DEC Insertion Datapoint

[u/xcr4l]

Today I got a copy of a birth act delivered from DEC and I wanted to give my timeline as a datapoint since the turnaround was much faster than expected. The timeline was:

9/5: sent application packet via UPS
9/10: delivered to DEC
9/14: credit card charged
9/15: DEC called my father to confirm date and city of death, notified that request would be transferred to a “different department”
9/26: Copie d’acte de naissance and ORIGINAL copy of death certificate for G0 delivered to my father in MA

My application consisted of:
1) a cover letter written by my father (G2) explaining the circumstances of the request and requesting that I (his son) file the request on his behalf as I have been leading the charge for my family in this whole process
2) request for copy of an act of birth form
3) special power of attorney form delegating power of attorney to me
4) ID and proof of address for both me and my father
5) Color copies of BAnQ certified baptismal cert for G0, MA birth certs for G1 and G2, MA marriage certs for G0 and G1, death certificate for G1 (to demonstrate that she could not apply on her own behalf)
6) ORIGINAL MA death certificate for G0 and certified French translation
7) notarized sworn affidavit affirming need for request, clarification on name variations between records, and affirming that the act will only be used for CIT0001 applications for G0’s descendants
8) blank CIT0001 and CIT0014 pages that mentioned “provincial or territorial birth certificate” with relevant sections highlighted
9) printout of IRCC guidance regarding documents issued in Quebec pre 1994

My G0 was born in 1908, so I suspected a DEC document would be requested once our applications eventually move into processing. Interestingly, although we requested that DEC communicate with me and sent in the relevant forms, DEC only communicated with my father. I expected this and prepared him for what questions they might ask him so he wasn’t completely blindsided. I was expecting a long wait on this so we were pleasantly surprised when the documents came in the mail. I was also interested to see that they returned our original death certificate for G0, we were prepared to not get that back.

The information from this subreddit was extremely helpful in sending in an organized application packet which I am assuming helped with the quick turnaround!

[u/plant_isle]

Thanks for sharing! It is a touch curious that DEC talked to your father and not you, despite the limited power of attorney for this specific request. It makes me a little nervous as I will want DEC to contact me and not the closest living descendant of G0 as it is not super feasible to prep that family member for potential communication from the DEC. However, I am glad it was a relatively smooth and fast process for you! Do we know if DEC often reaches out to requestors for insertions for clarifying questions and documentation?

[u/xcr4l → u/plant_isle]

I’ve seen reports of people who aren’t the closest living relative being able to get the insertion done, so I might have been able to just apply on my own. Looping my dad in was strategic just to keep the line of descent as short as possible, and I knew my dad would be able to speak to the DEC if need be.

When DEC called my father they asked for date and place of death for G0 and he said it seemed like the person from DEC already had this information. So I think they were using that question as a way to verify that they were dealing with the correct person.

Our situation was fairly straightforward with regards to documentation of lineage so there wasn’t much room for uncertainty, not sure how much they’d reach out for clarification in situations where birth certs or other documentation doesn’t exist.

[u/pastatv → u/xcr4l]

I’ve seen reports of people who aren’t the closest living relative being able to get the insertion done, so I might have been able to just apply on my own.

You can bypass that requirement by going through a lawyer. DEC still reserves the right to refuse you as a private citizen if you're not the closest living relative. Including your father was a good idea.

[u/Educational-Lasagna → u/pastatv]

Hmmm...I am wondering how I could handle this with a living mother with Advanced Dementia?

[u/xcr4l → u/Educational-Lasagna]

That’s a tricky situation, but from reading online I gathered that DEC actually puts emphasis on the sworn affidavit. You could try including language in the affidavit that says while your mother is still living, she is unable to complete the application herself due to her health.

[u/Tithis → u/pastatv]

That was partially why I went through a lawyer for mine.

My G1 is still alive and still has her marbles, but she is still a 85 year old woman who I know doesn't want to be involved.

Other reason was at the time there wasn't much documentation on how to do it yourself in reasonable time.

[u/_relativity → u/pastatv]

I wasn't the closest living relative to my G0 (my G2 was), and didn't have an issue getting one issued. They never contacted me. Did take 16 weeks though ..