October 2021 - Citizenship Applications

[saou17]

How would becoming a citizen affect your life planning and goals? The only ways I can think of:

1. Get a job where being a citizen is a requirement - in which case, you can apply for urgent processing. I have personally helped a friend do this and they got approved within 5 months of application.

2. Be able to leave the country and live elsewhere - in which case, you can leave, since the intent to reside in Canada has been removed as prerequisite for citizenship. You still maintain your PR for the next three years at least, by which time you should have obtained your citizenship. I have done this - moved to the US to be with my spouse. Yes, there are risks associated with this, but I don't see it as major, so long as one hasn't at any point misrepresented their intentions to IRCC. And regardless, this is on me. IRCC is under no obligation to process my application quickly to allow me to leave the country. I certainly don't think I have the right to complain when it has not even been a year since I applied and average processing time is 27 months.

3. Get citizenship to be able to apply for TN visa to move to US - Similar to last point, that's on you.... not something Canada is obligated to help you with because it was not the intent of them granting you your PR.

The only other way that I can see it affects us, is with regard to our ability to vote, and while this is important and a great privilege to have, I don't see how not being able to vote is stressful or difficult.

All in all, while an important status to hold, I don't see the delay in obtaining it causing stress or difficulty on us applicants. On the other hand I see the delays in grants of PR, especially for refugees and to a lesser degree applicants who live abroad in countries with less than ideal conditions, being absolutely stressful and difficult. I would happily wait 27 months to get my citizenship if it meant that those PR applications are prioritised.

Sorry long post, but hoping to put things into perspective here for some people feeling frustrated.

There is another consideration you forgot about. Many of us have families in places where we need to have visas with our native countries passports. So receiving a Canadian passport will help connect us with our families. Some need the citizenship because we need to travel outside without worrying about the PR expiration date (especially if job requires business travel outside of Canada).

 

[Wacky1.nash]

The data on the tracker is quite clear that paper applications are being processed faster. You just need to look at the Decision Made or Oath sections and you'll see that paper applications dominate. People who applied on paper months after online applicants are getting their test invites etc...

In regards to your comment "You chose to apply online", we had no clue that online meant slower processing and a complete lack of any action taken even after 8 months of applying. There is also a document obtained from IRCC that online applications are capped at a very small quota. It's on the forum here (I'll need to dig it out). Trust me, if any of us online applicants knew that paper will be processed so much faster we'd all apply via paper. There was no disclaimer from IRCC stating that and/or transparency that online applications are still in some form of Beta testing stage.

Realistically, a routine application, should be processed in less than 6 months easily, so the aggravation stems from their increased and let's be honest unreasonable time of "27 months average processing time".

I think it is too early to tell. If you look at early 2021 applicants, there appear to be roughly equal number of online applicants who made it to oath as paper applicants. It seems to me, the trend has been - a small percentage paper applicants are processed very quickly, within 10 months, and the other applicants are stalled. It's about that time that some online applicants get to oath (again small percentage), then it more or less moves at the same pace. Overall, I think it shows to be evening out. But only time will tell for sure.

I didn't know about that document you brought up about a small quota for online applicants (please do share should you find it), but it makes sense. When online applications first started, it was random selection only. I don't remember too clearly, but I think you did not get the option to apply online every time you went to the site. It randomly appeared, which I think was their way of controlling the number of online applications. At one point, I think around August 2021, the link became permanent. Then everyone eligible could easily apply online. I saw this as a sign that they are gradually getting more staff onto the online applications.

Now about the choice to apply online and you not knowing it would be slower. True, but it is also true that IRCC never claimed it would be the same speed. I called them and asked, and they told me, they just don't have the data to tell me which one would be faster. They did tell me that AOR for online is taking a long time currently, which I already knew, from these spreadsheets. At one point, (I think around August 2021) AORs for online applicants were 4-5 months behind paper applicants. So to be fair, we had that information here on canadavisa forum. Despite knowing that, I consciously made the decision to apply online, because it was convenient and safer (no chance of losing documents etc). I was also scared that in 2 years from then paper would be completely phased out and people who aren't approved on paper by then, would be left waiting for a very LONG time, as they left a skeleton crew with the paper applications. I went in accepting it is likely going to take longer to get AOR, but with the hope that in the long run in the latter steps it would even out.

At the end of the day, when any new system is introduced, there are always unknowns, and we all made a judgement call and did our best with the information we had at the time. I don't think there is any need to blame IRCC for this.

Now about 27 month timeline, I agree, that is too much... and I hope it will improve.

 

[Wacky1.nash]

There is another consideration you forgot about. Many of us have families in places where we need to have visas with our native countries passports. So receiving a Canadian passport will help connect us with our families. Some need the citizenship because we need to travel outside without worrying about the PR expiration date (especially if job requires business travel outside of Canada).

I didn't forget about that. I don't see a problem in getting a visa. We have lived that way our entire life, what's 1/2 years more? If you come from a country that is ineligible for a visa for that country, and the travel to that country is urgent, again, you can apply for urgent processing.

PR card can and should be applied 9 months before expiry. When you apply for renewal, you don't send them you PR card, so you have one while they process the renewal. So worrying about travel is not be an issue.

 

[Anas_M88]

I got a fingerprint request yesterday, almost a week after my test status was complete. The FP should be sent to a CIC office other than the one that issued the test invitation.

 

[rajahoomi]

I got a fingerprint request yesterday, almost a week after my test status was complete. The FP should be sent to a CIC office other than the one that issued the test invitation.

Is your BG check status complete? Or you got the FP request while BG check is in progress?

 

[JoacRy]

Hi All, quick question. I completed my Test last Tuesday 05 July with a score of 17/20. Still my tracker shows 'Test in Progress' and the message "Waiting on You ..." What is supposed to happen next? I've seen people say it should update within 2-3 days however for me @ least nothing has happened.

*My Test Window was 24 June - 14 July so I have completed within the Timeframe.

For those that have passed and gone on to the next stage; what happens next?
1) Is it purely a 'Tracker Update'?
2) Do you get an Email stating that you have passed the Test and will be getting an Oath invitation soon?
3) Something Else?

*Thank you all for your help.

 

[renju mukundan]

I heard new online applicants for citizenship takes about three years to get citizenship? Is it applicable for those who applied in last October too? Waiting for citizenship to join military

 

[Anas_M88]

Is your BG check status complete? Or you got the FP request while BG check is in progress?

Still in progress, in fact everything is still in progress except for the citizenship test.

 

[Anas_M88]

Hi All, quick question. I completed my Test last Tuesday with a score of 17/20. Still my tracker shows 'Test in Progress' and the message "Waiting on You ..." What is supposed to happen next? I've seen people say it should update within 2-3 days however for me @ least nothing has happened.

*My Test Window was 24 June - 14 July so I have completed within the Timeframe.

For those that have passed and gone on to the next stage; what happens next?
1) Is it purely a 'Tracker Update'?
2) Do you get an Email stating that you have passed the Test and will be getting an Oath invitation soon?
3) Something Else?

*Thank you all for your help.

No email just an update on the tracker when it is completed. You will get the complete status after a day or up to a week or so, based on the sheet I've seen 12 days.

 

[Wacky1.nash]

Hi All, quick question. I completed my Test last Tuesday 05 July with a score of 17/20. Still my tracker shows 'Test in Progress' and the message "Waiting on You ..." What is supposed to happen next? I've seen people say it should update within 2-3 days however for me @ least nothing has happened.

*My Test Window was 24 June - 14 July so I have completed within the Timeframe.

For those that have passed and gone on to the next stage; what happens next?
1) Is it purely a 'Tracker Update'?
2) Do you get an Email stating that you have passed the Test and will be getting an Oath invitation soon?
3) Something Else?

*Thank you all for your help.

It usually takes 2-5 days to see an update on the tracker, but I have seen cases where it took 60 days.

During this time IRCC is verifying your test - making sure you followed the rules during the test, that the photos are clear etc. if anything is wrong they will schedule a retest.

You will not get an email confirming the completion of the test. You will only see an update on the tracker.

 

[Wacky1.nash]

I heard new online applicants for citizenship takes about three years to get citizenship? Is it applicable for those who applied in last October too? Waiting for citizenship to join military

Where have you heard this? There have been many online applicants that have been approved within 12 to 13 months. Nothing is known about October online applicants yet, as data is yet to come in.

If you need the citizenship to join the military and have some proof that you have applied and they are waiting to recruit you once you are Canadian, you are most probably eligible for urgent processing. Why don’t you apply for that?

 

[degm]

I don't think there is any need to blame IRCC for this.

I find it amusing that because it's not an inconvenience to you, you feel the need to counter-argue those who think IRCC is doing a disservice to online applicants. The fact is, there is PROOF that IRCC is consciously prioritizing paper over online applications and that information wasn't publicly communicated. We know that through an ATIP request which you can find on a separate thread on this forum. And so you can try to justify IRCC as much as you'd like but it doesn't change the fact that there was a lack of transparency and we're owed that as clients expecting a good service.

 

[fulton1712]

I got a fingerprint request yesterday, almost a week after my test status was complete. The FP should be sent to a CIC office other than the one that issued the test invitation.

Yes it should have the address where it should be sent to on the letter you got for the FP request.

 

[Anas_M88]

Yes it should have the address where it should be sent to on the letter you got for the FP request.

Yeah, I asked the fingerprinting agency to authorize RCMP to forward it to the address of the office enclosed in the letter

 

[Wacky1.nash]

I find it amusing that because it's not an inconvenience to you, you feel the need to counter-argue those who think IRCC is doing a disservice to online applicants. The fact is, there is PROOF that IRCC is consciously prioritizing paper over online applications and that information wasn't publicly communicated. We know that through an ATIP request which you can find on a separate thread on this forum. And so you can try to justify IRCC as much as you'd like but it doesn't change the fact that there was a lack of transparency and we're owed that as clients expecting a good service.

Contrary to your presumptions, it does inconvenience me. As I mentioned a few times before, I moved to the US three months after applying for citizenship, to live with my husband. I am losing physical presence required to maintain PR, by the day… its just that I understand the difference between rights and privileges and don’t blame IRCC unnecessarily out of entitlement.