Desk of Contents
At first look, making use of to IRCC for a Canadian Citizenship Certificates might seem to be a easy course of. The applying bundle offers a transparent guidelines of required paperwork, which helps candidates manage the whole lot they want earlier than submission.
Nonetheless, problems typically come up when a number of of those key paperwork are lacking. Whilst you can attempt contacting IRCC for steerage, reaching an agent could be tough. On-line boards might supply common recommendation, but when your state of affairs is exclusive, your query could also be too particular for anybody to offer help.
In such situations, your solely recourse is to proceed with the Canadian Citizenship software and hope for a constructive final result. But, this strategy might entail ready a number of months for a decision, time you could not need to spare.
Frequent Supporting Paperwork Wanted for Citizenship Certificates Purposes
For many Canadian citizenship certificates functions, IRCC usually requires:
- Two items of legitimate private ID (one with a photograph, equivalent to a passport, driver’s license, or well being card)
- A protracted-form beginning certificates
- Mother and father’ beginning certificates
- Grandparents’ beginning certificates (if making use of as second era)
- Proof of identify change, if relevant
If you’re making use of for a substitute citizenship certificates, the necessities are normally less complicated:
- Two items of legitimate private ID (one with a photograph)
- Proof of identify change, if relevant
When Major ID Paperwork Are Lacking
Some of the frequent challenges shouldn’t be having a passport or different legitimate picture ID. This will occur as a result of theft, housebreaking, or different unexpected circumstances.
The worst mistake you may make is submitting your software with out clarification. IRCC will merely return it, leaving you again at sq. one.
As a substitute, one of the best strategy is to incorporate a masking letter. This letter ought to clarify why you can’t present the required paperwork and embrace any extra context related to your state of affairs. Together with this, you will have to submit a statutory declaration with an affixed picture, notarized, plus as many supporting paperwork as doable equivalent to CRA assessments, financial institution statements, or different official data linking your identify to your id.
Purposes lacking core ID paperwork will usually take longer to course of. IRCC should be satisfied that you just actually can not receive these paperwork with out first having a citizenship certificates.
When IRCC Gained’t Settle for a Statutory Declaration
There are conditions the place IRCC is not going to settle for a statutory declaration in the event that they imagine you could possibly receive the paperwork in one other approach. Listed here are two examples:
State of affairs 1:
You’re a twin citizen of Canada and the UK, however you haven’t any legitimate ID (no Canadian or UK passport, no well being card, no driver’s license).
The most effective strategy could be to first apply for a UK passport. With that, you’ll be able to then apply for a driver’s license or different supporting ID.
State of affairs 2:
You’re a Canadian citizen however not a twin citizen. You may have a well being card with no picture and no different legitimate picture ID.
On this case, you could possibly first apply for a Verification of Standing utilizing your beginning certificates. As soon as obtained, you could possibly then use it to use for a driver’s license, which offers the picture ID required in your citizenship certificates software.

