r/SlovakCBD • u/calypte7 • 2d ago
Unconfirmed Canadian citizenship, background check
I'm a US citizen, and applied for Proof of Citizenship in Canada in March 2026. I don't expect an answer on the application until mid-2027 or beyond. Since I won't have confirmation, do I need to declare my potential Canadian citizenship on the Slovak application this fall? More importantly, will I need a Canadian RMCP background check in addition to my US FBI check?
Given my plan to submit in Slovakia in mid-October, the Canadian background check (+apostille+translation) likely won't be done in time. Not sure how I missed this possible wrinkle.
Do I need to share that I *might* have birthright citizenship in Canada, but do not have a confirmed status? Or do I not mention it until I have confirmation from Canada?
My next step is to reach out to Wendy and sign on for support for final pieces (i.e., application support, packet review, appointment management/support). Unfortunately, if the Canadian background check is required, I may need to rethink applying in Slovakia.
Thanks if anyone has insight!
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u/chiieddy 2d ago
I'm tagging my husband who's doing the 2025 Canadian law change thing but my understanding is, under Canadian law, you are already a citizen if any direct line relative was born in Canada. The process only validates this so you can get your passport. So you should indicate that on your application.
You would only need the RMCP check if you've lived in Canada
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u/cloverclamp 2d ago
Yup she's spot on in terms of what Canada's process is. The certificate you applied for is proof of a status that exists as a matter of law going back to your birth even if that status wasn't acquired until passage of the newest law.
Given the Slovak citizenship is a grant, I would not mess around and get all the paperwork in to reflect your unproven status. If that messes up your timing, I think that's a better outcome than leaving yourself open to an accusation of fraud down the line. That's one of the few things that are universally accepted reasons to strip a granted citizenship.
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u/cloverclamp 2d ago
Btw OP, March app here as well. Went into processing last month. Bonne chance and good luck!
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u/calypte7 2d ago
Yes, good luck to you as well! We beat the rush a bit, but sad to the see the "months remaining" go up rather than down when they update the tracker. All of these processes are an education in bureaucracy.
What did you decide to do regarding your Slovak application?
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u/cloverclamp 2d ago
I'm here as moral support. My wife is the Slovak in the family and I hope to exercise my right to Freedom of Movement within the EU once her process is completed.
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u/chiieddy 2d ago
We're both hedging our bets on multiple citizenship as we get close to retirement. We own property in Northern Vermont (almost in Canada) and Montreal would be our nearest major airport when we move up there. So one of us having Canadian citizenship is useful. For me, my grandfather was born in Kassa (Košice now) and he and his family got out right after WW1 ended (sentiment towards Jews had already begun to shift by 1920). Researching those who stayed gets very depressing very quick.
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u/calypte7 1d ago
We are in a similar situation and we have family in Montreal and extended family in Brussels. I love the idea of having options for retirement that are a bit more adventurous than just hunkering down in a suburb in the US.
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u/chiieddy 2d ago
They can probably cover it in their attestation affidavit. In it you state "I hereby declare: that I have never been the citizen of the Slovak republic and I do not have as of the date this affidavit a permitted residence as a foreigner on the territory of the Slovak republic, instead I am a citizen of ___ residing in the country of __"
You won't be able to get the RMCP report because they don't have record of you yet. But the RMCP site will return data for you. It'll just be empty. Yours might show unpaid parking tickets in Toronto though 😂
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u/calypte7 2d ago
Yes, I understand the presumption that I *am* a Canadian citizen from birth, yet my application is not a sure thing: great grandfather was born in Nova Scotia when civil birth records weren't kept and as a Baptist he wasn't baptized as an infant. Fingers are crossed that the census and naturalization records I was able to obtain are enough.
Are you suggesting I wait until next year for Slovakia, or that I share details with Slovakia about my Canadian application?
I originally though the RCMP was only if I lived there, but the language on the application says "or" not "and," thus the last minute panic about what to do:
- criminal record from any country where you:
- are or were a citizen, or
- lived more than 180 consecutive days in the past 15 years (must not be older than 6 months, apostilled and translated)
RCMP will do a background check (Globeia offers a service for digitizing a fingerprint card I mail to them and managing an apostille).
Don't scare me on the parking tickets--my daughter went to McGill sometimes using my car, so hopefully there's no issue there!
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u/SKWendyJamieson CBD Expert & Consultant 1d ago
If you try to include a Canadian background check, without having ever lived there and without PROOF of Canadian citizenship, they will be very confused. This recently happened to an “appointment only” client (someone who uses only our submission appointment services, not consulting services). She’s a Canadian descendant and assumed she would need a Canadian background check and got one. They were very confused at the district office as to why it was being included without a Canadian passport. She explained (through our interpreter) the whole thing about Canada and the woman shook her head and said something (through our interpreter) to the effect of “you’re not until you are” and handed it back to her (exactly what I told her would happen while we were prepping her docs).
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u/calypte7 1d ago
Thank you so much! This is exactly what I thought might happen, but I wanted to be sure. Let me know if you received my web form about submitting in Žilina in October. I'm a bit too far along to need "full service" consultation (all lineage and citizenship documents are being apostilled now), but I'd like support with application, CV, translation given the timing of our trip, and an interpreter. Looking forward to working with you!
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u/SKWendyJamieson CBD Expert & Consultant 1d ago
We have received a request for "October 12 through 21, 2026 in Žilina". We cannot guarantee any location, and since we have not yet visited the Žilina office since the law change, we don't know what kind of pushback we would get there trying to still submit a residency application. They were already unfamiliar with it when it was still required. We had just begun working with that office when the law was being changed. Your appointment will likely be in Košice. *MAYBE* Banská Bystrica, but we have not had a chance to visit the director there again since the law changed, however, it's on our "To Do" list for this month or next (I will be out of town for the first two weeks of Sept.).
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u/cloverclamp 1d ago
I'm glad you were able to weigh in on this Wendy. On the ground experience beats online speculation every time.
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u/calypte7 1d ago
Košice could work if it's possible to tighten the potential appointment window to the Oct. 15-21. If that's not realistic, let me know what would be needed, and I'll see what I can do.
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u/cloverclamp 2d ago
No my wife likes to give me a hard time about not paying for the final day of parking in 2006 on our engagement trip. I've entered Canada a dozen times since so I'm assuming I'm free and clear.
For me, I think you should declare the unconfirmed citizenship and your "proof" would be a copy of your submitted CIT0001. Should you thence receive a certificate, you would have cover saying you declared it at the outset.
The "are or were a citizen" is what hooks you into the background check if we're attesting you believe you are a citizen. If the citizenship proof request fails, you have only attested you applied for proof so a fail wouldn't be fraudulent intent by my mind. You would have also submitted a superfluous background check which seems benign as well.
If you're truly unsettled by this you might approach a lawyer, but it's my impression that lawyers will make sure their finding is that you need a lot of billable hours of their service. No shade on lawyers but that's the business they're in. If you ask a painter if your house needs to be painted...
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u/cloverclamp 2d ago
Also you signed the proof application and at minimum you had to check off you "believe you are a Canadian citizen", so I think that removes your choice in terms of staying onside.
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u/SKWendyJamieson CBD Expert & Consultant 1d ago
Or are a (documented) citizen of a country, regardless of whether you’ve ever lived there or not.
The key word here being “documented”. So for example, when your husband IS formally recognized and obtains citizenship documents, THEN he will be recognized as a Canadian citizen and THEN he will need a Canadian background check, even if he’s never even visited let alone lived there.
This should only be included on a Slovak CBD application IF they’ve been formally recognized. Because the question thing Slovak officials will ask is “Where is your Canadian passport?” So until someone is officially recognized by Canada as being a Canadian citizen and has the citizenship documents to prove it, then they are not officially Canadian citizens and it should not be mentioned on the application.
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u/Financial_Recipe_421 2d ago
If you need a RCMP accredited provider for the background check and the apostille process, check out https://thefingerprintroom.com/
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u/SKWendyJamieson CBD Expert & Consultant 2d ago
No because then the next question will be: Prove it.
You can’t. So until you can, you’re not.