption by a Canadian citizen
Stateless person born to a Canadian parent




The newest version is always available in your application package.
You can find the version date on the bottom left corner of the form. For example, “CIT 0002 (01-2019)” means the version date is January 2019.
If you submitted a form older than October 2020 or 2017

we’ll return your application 
you’ll have to resubmit your application with the newest version of the form

If you used the correct form and we returned the application to you as incomplete, you

can resubmit your application with the same form once you get the missing information or document
don’t need use the newest form to resubmit your application
Question: Can my time abroad count toward my permanent resident status?
Answer: It depends on what you do and who you travel with. Your time outside of Canada may count toward your permanent resident status if you meet 1 of these conditions:
You work outside Canada
You need to work full-time for:

a Canadian business or organization, or
the Canadian federal, provincial or territorial government

You travel with a spouse or common-law partner
Your spouse or common-law partner needs to be:

a Canadian citizen, or
a permanent resident working outside Canada, full-time for:
 
a Canadian business, or
the Canadian federal, provincial or territorial government



You’re a dependent child and travel with your parent
Your parent needs to be:

a Canadian citizen, or
a permanent resident working outside Canada, full-time for:
 
a Canadian business or
the Canadian federal, provincial or territorial government
Question: Can I lose my permanent resident status?
Answer: Yes, you can lose your permanent resident (PR) status.
If you haven’t been in Canada for at least 730 days during the last five years, you may lose your PR status. See Understand PR Status.
You may also lose your PR status if you:

become a Canadian citizen
give up (renounce) your PR status
become inadmissible to Canada

Permanent residents don’t have the same protections and privileges as Canadian citizens do. If you commit a serious offence as a PR, you may have to leave Canada permanently.
Question: Can I give up my permanent resident status?
Answer: Yes, you can apply to give up (renounce) your permanent resident status. To do this, you must:

be a permanent resident of Canada and
be either a citizen of another country or a permanent resident of another country.

See Why would I give up my permanent resident status?
Question: Why would I give up my permanent resident status?
Answer: There are different reasons why you may want to give up (renounce) your PR status.
Examples

you don’t want to live in Canada permanently
you only want to visit Canada
you haven’t lived in Canada long enough to keep your PR status
you want to be a citizen or permanent resident in another country and they need you to renounce your status
you want to apply for a temporary resident visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)
you need to give up your PR status to accept a diplomatic or official position with a foreign government


See Apply to voluntarily renounce permanent resident status.
Question: I’m an international student. Can I work before my study program starts?
Answer: No. If you’re eligible to work on or off campus while studying in Canada, you can only start working once your study program starts.
Make sure you meet all the requirements for working on campus or off campus, before you start working. If you want to work before you start your studies, you must apply for a work permit.
Question: I’m an international student. Can I continue to work after I’ve finished my study program?
Answer: Generally, no. You must stop working once you’ve received your final grades.
You can continue to work after you finished your studies only if:

you’ve already applied for a work permit, or
you’re starting a new study program

Find out if you meet one of these exceptions.
Question: My co-op work permit says “not authorized to work for any employer other than stated”. What does it mean?
Answer: As a co-op student, your co-op work permit might say:

you’re “not authorized to work for any employer other than stated”
your school is your employer

This is to identify you as a co-op student. It means you can work for any employer that’s accepted by your school’s co-op program.
If your employer doesn’t understand this condition
If the condition on your work permit is causing problems for you with your employer, you may apply to remove the condition.
To do this, you must apply for a new work permit.
Include a letter explaining why you need the condition removed from your work permit (that is, it’s causing problems with your employer) with your application.
There is no fee for this.
If you change schools
If you change schools and stay in a co-op program, you must apply for a new work permit. This means your new co-op work permit will say your new school is your employer.
You won’t need to pay another application fee to change your co-op work permit conditions or for the new co-op work permit.
Question: When does my processing time start?
Answer: Your processing time starts the day we receive your complete application and ends when we make a decision.
If you apply by mail, the processing time starts when your application arrives in our mailroom.
If you apply online or in-person, it starts when you submit your application.
Question: My IEC work permit is expiring. Can I stay in Canada if I apply to extend my stay?
Answer: You can stay in Canada if you maintain your status as a temporary resident of Canada.
How to maintain your status
To maintain your status, before your work permit expires, you must apply

to extend your current IEC participation
for another type of work permit (not IEC)
to extend your stay as a student or
to extend your stay as a visitor

Applying for a new IEC participation?
You do not maintain your status in Canada if you apply for a new IEC participation. If you want to stay in Canada while you wait for a decision on your new IEC participation, you must apply to extend your stay as a visitor before your work permit expires. You must stop working while you wait.
Who doesn’t maintain their status
You don’t maintain your status if you

apply to extend your IEC participation after your work permit expires
		
you must stop working on the day your work permit expires


apply for a new IEC participation
submitted your profile to an IEC pool and are waiting for an invitation to apply
apply to extend your stay as a student or visitor after your work permit expires

Find out what to do if your work permit expired before you applied to extend it.
Who can work while waiting for a decision
If you applied to extend your stay in Canada as a worker, you’re authorized to keep working until we finalize your application. However, you can only keep working if

you held a valid work permit when you applied
you’ll work under the same conditions of your original work permit
		
for example, you’ll work for the same employer if you have an employer-specific work permit


you stay in Canada

If you applied for a study permit or a visitor record, you’ll maintain your status as a temporary resident but you must stop working once your work permit expires.
Question: What is a refugee protection claimant document and when will I get one?
Answer: The refugee protection claimant document (RPCD) confirms

you made a refugee claim (either eligible or not)
whether you’re eligible for health coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP)

The RPCD doesn’t explain the conditions or length of your IFHP coverage. Your doctor should always confirm your coverage with our claims administrator.
We give you an RPCD after we refer your refugee claim to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.
In some cases, we also give you an RPCD if you’re not eligible to make a refugee claim but you’re eligible to apply for a pre-removal risk assessment.
You may also be able to use the RPCD to confirm your identity when applying for certain provincial benefits.
What does an RPCD look like?
RPCDs may have a(n):

digital photo
physical photo with a laminate covering
immigration officer’s signature or initials near the photo
CBSA or IRCC stamp on the laminate photo cover

Example of a Refugee Protection Claimant Document (RPCD)


Example of a Refugee Protection Claimant Document
Question: I’ve reached the maximum number of participations for my country or category in IEC. If I get an invitation to apply, can I participate in the program again?
Answer: No. Even if you get a “Welcome to the Pool Letter” and an invitation to apply, for many countries, you can’t participate in the same category twice. For some countries, you can only participate once, even if you apply to a different pool.
Check the eligibility requirements before you submit your profile or pay any fees. We only decide if you’re able to participate in the program once we review the work permit. If you’re not eligible, your application will be refused and we’ll refund you the IEC fee. However, if you’ve given your biometrics, we can’t refund the biometrics fee.
If you’ve reached the maximum number of participations for your country or pool, you may still be able to participate in IEC through a Recognized Organization (RO). Learn more about using an RO.
Question: My application for a visitor visa was refused. Should I apply again?
Answer: No. If your application was refused, applying again with the same information, even with an immigration or travel agent, will not change this decision.
Your application may be refused because:

the official deciding your case has reason to believe you’ll stay in Canada beyond your authorized stay
you’re inadmissible to Canada

Applying a second time will not change this decision. It will only cost you more money and increase processing times for other applicants. However, if your situation changes, you may apply again with your new information.
Examples of your situation changing include:

you’ve applied for criminal rehabilitation and were approved
you’re eligible for deemed rehabilitation
you’re inadmissible but are applying for a temporary resident permit
you were inadmissible for medical reasons, but those reasons have since changed

Hiring an immigration representative doesn’t increase your chances of being accepted
Hiring an immigration representative also won’t change any previous decision on your application.
If anyone tells you you’ll have a better chance on your second application because they’re representing you, they’re not being truthful and are likely looking to take your money.
Learn how to choose a representative, and how to recognize common immigration scams.
Question: Who’s eligible for the pilot project to sponsor undeclared family members?
Answer: When someone applies for permanent residence, all their family members must be declared  and most also need to be examined. This means have criminal and security checks, and  a medical exam. We need this information to make sure their family members don’t  make them ineligible for permanent residence.
You may be eligible for the pilot project if:

you’re applying to be sponsored as a spouse, common-law partner, or dependent child

AND

you were not declared or examined when your sponsor became a permanent resident 
    
as a resettled refugee
after being granted refugee protection in Canada
as a dependent of a resettled refugee/protected person
after being sponsored as a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child under the Family Class or
after being sponsored as a spouse or common-law partner under the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class



This pilot project only applies to family members who wouldn’t have made their sponsor ineligible to immigrate to Canada.
Who’s not eligible for the pilot project?
You won’t be eligible if:

you weren’t declared or examined when your sponsor became a permanent resident

in an economic category (including as a caregiver)
after being sponsored in the family class other than as a spouse, partner or child (for example, parent/grandparent and their dependents, other relatives)
in the permit holder class
as an applicant in-Canada based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds



OR

you would have made your sponsor ineligible to immigrate to Canada when they applied, for example, if your sponsor 

immigrated as a spouse, but was married or in a common-law relationship with you at that time
was married or in a common-law relationship when they came as a dependent child on their parent’s application or
came to Canada under a program that required them to be single, with no dependants
Question: What will happen to an application for a family member I didn’t declare if it’s in process, or was denied?
Answer: The public policy only applies to

new applications or
those where we didn’t make a final decision before the public policy was announced

If your application is in process
If you have an application in process and your family member qualifies for the pilot project, you don’t need to do anything. We’ll review any applications that were already submitted if they are eligible under the pilot project.
If your application was already denied
If you applied before and the application was denied, you may be able to submit a new application to sponsor them, if they

are eligible to be sponsored and
qualify for the pilot project
Question: How do I sponsor my undeclared family member through the pilot project?
Answer: If your spouse, common-law partner, or dependent child is eligible to be sponsored and qualifies for the pilot project, you can apply to sponsor them as of September 9, 2019.
There is no special process for sponsoring family members under the pilot project. You would just apply using the normal process to sponsor your spouse, partner or child.
Question: I participated in IEC in the past. How do I apply to participate again?
Answer: You have to complete and submit a new profile if you previously:

applied to IEC but weren’t  invited to apply or
were accepted and participated  in IEC

You should also make sure that you’re eligible to  apply again.
You can’t use your profile from the  previous year.
At the end of each season, we remove all the  profiles from all the pools. We notify you through your  account that the pools have closed.
Question: I can’t sign in to my IRCC secure account. What should I do?
Answer: If you’re having trouble signing in to your IRCC secure account , try these common fixes:

Make sure you’re using the most recent version of a supported browser like Edge, Safari, Chrome or Firefox.
Don’t use a favourite link or bookmark.
Delete any saved favourite links or bookmarks.
Close your browser and then
		
reopen the browser and clear your browser cache
close the browser again
reopen the browser and try to log in to your account



If you still can’t sign in to your account, let us know through our web form.

Under “Enquiry,” choose “Technical difficulties” in the drop-down menu.
Include this information in the text box:
		
if you log out of your account after each session
if you share an office/home with other account users
how you’re connected to the network (through a broadband router, VPN, etc.)


Upload screenshots from your account that show us
		
the page(s) where you’re having problems
the error message(s) you get



If you need to upload many images, find out how to combine them into 1 document.
We’ll try to respond to you within 2 to 5 business days. Our response time can vary depending on overall volume of enquiries.

Please don’t send your question more than once. It could delay our answer.
Question: My application was returned because something was missing. What can I do?
Answer: Due to mailing delays caused by COVID-19, we’ll now return incomplete applications by email if we’ve made a digital copy. Otherwise, we’ll mail it back to you.
Be sure to check the email you gave us when you submitted if you

are waiting to hear about your application or 
think there may be forms or documents missing 


If we return your application because it’s incomplete, we also send you a letter and a checklist that explain why and what’s missing.
When you send your application back, make sure you

add any document or information that was missing the first time and include the letter and checklist we sent you
write a letter that explains why you’re changing or updating your information, or why you can’t get the document we requested

If you applied on paper and we returned your application by email, find out how to resubmit your documents.
You can use all the same documents and payment receipts to apply again. Make sure the signatures are still valid.

We must get your application within 90 days from the date you signed it.
The date you signed it can’t be in the future (postdated).

If you need to, you can fill out, sign and date new forms.
You should also read the application guide to see if anything changed since the last time you applied.
The processing time only starts the day we receive your complete application. If we returned your application by mistake, we’ll use the date we first received your application.
Question: What is the pilot project to sponsor undeclared family members?
Answer: When you apply to become a permanent resident, you have to declare all family members on your application, even if they aren’t coming to Canada. This may include your

spouse
common-law partner
dependent children
dependent child of a dependent child

Usually, these family members need to have criminal and security checks, and a medical exam. This is so we have all the information we need to make sure these family members would not make you ineligible or inadmissible.
Most of the time, people aren’t allowed to sponsor family members that were  not declared and examined when they became a permanent resident.
As of September 9, 2019, we have  a pilot project where you may be able to sponsor family members that  were not declared or examined.
This policy doesn’t let you sponsor family members who would have made you ineligible to immigrate to Canada.
The people you sponsor must still meet all eligibility requirements and prove they’re admissible to Canada. All application fees still apply.