dpenabill said:
My GUESS is that security clearances could have a positive impact on processing timelines for SOME types of applications.
My hunch is it positively impacts processing for applications where the applicant has a firm job offer from one of the federal government agencies.
I know of atleast two applicants whose files where in 'limbo' or in 'queue' as you would like to call it. However, once they had a firm job offer on passing the reliability checks, their citizenship applications coincidentally were granted in less than a month.
The part of my post quoted was in reference to applications OTHER than Citizenship application.
Nonetheless, for Citizenship Applications:
Files in "limbo" is NOT the same as files in queue. For example, if for this or that reason there is a referral for an inquiry, the file will be in a sort of limbo, or simply waiting on, receiving a response to the inquiry. These may have bring-forward-dates or the equivalent.
That is different from a file being in queue. In particular, files in queue are precisely that: files in line for the next-step action to be taken. Nothing other than a decision to provide urgent processing will cause these files to be taken out of the queue sooner, to be processed ahead of other files in the queue.
There are a certain number of specific tasks taken on ALL citizenship applications. The fastest processing timeline for a given application is to go through those procedural steps in order, with no diversions or holds or referrals, no extra steps. I cannot say what percentage of applications go through the process this routinely BUT it appears to be a large percentage, perhaps even MOST, or close to half anyway. There is nothing short of urgent processing which will trigger taking these applications out of line and doing the next-in-order-task any faster. That is, many if not most applications proceed through the process as fast as the local office processes applications, each discreet step taken in the order the applications are in the queue, and other than urgent processing this is as fast as it goes.
But sure, scores of forum participants here, for example, are NOT on the as-fast-as-it-goes track. A large percentage of applications do not flow through the process without a bump or wrinkle along the way. How and why varies. If an outside security check is somehow noted in addressing the additional inquiry or task being done,
AND it is relevant to that task or inquiry, sure, that could reduce the amount of any ADDITIONAL time that applicant might have to wait to the next step. It will not accelerate routine processing. But it might, as I previously observed, "
make a difference in reducing non-routine processing timelines (depending on the what and why for the non-routine processing)."
That is, it is NOT going to accelerate the base line processing timeline which is what it is for a very large percentage of applicants, again maybe most or at least approaching half.
It is not going to trigger taking a file out of queue to be processed sooner . . . how would an outside security check trigger taking action of the file, after all, unless the file is actively being worked on (and remember, this is almost always about hours or most often merely parts of an hour, in total . . . agents do not work on applications for days, let alone longer than that) and the official working on it does something to learn about the outside security check?
AFTER the TEST TIMELINE:
Going back to files "in limbo." Yes, after the test and PI Interview some applicants are waiting on an update to RCMP or CSIS clearances, or for some other inquiry to be completed. This affects just SOME applicants. It is possible an outside security check will show up in a related inquiry and help resolve some concern or issue, and thereby REDUCE that applicant's wait time to taking the oath. But that applicant is already on a SLOWER timeline than the mainstream routine timeline.
Remember, in contrast, for the majority of applicants, all the assessment/evaluation tasks are COMPLETE as of the conclusion of the test and PI Interview. The next step is formalizing the Decision Made by the Citizenship Officer and scheduling the applicant for the oath. Here again this is a rather perfunctory task, taking very little time in itself, and will be done no sooner (and usually NO later) than when it is the application's turn to be acted on in the queue . . . so even if, somehow (such as in doing the GCMS background check, which is done every time any action is taken on the file) it is noticed the applicant has had this outside security check, in a quarter hour or half hour (whatever time is allotted for the Citizenship Officer to take in doing this step) this step is DONE . . . maybe it take five minutes less due to seeing the security check but that will NOT affect the date the oath is scheduled.
Thus, emphasis should probably be on "coincidentally" scheduled soon for the oath.
I was the PA but for a five eyes country.