Gaining Canadian Citizenship after becoming a US LPR - Success!

[Maverick_TO 2]

Many thanks for the quick responses, @Kai G. Llewellyn, @jpfashizzle

 

Considering that I'm an Indian national (with a US Green card), I've by definition, lost my nationality. However, I believe I need to officially renounce my citizenship to put that into effect and as such I'll be using my Indian passport with the green card to enter Canada (much like @jpfashizzle), My concern is should I claim Canadian citizenship upon entering at the CBSA booth, or just keep it discreet and enter as a US LPR. Ideally, I would have liked to cross at the land border since it seems to be more forgiving, but I'm pressed for time unfortunately

 

 @Kai G. Llewellyn how long did it take for the passport office to issue your passport after your in-person application? Did you expedite the processing to enable the pick-up whilst you were still in Canada? From what I've been reading on forums, it seems it is up to the discretion of the Passport officer to determine if the applicant can pick-up the passport in-person. Most people that had a US address on the application had their passport mailed out (based on forums) - does this hold true?

 

Many thanks!
NK

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by Maverick_TO

[jpfashizzle 9]

I presented exactly those 2 things (US GC & Indian Passport) and answered only what was asked (Who are you visiting, for How long, etc.) - They never asked me any questions that required me to claim Canadian Citizenship.

[Maverick_TO 2]

On 2/10/2023 at 11:12 AM, VIR CHAMP said:

I asked for urgent delivery of my certificate so I received it when I was in Canada.

I applied for passport from US and received it in US within a month.

I had some hurdles (form filling issue) with renouncing my Indian citizenship but it’s renounced now and got the surrendered passport back from CGI

Hi @VIR CHAMP

 

Can you describe what the issue was when you applied for the renunciation? I filled out my application form, but since the passport was issued in Canada, the application form defaults to the Consulate in Canada. Was this the same issue you encountered?

 

Many thanks,

NK

[Ashtim 5]

On 2/10/2023 at 11:12 AM, VIR CHAMP said:

I asked for urgent delivery of my certificate so I received it when I was in Canada.

I applied for passport from US and received it in US within a month.

I had some hurdles (form filling issue) with renouncing my Indian citizenship but it’s renounced now and got the surrendered passport back from CGI

Hi vir , 

I am in similar situation . I have to renunciate my Indian citizenship as I have my Canadian passport now . With green card here . Do I have to do it with vfs ??? And do the consulate check it with Canadian govt or the documents from my side are enough ( my copy of Canadian passport and my usa residential proof ) . ?? Or this will be an issue and I have to go in Canada and apply through bls? My status rite now is green card holder .. got passport in usa from Canada . Currently no address in Canada no contacts  

[Maverick_TO 2]

18 hours ago, Ashtim said:

Hi vir , 

I am in similar situation . I have to renunciate my Indian citizenship as I have my Canadian passport now . With green card here . Do I have to do it with vfs ??? And do the consulate check it with Canadian govt or the documents from my side are enough ( my copy of Canadian passport and my usa residential proof ) . ?? Or this will be an issue and I have to go in Canada and apply through bls? My status rite now is green card holder .. got passport in usa from Canada . Currently no address in Canada no contacts  

Hi @Ashtim,

 

My responses to your questions follow-

Do I have to do it with vfs ???

NK: Yes, you will need to send your application to VFS. VFS will process your application and forward it to the Consulate General of India (CGI) for your jurisdiction

And do the consulate check it with Canadian govt or the documents from my side are enough ( my copy of Canadian passport and my usa residential proof ) ??

NK: As long as you fill out the right form and submit the right supporting documents (to the correct CGI for your jurisdiction), your renunciation application will be processed. Go through the forms/checklist and you should be fine

Or this will be an issue and I have to go in Canada and apply through bls?

NK: You do NOT need to go to Canada and apply for the renunciation from within Canada. Applications from within the US, are processed by VFS before being forwarded to the CGI for your jurisdiction. As I said earlier, make sure you fill out the right forms, select the right CGI for your jurisdiction and submit the right supporting documents

 

Good luck with your application!

 

Best,

NK

 

Edited May 9, 2023 by Maverick_TO

[Ashtim 5]

2 hours ago, Maverick_TO said:

Hi @Ashtim,

 

My responses to your questions follow-

Do I have to do it with vfs ???

NK: Yes, you will need to send your application to VFS. VFS will process your application and forward it to the Consulate General of India (CGI) for your jurisdiction

And do the consulate check it with Canadian govt or the documents from my side are enough ( my copy of Canadian passport and my usa residential proof ) ??

NK: As long as you fill out the right form and submit the right supporting documents (to the correct CGI for your jurisdiction), your renunciation application will be processed. Go through the forms/checklist and you should be fine

Or this will be an issue and I have to go in Canada and apply through bls?

NK: You do NOT need to go to Canada and apply for the renunciation from within Canada. Applications from within the US, are processed by VFS before being forwarded to the CGI for your jurisdiction. As I said earlier, make sure you fill out the right forms, select the right CGI for your jurisdiction and submit the right supporting documents

 

Good luck with your application!

 

Best,

NK

 

Thanks for such a detailed answer !!!! Really appreciate your help ! 

[Maverick_TO 2]

On 1/18/2023 at 6:15 PM, Kai G. Llewellyn said:

Yeah, I got a pretty useless message back from them too, but the important aspect is that you have made an effort to inform them, so they cannot accuse you of misrepresentation. I did the message via myUSCIS and didn't do anything more than that.

 

Honestly, this is more of a cover-your-backside matter more than anything that's specifically required. I am paranoid regarding immigration, there's 95% chance nothing bad would come of failing to inform them. Gaining additional citizenships does not impact LPR status in any way (i.e. many countries have laws where you could pick up their citizenship while living 100% in the US. such as citizenship by descent.)

Hi @Kai G. Llewellyn, @jpfashizzle

 

Is there a specific form that needs to be filled out to inform the USCIS in the event that LPRs acquire citizenship other than the one they held at the time of becoming LPRs? If so, is there some means other than the myUSCIS account to inform them of the change?

 

Many thanks!

NK

Edited June 17, 2023 by Maverick_TO

[Kai G. Llewellyn 838]

3 hours ago, Maverick_TO said:

Hi @Kai G. Llewellyn, @jpfashizzle

 

Is there a specific form that needs to be filled out to inform the USCIS in the event that LPRs acquire citizenship other than the one they held at the time of becoming LPRs? If so, is there some means other than the myUSCIS account to inform them of the change?

 

Many thanks!

NK

 

I didn't do anything aside from sending a message in MyUSCIS, the response was a bit nonsensical but yeah. Outside of that I've declared both citizenships on my I-751, so I don't think anyone can accuse me of willfully hiding it. Not that it makes a difference in eligibility in any case.

I don't think there's a duty to declare until an application asks you to list your citizenships.

[jpfashizzle 9]

On 5/9/2023 at 5:05 PM, Maverick_TO said:

Hi @Ashtim,

 

My responses to your questions follow-

 

NK: You do NOT need to go to Canada and apply for the renunciation from within Canada. Applications from within the US, are processed by VFS before being forwarded to the CGI for your jurisdiction. As I said earlier, make sure you fill out the right forms, select the right CGI for your jurisdiction and submit the right supporting documents

 

Good luck with your application!

 

Best,

NK

 

 

@Maverick_TO, It's good you could apply for your renunciation from within the USA (using your newly acquired Canadian Citizenship).

 

I unfortunately was denied by VFS because they said that the Toronto Consulate would have to process my application (though my current US address puts me in the Houston Consulate's jurisdiction!)

 

Anyhow, I am applying for Renunciation with BLS Brampton today.

[jpfashizzle 9]

On 6/17/2023 at 12:30 AM, Kai G. Llewellyn said:

 

I didn't do anything aside from sending a message in MyUSCIS, the response was a bit nonsensical but yeah. Outside of that I've declared both citizenships on my I-751, so I don't think anyone can accuse me of willfully hiding it. Not that it makes a difference in eligibility in any case.

I don't think there's a duty to declare until an application asks you to list your citizenships.

Agree with @Kai G. Llewellyn - I sent USCIS a message declaring my acquiring of Canadian Citizenship after acquiring my US LPR status and unfortunately I also got a non-sensical automated response that my US Green Card had been issued and that I can contact them in case I did not receive it. 

 

My game plan is to keep the record of that conversation, should I need it during my application for US Citizenship.

[Crazy Cat 41,985]

48 minutes ago, jpfashizzle said:

I sent USCIS a message declaring my acquiring of Canadian Citizenship after acquiring my US LPR

Why? 

[Maverick_TO 2]

3 hours ago, jpfashizzle said:

@Maverick_TO, It's good you could apply for your renunciation from within the USA (using your newly acquired Canadian Citizenship).

 

I unfortunately was denied by VFS because they said that the Toronto Consulate would have to process my application (though my current US address puts me in the Houston Consulate's jurisdiction!)

 

Anyhow, I am applying for Renunciation with BLS Brampton today.

HI @jpfashizzle

 

It's unfortunate that the VFS agency declined processing for your application. BLS Brampton is horrendous from what I've experienced. Unfortunately, the processing time in Canada for the renunciation certificate and the OCI booklet is almost 4-4.5 months (in total). Would you be allowed to apply for the OCI (if you choose to) from within the US, or do they force you to apply from Canada as well?

 

Good luck with the application!

NK

[jpfashizzle 9]

1 minute ago, Maverick_TO said:

HI @jpfashizzle

 

It's unfortunate that the VFS agency declined processing for your application. BLS Brampton is horrendous from what I've experienced. Unfortunately, the processing time in Canada for the renunciation certificate and the OCI booklet is almost 4-4.5 months (in total). Would you be allowed to apply for the OCI (if you choose to) from within the US, or do they force you to apply from Canada as well?

 

Good luck with the application!

NK

Lol your timing is great. Just had to pay BLS $30 to enter in 1 LINE that they claim I missed to enter even though the online form didn't have that field. They said I should get my Renunciation Certificate in 15 business days.

 

Wow 4-5 Months??? I'm going to have to look into this and see if I can apply for an OCI from US Indian-consulates. With any Indian Government process I've learned you need to go through the entire application/process before you actually need to, in order to understand the intricacies.

[Maverick_TO 2]

5 minutes ago, jpfashizzle said:

Lol your timing is great. Just had to pay BLS $30 to enter in 1 LINE that they claim I missed to enter even though the online form didn't have that field. They said I should get my Renunciation Certificate in 15 business days.

 

Wow 4-5 Months??? I'm going to have to look into this and see if I can apply for an OCI from US Indian-consulates. With any Indian Government process I've learned you need to go through the entire application/process before you actually need to, in order to understand the intricacies.

BLS always makes bold claims on their processing time. However, CGI Toronto is the most efficient of the lot, and you could get lucky. My friends have had to wait an average of 2-2.5 months on the Renunciation Certificate and then another 2 months for the OCI (everything processed by BLS Brampton and CGI Toronto). Interestingly, this trend has been fairly recent - applications were sent early 2022

 

I guess I lucked out with both the Renunciation Certificate and the OCI - I applied for both from within the US (CGI - NY was the outpost that processed my application)

 

Good luck!

NK

[jpfashizzle 9]

4 hours ago, Crazy Cat said:

Why? 

Sorry @Crazy Cat, Can you please elaborate/specify your question.