You are right. My question is not an application and no wrong information. I am at the oath stage and they are not scheduling the oath until returning to Canada. I was wondering if anybody receive an oath invite while being abroad.
In all my time on the forum, I've read only two cases of Oath abroad - no one can guarantee that they are genuine cases, so you have to take the information with a pinch of salt. If you search the forum, you will probably find those threads (and others where this has been discussed extensively).
Overall: Oath outside Canada sometimes happens, RARELY. But it really is NOT an option for Section 5(1) applicants.
There have been at least two instances in which the oath was administered to individuals abroad reported in mainstream media in recent years, including CBC. This is consistent with statutory provisions, regulations, and other information, which show that the Minister may indeed approve taking the oath outside Canada. This is an exception to the regulation which specifically requires the oath be administered IN Canada, and it requires an application to and approval from the Registrar as a prerequisite to the Minister's approval. Every indication is that this is RARE, as in
winning-a-big-lottery (not just any lottery)
rare and will only happen in extremely compelling situations.
At least one of these, and as best I can recall it may have been both instances reported in the media, involved an applicant who had traveled to Ukraine just before the war started and they were effectively stuck in Ukraine due to the conflict (the one I recall for sure was an applicant who also had a PR sponsorship application pending for his spouse in the Ukraine). Both had lawyers.
It is almost certain there is no more than a remote chance of getting approval from the Registrar, and at best it is no more than a remote chance even in compelling circumstances. The Minister's approval in many other contexts comes from a "
Minister's Delegate," and that requirement (the Minister's approval) alone generally does not indicate an especially high hurdle;
BUT it appears very likely that getting the Minister's approval for taking the oath outside Canada either involves a personal decision by the Minister or involves a special level of decision-making by a high level official within the Minister's office.
Generally a PR applying for citizenship should recognize they will need to be IN Canada to take the oath. That's what the applicable regulation mandates. See Citizenship Regulations section 19 to 22 here:
https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-93-246/page-2.html#h-952206
Note: the regulations otherwise provide for administering the oath outside Canada for grants of citizenship pursuant to other provisions (such as a stateless person's application pursuant to Section 5(4) in the Citizenship Act), NOT for Section 5(1) applicants. The CIT 0002 application, or its online equivalent, is a Section 5(1) application, the application made by adult PRs seeking naturalized citizenship. This covers almost ALL applicants (except some applications for minors) participating or discussed in this forum.
