How to apply for Canadian Citizenship with limited documents – Part 1
When it comes to submitting an application to IRCC for a Canadian Citizenship Certificate, the process initially appears straightforward. By adhering to the document checklist requirements, you can effectively organize the materials you’ve gathered in preparation for submission.
However, complications arise when you realize you’re missing some of the necessary documents. Despite the possibility of seeking guidance from IRCC through a quick call, reaching an agent for support can be challenging. While online forums are available, your question may be too specific for anyone to provide assistance.
In such instances, your only recourse is to proceed with the Canadian Citizenship application and hope for a positive outcome. Yet, this approach may entail waiting several months for a resolution, time you may not have to spare.
For most Canadian citizenship applications, the following supporting documents are typically required to facilitate a smooth process:
- Two pieces of valid personal ID, such as a passport, driver’s license, or health card, one of which must include a photo
- Birth certificate (long form)
- Parents’ birth certificates
- Grandparents’ birth certificates (if applying as second generation)
- Proof of name change, if applicable
However, if you’re applying for a simple replacement certificate, the requirements are usually more straightforward:
- Two pieces of valid personal ID, such as a passport, driver’s license, or health card, one of which must include a photo
- Proof of name change, if applicable
Often there may be a scenario where you might lack one of the primary pieces of ID, with the most common issue being the absence of a passport or any valid ID with a photo. This is often due to a theft of a handbag or a car, sometimes a house burglary.
The worst thing to do is to simply submit what you have with no covering letter to explain your situation. IRCC will send the application right back and you will be at square one again.
The most important thing to do Is to address the situation with a covering letter. The letter should explain why you are unable to obtain the documents and it should also contain any other information that is pertinent to your case. You will also need to provide a statutory declaration with a photo affixed to it that bears your likeness. This document needs to be notarized and coupled with other additional supporting documents that can support your name. The additional documents can be your CRA assessments, bank statements etc but you should have as many as you can.
An application that lacks the primary ID documents will always take slightly longer. There must be clear proof that you are unable to obtain any other documents without first having the citizenship certificate.
Often, by submitting applications for other documents first you may be able to then obtain what you need for the citizenship certificate. This is when IRCC will not accept a statutory declaration. If they feel that you can, in fact, get the documents needed to support your application.
A couple of examples of where this would be the case are:
Scenario 1:
You are a dual citizen of, for example, Canada and the UK. You have no supporting documents for your citizenship application (no UK passport, no Canadian passport, no health card, no driving license).
In this instance the best course of action would be to apply for a UK passport. This would then enable you to apply for a driving license for example.
Scenario 2:
You have a health card that does not have a photo and no other ID with a photo. You are only a Canadian citizen not a dual citizen.
This can be very tricky but there is a way. You would first need to apply for your verification of status (you need your birth certificate for this). Once you have that then you should be able to apply for your driving license. This would then give you your photo ID to then apply for your citizenship certificate.
So, as you can see from the scenarios above there are ways to obtain your certificates even if you may not have the documentation outlines in the IRCC official checklist.
Doherty Fultz Immigration specializes in innovative solutions and through careful crafting of submission letters and citing case laws where necessary we are usually successful in helping our clients obtain their immigration documents.
