A parent applying for citizenship for kids aged 7 and 9 was confused by the minor-application question: 'Has the minor stayed 730 days outside Canada in the past 5 years or since becoming a permanent resident?' The kids landed as PRs in Dec 2021, left in Jan 2022 to finish a school year, and returned permanently in June 2023.
How the thread broke it down:
- Count from the PR date. The consensus method: tally the child's cumulative days outside Canada starting from when they became PRs (Dec 2021, in this case). If the total absence since PR is 730 days or more, answer 'Yes'; if less, answer 'No'. It's a factual day-count question, not a trick.
- In this case the absence (Jan 2022 – June 2023, roughly 17 months ≈ 500+ days) was under 730 days since PR, so the count matters — do the arithmetic precisely with travel records rather than estimating.
- Conflicting views on whether minors need residence at all. One member noted that minors applying with a parent may be exempt from the 3-year physical presence requirement ('the first condition applies... they don't have to stay 3 years'), while others insisted the kids needed 730+ days IN Canada before applying. The thread never resolved this — IRCC's rules for minors applying under subsection 5(2) with a Canadian parent differ from adult requirements, so verify the current requirement on IRCC's site or with a consultant before filing.
- Durable takeaway: answer the form question literally (cumulative days outside, counted from the PR date), and separately confirm whether a presence requirement applies to your minor's application stream at all.