Proof of Residency 

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You can also find some information in the CIC CP 5 Residence manual.

Here is an excerpt,

"Documents that can provide additional information on residence

The following documents can provide additional information where residence questions exist:

*Passport/Travel Documents: When requested, applicants are required to provide all passports, current and previously issued relevant to the four year period. Citizenship officials must review passport stamps in all passports issued during the relevant time period when a client comes in for testing, or any time prior to submitting an application to a citizenship judge for decision. If the passport or travel document has been issued in the last five years, or if it has been replaced by a document which would otherwise still be valid, the applicant should provide the cancelled passport as well as the valid one. If the old passport or travel document was lost or stolen, a police report may be requested.

Note: Judgment must be exercised as some countries do not return previous passports to clients and some applicants (e.g., refugees) may have entered Canada without a passport.

* When assessing stamps in passports, it is important to look at entry stamps to Canada and entry stamps to other countries which could indicate departures from Canada. The shape of these stamps may also be informative as many countries use different shapes to indicate entry and exit, e.g., entry stamps (oval) could be presented as exit stamps (square). When assessing entry visas, it might be pertinent to look at the validity dates and the status under which entry was given (visitor, student, worker, etc.) Note: Since not all countries, including Canada, routinely stamp passports at entry, a lack of entry stamps is not always indicative that no absences have occurred.

*FOSS check: NCB entries in FOSS.

The Immigration program is responsible for providing immigration clearances for citizenship applicants as well as informing local offices if an applicant’s immigration status has changed.

However, citizenship officers may choose to look for NCB entries in FOSS when examining declared residence.

*Proof of employment: Pay cheque stubs, T4’s, statement of earnings, federal or provincial income tax assessments, or a letter from the employer.

*Proof of attendance at a school: Transcripts of marks, report cards, letter of confirmation of attendance.

*Financial records: Financial records of a company if the applicant is self-employed.

— Banking records: Statements of transactions showing activity in Canada; credit card bills in the sole name of the applicant showing regular purchases in Canada; cancelled cheques showing regular payments or purchases in Canada. A letter from a bank showing that the applicant has an account does not necessarily establish residence in Canada. Regular payments do not necessarily indicate residence in Canada, e.g., post-dated cheques, standing payment orders to bank, internet banking.

— Personal records: Utility bills (telephone, electricity, cable, water tax, etc.) in the applicant’s name. Records of automobile leasing or purchase, insurance policies, driver’s license. Records of personal services (dental bills, record of services paid by provincial health authorities). The latter document is available on request by the applicant to the provincial authorities. Lease in the applicant’s name with proof of payment of rent, e.g., cancelled cheques, receipts for cash payments. Record from a government agency showing payment of social services benefits. In some cases, these documents might indicate that the family is here and not necessarily the applicant.

*Children’s report cards or records of attendance: If the applicant is responsible for dependent children, their report cards or records of attendance at a school in Canada.

*Affidavits: Affidavits from associates, friends, or colleagues may be presented but may be considered of limited value. The same is true of letters from community organizations. Although the writers may be acting in good faith, they may in fact have limited knowledge of the applicant’s regular presence in Canada.

*Proof of Volunteer Work: Some groups may provide confirmation of time spent volunteering for their organizations.

*Government entry/ exit records: Some countries keep a record of movement of their nationals to record their entry and exit out of their country, such as Records of Movement. In these cases, CIC may ask the applicant to provide such documents to substantiate his/her declarations.

Note: The above list is only a suggestion of documents that could be presented to confirm statements about residence"