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is it possible to get the oath taking same day as the citizenship exam?

nicaggg

Newbie
May 7, 2018
1
0
I'm on a thread right now.

I received my citizenship exam date and it is schedule on May 29, 2018. but I have to travel on July 2, 2018 and I need passport right away. I wonder if they do same day oath taking so I can apply for passport right away?
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,470
3,221
I'm on a thread right now.

I received my citizenship exam date and it is schedule on May 29, 2018. but I have to travel on July 2, 2018 and I need passport right away. I wonder if they do same day oath taking so I can apply for passport right away?
Odds are very, very low that you will be scheduled for the oath for the same day.

There is some chance you will be scheduled for the oath before July, but recent reports suggest most applicants will face a timeline between test and oath longer than that. (There are many reporting timelines ranging from two to six months.)

You can make a request for urgent processing but the odds of IRCC expediting making a decision and scheduling the oath to facilitate an applicant's travel needs are LOW unless the reason for the urgent need meets some rather narrow criteria (as to the compelling reason for travel AND as to why home country passport is not valid and a valid one is otherwise not available -- difficulty of traveling on home country passport generally does not meet the criteria for obtaining urgent processing).

Note, there are occasions when IRCC will schedule the oath for the same day, or the next day, or in my case the day after that. This appears to be common for itinerant services. While it has also happened otherwise, other than for itinerant services, this appears to happen no more than rarely. This is not something that happens in response to an applicant's request.

Indeed, applicants generally have virtually NO SAY in when a Decision is Made let alone when the oath is scheduled. Applicants can advise IRCC dates they will unavailable for the oath, in which case IRCC will typically schedule the oath for a later date.

Successfully asking for an earlier oath date is virtually unheard of.
 

uncomfortable

Hero Member
May 11, 2017
234
96
Odds are very, very low that you will be scheduled for the oath for the same day.

There is some chance you will be scheduled for the oath before July, but recent reports suggest most applicants will face a timeline between test and oath longer than that. (There are many reporting timelines ranging from two to six months.)

You can make a request for urgent processing but the odds of IRCC expediting making a decision and scheduling the oath to facilitate an applicant's travel needs are LOW unless the reason for the urgent need meets some rather narrow criteria (as to the compelling reason for travel AND as to why home country passport is not valid and a valid one is otherwise not available -- difficulty of traveling on home country passport generally does not meet the criteria for obtaining urgent processing).
Not entirely related on topic, but if a new citizen needs to travel after the oath, they need a Canadian passport regardless of their other passport, since they would not be allowed back into the country without a Canadian travel document.
 

sns204

Champion Member
Dec 12, 2012
1,234
373
Not entirely related on topic, but if a new citizen needs to travel after the oath, they need a Canadian passport regardless of their other passport, since they would not be allowed back into the country without a Canadian travel document.
Correct that you'd need a Canadian passport to fly back to Canada. They may let you in, but it would be quite a hassle since you're essentially breaking a law. I assume it's a law and not just a policy.
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,470
3,221
The short answer to the OP's query is a simple "NO," or at least "NOT LIKELY."

But I understand the difficulties some face, the accompanying anxieties, and the drive to grasp any straw of hope. So I made, as I often do, an effort to illuminate the improbability (close to impossibility) contextually, with explanation.

Moreover, "no" is not actually correct. It is possible that a request for urgent processing could result in an expedited oath being scheduled. This is so NOT likely as to practically be a "no," but "no" and "not likely" are not equal, not the same thing.

In the meantime, especially in this forum of late, "not likely" tends to be sometimes be misunderstood, some seeming to take "not likely" to mean it is likely for them, for their special circumstances. Many times, like here, it is better to offer a contextual explanation for just how NOT likely something is. Many times, like here, this can be accomplished by noting what special circumstances might, just possibly might, make the difference between an absolute "NO" versus a very, very small possibility, the "not likely but (rare) possibility."


Not entirely related on topic, but if a new citizen needs to travel after the oath, they need a Canadian passport regardless of their other passport, since they would not be allowed back into the country without a Canadian travel document.
We do indeed see more than a few struggle with the quandary of a scheduled oath in close proximity to necessary international travel.

The solution is to notify IRCC so that IRCC can reschedule the oath, which invariably will be at a later time, and potentially significantly later. Potentially so much later that those who are anxious to take the oath will generally, and carefully, consider whether the need to travel as scheduled is a priority over taking the oath when scheduled. That is, many would be prudent to alter their travel plans in order to accommodate taking the oath.

Correct that you'd need a Canadian passport to fly back to Canada. They may let you in, but it would be quite a hassle since you're essentially breaking a law. I assume it's a law and not just a policy.
There is NO law broken by a Canadian citizen traveling without a Canadian passport.

Most Canadian citizens (not all . . . not me for example, not those who are also U.S. citizens for example) need a Canadian passport to obtain a boarding pass on a flight destined to Canada. Airlines have the final say in whether to allow boarding without displaying a valid Canadian passport, but recent reports in other discussions suggest the airlines are being fairly strict in applying the eTA related rules, at least as to Canadians with PR status, and I'd guess likewise for Canadians who are citizens as well.

No law is broken if the Canadian citizen is allowed to board the flight. But the odds are the airline will NOT allow boarding for the Canadian citizen who does not present a Canadian passport.

If, however, the airline allowed the individual to board the flight, that is OK. No law broken. No problem entering Canada upon arrival at the PoE.

The Canadian citizen who can travel via the U.S. and then travel by private vehicle to the border will have NO problem entering Canada.

Otherwise, a Canadian citizen abroad without a Canadian passport can apply for a special travel document from the appropriate embassy and there should be NO problem obtaining that . . . subject, of course, to proof of identity as a Canadian citizen, and subject to the delay this can involve, particularly in some embassy locations around the world.

Reminder: Canadians are entitled to enter Canada when they arrive at a PoE to enter Canada. This is true of Canadian citizens and Canadian PRs. This is a Charter Right for Canadian citizens. And a statutory entitlement for Canadian PRs.