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Applying to citizenship before the date?

esqart

Star Member
Jul 19, 2018
62
18
I will be eligible to apply for citizenship in 6 months.

It seems the citizenship application itself will take 12-27 months. I don't want to wait that long. What are some things I can do to speed it up?

1. Usually in most countries paying a few thousand more $s put you into the front of the queue. But this is Canada and I don't think that is possible? Can't pay myself out of waiting, right?
2. Since my application is probably going to wait on the queue for probably half a year, can I just apply now? Has anyone applied before they were eligible?

Thanks

Based on the latest information from IRCC, the average processing time for a Citizenship grant is 12 months.
Processing time: 27 months
Source:
https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-processing-times.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/become-canadian-citizen.html
 

iceman55

Hero Member
May 1, 2022
518
259
I will be eligible to apply for citizenship in 6 months.

It seems the citizenship application itself will take 12-27 months. I don't want to wait that long. What are some things I can do to speed it up?

1. Usually in most countries paying a few thousand more $s put you into the front of the queue. But this is Canada and I don't think that is possible? Can't pay myself out of waiting, right?
2. Since my application is probably going to wait on the queue for probably half a year, can I just apply now? Has anyone applied before they were eligible?

Thanks




Source:
https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-processing-times.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/become-canadian-citizen.html
Enjoyed the troll post while we all are anxiously waiting for the eligibility to fulfill.

In the off chance this is not a troll post and you're being serious, just have one advice for you: Don't approach a government official with your question 1, chances are you'll eventually end up being deported from Canada.

For question 2, if you have a lot of money and don't know where to spread it, and also don't mind your next application being put on extended processing, you can file before your eligibility date.
 
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scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
95,887
22,136
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
I will be eligible to apply for citizenship in 6 months.

It seems the citizenship application itself will take 12-27 months. I don't want to wait that long. What are some things I can do to speed it up?

1. Usually in most countries paying a few thousand more $s put you into the front of the queue. But this is Canada and I don't think that is possible? Can't pay myself out of waiting, right?
2. Since my application is probably going to wait on the queue for probably half a year, can I just apply now? Has anyone applied before they were eligible?

Thanks




Source:
https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-processing-times.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/become-canadian-citizen.html
1. Correct. Not possible.
2. Nothing is stopping you from submitting your application now. However refusal is guaranteed. You must meet the eligibility requirements (i.e. residency requirements) on the day you apply. There are no short-cuts.
 

Jakke

Star Member
Nov 6, 2021
79
66
I will be eligible to apply for citizenship in 6 months.

It seems the citizenship application itself will take 12-27 months. I don't want to wait that long. What are some things I can do to speed it up?

1. Usually in most countries paying a few thousand more $s put you into the front of the queue. But this is Canada and I don't think that is possible? Can't pay myself out of waiting, right?
2. Since my application is probably going to wait on the queue for probably half a year, can I just apply now? Has anyone applied before they were eligible?

Thanks

Source:
https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-processing-times.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/become-canadian-citizen.html
It is for such reasons that you left those countries and came to Canada.
 
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Copingwithlife

VIP Member
Jul 29, 2018
4,488
2,256
Earth
I will be eligible to apply for citizenship in 6 months.

It seems the citizenship application itself will take 12-27 months. I don't want to wait that long. What are some things I can do to speed it up?

1. Usually in most countries paying a few thousand more $s put you into the front of the queue. But this is Canada and I don't think that is possible? Can't pay myself out of waiting, right?
2. Since my application is probably going to wait on the queue for probably half a year, can I just apply now? Has anyone applied before they were eligible?

Thanks




Source:
https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-processing-times.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/become-canadian-citizen.html
No surprises here . Same Einstein that was thinking of editing their vaccine certificate to avoid quarantine.
Yup, scraping the bottom of the barrel here

https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/edited-or-fake-covid-vaccination-document-while-arriving.745026/#post-9713485
 

esqart

Star Member
Jul 19, 2018
62
18
1. Correct. Not possible.
2. Nothing is stopping you from submitting your application now. However refusal is guaranteed. You must meet the eligibility requirements (i.e. residency requirements) on the day you apply. There are no short-cuts.
Thank you for your thoughtful answer @scylla

I assume you are answering this from knowledge? That some people have tried this and have failed? Or are you just reciting the rulebook?
 

esqart

Star Member
Jul 19, 2018
62
18
It is for such reasons that you left those countries and came to Canada.
I don't know man. I've never had to wait 12+ months for anything.
I've never had to wait for 2 weeks for a basic doctor appointment. Canada is certainly bad at a lot of stuff.
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
95,887
22,136
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Thank you for your thoughtful answer @scylla

I assume you are answering this from knowledge? That some people have tried this and have failed? Or are you just reciting the rulebook?
We've seen extremely few people try this over the years since it's an automatic refusal. I remember maybe 2? But those were several years ago now.

You'll be throwing away several hundred dollars with zero chance of success. I personally don't see the point. This is one of the areas where there's no flexibility in the rules.
 
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esqart

Star Member
Jul 19, 2018
62
18
No surprises here . Same Einstein that was thinking of editing their vaccine certificate to avoid quarantine.
Yup, scraping the bottom of the barrel here

https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/edited-or-fake-covid-vaccination-document-while-arriving.745026/#post-9713485
Fyi, I did not get the correct advice in that post either.
They did check my vaccine, they did reject it. However no one cared if I was quarantining or not.

So the advice I should've gotten was supposed to be:
"Show the correct document. Don't stress about staying in full quarantine."
 

esqart

Star Member
Jul 19, 2018
62
18
We've seen extremely few people try this over the years since it's an automatic refusal. I remember maybe 2? But those were several years ago now.

You'll be throwing away several hundred dollars with zero chance of success. I personally don't see the point. This is one of the areas where there's no flexibility in the rules.
Follow up question,

After applying, am I able to go outside the country or travel around Canada, etc.. (Assuming it doesn't effect my eligibility from total number of days)
Or is it recommended that I stay put for the duration?
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
95,887
22,136
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Follow up question,

After applying, am I able to go outside the country or travel around Canada, etc.. (Assuming it doesn't effect my eligibility from total number of days)
Or is it recommended that I stay put for the duration?
Yes, you can certainly travel.

Make sure you also continue to meet the PR residency requirement of living in Canada for 2 out of every 5 years.
 
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Survivor27

Champion Member
May 24, 2016
1,826
373
Planet Earth!
Visa Office......
CEM
App. Filed.......
20.Dec.2016
Doc's Request.
22.Mar.2017
AOR Received.
05.Jan.2017
File Transfer...
13.Jan.2017
Med's Done....
17.Nov.2016_IOM
Passport Req..
19.June.2017
VISA ISSUED...
23.June.2017
LANDED..........
09.Sept.2017
I don't know man. I've never had to wait 12+ months for anything.
I've never had to wait for 2 weeks for a basic doctor appointment. Canada is certainly bad at a lot of stuff.
This country is not for you if "Canada is bad at a lot of stuff". You obviously deserved a "better" country than Canada.

Canada is not for people with sense of entitlement!

Also, please be advised that each application is on a case-by-case basis. I've got few friends who applied mid last year and got their citizenship in less than 10 months. No urgent request or anything. They just did what they have to do based on the information/instructions posted on canada.ca.
 
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UnleashedFX

Hero Member
Oct 21, 2016
215
127
My advice: buy an island with all that money, create a new country and you will be its first citizen immediately. You can call it Entitlandia or something like that. Then you can create your own immigration system where entitled people can just pay to become citizens instantly.
 

pedromw

Full Member
Dec 20, 2021
41
38
Eligibility means 3 full Years means 1095 days and you sign your application and send it on day no 1096 as the shortest time possible...
But, There are 2 ways to get your canadian citizenship faster while you're applying.
1- If you are a minor.
2- If you are an adult and you apply as urgent processing with strong reasons to make IRCC believe that your application deserves an urgent processing and trust me this is not easy to do.
 
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Seym

Champion Member
Nov 6, 2017
1,721
843
For the sake of completeness, jumping the queue is actually possible. The minister of immigration has the power to grant citizenship under very special circumstances to very specific individuals.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/canadian-citizenship/grant/ministerial-discretion-grant-special-cases.html

But yeah, unless you're the next Federer or Einstein, or if you're planning to save the day during a terrorist attack on canadian soil, it may be difficult to achieve...
 
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