Respond to the Residence Questionnaire
Some applicants for Canadian Citizenship will receive what’s called a residence questionnaire while their application is in processing. The residence questionnaire is a request from Citizenship and Immigration Canada for very detailed additional information about the time you spent in Canada that was mentioned in your Canadian citizenship application.
As part of the residence questionnaire, you must provide CIC with detailed descriptions of your absences from Canada during the time period covered by the application. You also have to provide documents to support your claims regarding the time you spent inside and outside Canada.
To fix this problem, click the “download” button to complete the order form and get help getting your citizenship.
Includes:
- Exhaustive list of supporting documentation of your residence in Canada.
- Response crafted for you, and package reviewed for completeness and filed with CIC.
- Supervision by a Registered Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC).
Includes IMMIgroup fee, HST,
Follow the easy 6-step process to Respond to Your Residence Questionnaire
- Download the application
Please complete the order form. Make sure to include your telephone number and email address where you can be contacted. - Fax or email in your application
Fax or scan and email the order form and the working copy of your Residence Questionnaire to our office for review at 416-640-2650 or info@immigroup.com. - We Will Contact You
You will be contacted within 1-2 business days regarding your application and we will provide you with an exhaustive list of all the documents you will need to support your response to the questionnaire. If you have not been contacted after 2 business days, please contact our
office at 1-866-760-2623 to confirm we have received your order. - Assemble Your Documents
After we have reviewed your questionnaire, we will advise you what documentation you need to respond to the questionnaire. Please send copies of these documents to our office at 57 Westchester Drive, London, Ontario, N6G 2K6 Please send by Xpresspost. (If you would prefer to send by courier, please call us at 1-866-760-2623 for instructions.) - Submit Your Questionnaire
We will submit your questionnaire with a cover letter and your supporting documentation, organized by an expert, to Citizenship and Immigration Canada. - Resume Your Citizenship Application
A successful response to the Residence Questionnaire will result in your citizenship application continuing and you will be invited to take the Citizenship Test, if you haven’t already taken it, or you will be invited to take the oath.
Expect delays, however, as your questionnaire will take a while to review. Citizenship Applications with questionnaires usually take over one year longer than regular applications.
Why You Need to Answer the Residence Questionnaire
(Within the proscribed time frame)
What Happens If You Do Not Respond Adequately to the Residence Questionnaire
If you choose to ignore the questionnaire or you do not respond to it to the satisfaction of CIC officials, the following could happen:
- Your Citizenship Application may be abandoned with only a partial refund.
- Making false statements or misleading statements on a Residence Questionnaire (or your citizenship application) could lead to you losing your PR status and even getting deported.
What a Response Can Do For You
- If you successfully answer the Residence Questionnaire, your Citizenship Application will continue to be processed.
- Once you have passed the test and taken the Oath, you will be able to apply for a Canadian passport.
- Once you are a Canadian citizen, you can vote in elections, run for office, and work in jobs reserved for Canadian citizens.
Common questions
What is the Residence Questionnaire?
The Residence Questionnaire is an in-depth examination of your residence in Canada in the 5 years prior to your Citizenship Application. It is used to prove your residence in Canada for the purposes of qualifying for Citizenship.
It can be issued at different times during the process: before the invitation to take the citizenship test, at the citizenship test, or after completion of the citizenship test.
Once you receive the RQ, you will have 45 business days to respond.
Why did I receive the Residence Questionnaire?
If you have received the RQ, it is because Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has concerns about the residence information you submitted in your Citizenship application.
It may be because they could not verify all the dates you provided, it may be because information was missing, or it may be because you were out of the country enough that they are concerned that you may have violated the residence requirement.
In order to deal with this issue, you need to provide an exhaustive accounting of your trips out of Canada in the last 4 years. To substantiate your statements, you will have to provide documentation proving that you were in Canada when you said and outside of Canada when you said.
What Do I Do if I Did Not Respond in Time?
If you failed to submit your response to the questionnaire within 45 business days, you will be granted an additional 30 days to respond. However, if you haven’t responded by the end of that second period of 30 days, your application will be abandoned.
