Only 10 days gap between ceremony and work-related travel. What's the best action?

[dvddecarvalho]

Hi friends, need your opinion here:
Oath ceremony scheduled to Jun 20th as per online checking, did not receive the invitation email yet. However, I have a work-related travel to Europe previously booked for Jun 30th. I have an invitation letter from the company in Europe, flight tickets, and hotel accommodations all booked.
It's a family application together with my spouse. She receives all the emails with communications. I live in Toronto downtown.
According to all the information I gathered here, it seems that the citizenship Certificate will not arrive in time for me to even attempt the urgent passport.
As I see it, my options are:
1) once I receive the invitation email, I reply by asking the person on the other side if she can expedite the mailing of my certificate, then tell the clerk on the day of the ceremony again that I need my certificate expedited.
2) if the person replies that it's not possible to expedite nor guarantee that the clerk will agree to expedite, I will then request to reschedule my oath only but keep my spouse's date. The issue here is that this would be the second rescheduling as in the first invitation I also had travel booked.
Do you guys think a work-related travel is enough reason for them to expedite the mailing of my certificate? Is there an option to pick it up at some location?
If they can send me urgently, how long should it take to arrive (Toronto downtown)? A couple of days?
If I have to reschedule it, do you think they might see problems because it would be a second time? My PR expires in October, would I receive another invitation in time before having to renew it?

Thank you so much, if you guys have comments or other suggestions I will really appreciate it.

 

[abbas.pasha]

Delay your work related travel
If you postpone the oath, it will take quite a few weeks/months before the next one is scheduled

 

[dvddecarvalho]

Delay your work related travel
If you postpone the oath, it will take quite a few weeks/months before the next one is scheduled

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately the travel date it's not my choice.

 

[harirajmohan]

Hi friends, need your opinion here:
Oath ceremony scheduled to Jun 20th as per online checking, did not receive the invitation email yet. However, I have a work-related travel to Europe previously booked for Jun 30th. I have an invitation letter from the company in Europe, flight tickets, and hotel accommodations all booked.
It's a family application together with my spouse. She receives all the emails with communications. I live in Toronto downtown.
According to all the information I gathered here, it seems that the citizenship Certificate will not arrive in time for me to even attempt the urgent passport.
As I see it, my options are:
1) once I receive the invitation email, I reply by asking the person on the other side if she can expedite the mailing of my certificate, then tell the clerk on the day of the ceremony again that I need my certificate expedited.
2) if the person replies that it's not possible to expedite nor guarantee that the clerk will agree to expedite, I will then request to reschedule my oath only but keep my spouse's date. The issue here is that this would be the second rescheduling as in the first invitation I also had travel booked.
Do you guys think a work-related travel is enough reason for them to expedite the mailing of my certificate? Is there an option to pick it up at some location?
If they can send me urgently, how long should it take to arrive (Toronto downtown)? A couple of days?
If I have to reschedule it, do you think they might see problems because it would be a second time? My PR expires in October, would I receive another invitation in time before having to renew it?

Thank you so much, if you guys have comments or other suggestions I will really appreciate it.

Option1: I have seen very few they could even pick it up from the location. So you could very well ask on it. I dont know if all locations offer this.
Option 2: During oath, surely request to send the certificate soon (with more detail about urgent travel which is not in your hands). And surely while sending the oath form(after finishing oath), include all these copies of travel tickets, invitation letter etc and in that email request them to send it sooner.

While returning to Canada: For safer side, you should have your tickets changed to US so that you can travel to Canada via land (just with your current passport and certificate). I dont know if you have option to land in US(dont know if you have certain passports/visa) to use this option.

With travel tickets and paying more money, you can get your passport in one day too if you apply walk-in at passport office(not service canada).

Postponing oath is easier. Just email them saying that you want to postpone the oath due to urgent travel. Once you come back then email them with return boarding passes saying you are back to Canada.
Surely you can postpone just your oath. Spouse can attend (what i see is that they dont even cancel anyone's and just wait till after oath and then they place the file in queue again hence no issues on other family member attending oath even when you have requested to postpone).

 

[bellaluna]

Yeah, delaying oath is easier; but I still think OP has a valid reason to request expediting both the citizenship certificate and passport. Up to you take the stress-free or most stressful route (including in-person Service/Passport Canada visits), lol.

 

[dvddecarvalho]

Yeah, delaying oath is easier; but I still think OP has a valid reason to request expediting both the citizenship certificate and passport. Up to you take the stress-free or most stressful route (including in-person Service/Passport Canada visits), lol.

Thanks. I am leaning towards avoiding the stress. That's my motto.
My only concern is that this would mean a second reschedule, and I don't want them to think I don't want it! I have just been a bit unlucky with these dates. After my first reschedule they asked me to redo the fingerprints.
Does anyone here have experience with multiple oath ceremony reschedules?

 

[Van123321]

@dvddecarvalho what was the process of rescheduling like the first time. Is there any chance that you can provide a preference on when you want it to be rescheduled too? Or you just get it on a random day? How long did the rescheduling take?

 

[summaiya_t]

These days certificates are getting delayed a lot. Some people are getting it in a few days. But for most it is taking 3 weeks.

 

[Hot2Cold]

Have a look at these posts for recent experiences of quick passport turnarounds:

From oath to passport in <72 hours -- the culmination of an arduous journey of almost 2 years
My Urgent Passport pick-up experience: Walk-in to walk-out with Passport in 3 hours.

 

[dvddecarvalho]

@dvddecarvalho what was the process of rescheduling like the first time. Is there any chance that you can provide a preference on when you want it to be rescheduled too? Or you just get it on a random day? How long did the rescheduling take?

The first time, I replied to the invitation email saying that I had a trip booked too close to the ceremony date. They replied back a couple of days after saying that I should email them after my return so they could put me back in the queue.
After my return I emailed them, and a couple of weeks later I received an email requesting me to re-do the fingerprints. The whole fingerprint/submitting to RCMP/submitting to CIC ordeal took 3 weeks. A few days later, my online profile was updated with a new date for the oath ceremony. So, I don't think you get to choose your oath ceremony date

 

[armoured]

Thanks. I am leaning towards avoiding the stress. That's my motto.
My only concern is that this would mean a second reschedule, and I don't want them to think I don't want it! I have just been a bit unlucky with these dates. After my first reschedule they asked me to redo the fingerprints.

I don't think theu're going to attempt to punish you for not wanting it badly enough, but hassles coming up unexpectedly ... who knows?

Do you have possibility to route your return travel to take you through USA to eg Buffalo or Detroit or whatever? Cross at the land border and you won't have any trouble.

Except of course for the roudnabout way of returning.

 

[dvddecarvalho]

These days certificates are getting delayed a lot. Some people are getting it in a few days. But for most it is taking 3 weeks.

That's what I fear. One cannot trust that it will arrive on time, even if requested and granted the expressed delivery.

 

[dvddecarvalho]

I don't think theu're going to attempt to punish you for not wanting it badly enough, but hassles coming up unexpectedly ... who knows?

Do you have possibility to route your return travel to take you through USA to eg Buffalo or Detroit or whatever? Cross at the land border and you won't have any trouble.

Except of course for the roudnabout way of returning.

The border crossing through land still requires the citizenship certificate, right? If so, I am still afraid 10 days including a weekend in the middle will not be enough time to get the certificate. And if I take the oath I will lose my PR card.

 

[armoured]

The border crossing through land still requires the citizenship certificate, right? If so, I am still afraid 10 days including a weekend in the middle will not be enough time to get the certificate. And if I take the oath I will lose my PR card.

Actually I think you should be able to cross with your existing foreign passport and whatever else you can show to demonstrate that you were a PR and have recently given the oath.

Eg - photocopy of PR card, COPR, UCI to show who you are (and that you have been a resident of Canada). And eg correspondence about the oath that you completed the citizenship process.

Crucial: the citizenship certificate clearly shows the UCI on the letter and on the second page with the keystone information. So citizenship IS tracked using the UCI.

So you would simply present yourself at border saying I recently became a citizen (date, etc) and have not received the citizenship certificate or passport yet. Can you please confirm in the system that I am now a citizen using my UCI?

If any doubt, you also have your photocopy of PR card. So the point is: you obviously WERE a PR. In their system, you have NOT had your PR status revoked nor a removal order issued. That's because you became a citizen (well ok PR status may have been revoked by means of taking citizenship, but that's a formality).

Note: I cannot guarantee this will work. You could try asking CBSA (but hard to know whether phone operators will know what they[re talking about).

But the statute is clear: CBSA officers SHALL let you in if they are satisfied an applicant (at border) is a citizen or PR. That shall is quite strong in legal terms.

 

[dvddecarvalho]

Actually I think you should be able to cross with your existing foreign passport and whatever else you can show to demonstrate that you were a PR and have recently given the oath.

Eg - photocopy of PR card, COPR, UCI to show who you are (and that you have been a resident of Canada). And eg correspondence about the oath that you completed the citizenship process.

Crucial: the citizenship certificate clearly shows the UCI on the letter and on the second page with the keystone information. So citizenship IS tracked using the UCI.

So you would simply present yourself at border saying I recently became a citizen (date, etc) and have not received the citizenship certificate or passport yet. Can you please confirm in the system that I am now a citizen using my UCI?

If any doubt, you also have your photocopy of PR card. So the point is: you obviously WERE a PR. In their system, you have NOT had your PR status revoked nor a removal order issued. That's because you became a citizen (well ok PR status may have been revoked by means of taking citizenship, but that's a formality).

Note: I cannot guarantee this will work. You could try asking CBSA (but hard to know whether phone operators will know what they[re talking about).

But the statute is clear: CBSA officers SHALL let you in if they are satisfied an applicant (at border) is a citizen or PR. That shall is quite strong in legal terms.

Wow, that's quite a compelling argument.
I could definitely redo my travel plans and arrive at buffalo/detroit. However, I am not brave enough to try that tough.
Also, I lot of people going through the trouble of requesting expedited citizenship certificates and standing in line for hours at passport centers to be able to travel.
This is the first time in this whole forum I see someone indicating that it's possible to cross the border without both passport and citizenship certificate.
I am curious about other people's take on that possibility.