Excellent and great info by senior member
@dpenabill.
@dpenabill, generally how long it takes for application to reach Local Office.
Also, could you please explain full process in detail ?
How we know which local office our application reached ? Reason to ask is because, I live in the area exactly between two local offices.
Before what I was thinking that test invite is send from CPC-Sydney but now after reading your previous reply it seems Local office sends it.
The various detailed procedures are largely described in many discussions here . . . except there is a lot of what goes on behind the curtains we know little about.
For some time now I have been largely focused on a few more complex issues and do not engage much in the routine particulars. Thus, for example, others here can better explain things like how the applicant can learn which local office is handling the processing of his or her application . . . that is before getting communication, like a notice to attend the test, from the local office (once the applicant gets notice for the test, for example, that shows which local office is processing the application).
And contrary to some widespread views about different local offices, knowing which one is handling the application is not likely to be of much if any use, until one needs a precise address for where to show up for the test and interview, or until a request for this or that document comes and the applicant needs an address to respond . . . but again, the communication from IRCC will have that information. Knowing which local office is handling it will not illuminate much if anything about what the timeline will be for a particular applicant.
And I was sincere when I said the vast majority of applicants do NOT need to be following these matters so closely. And that is part of the reason I do not engage much in these things:
they largely do NOT matter, not in terms of any decision-making choices, not in terms of actions to be taken. The main thing is to WAIT and WATCH for communication or notice from IRCC, and then respond appropriately, like showing up for the test and interview, bring the required documents, being prepared to pass the test.
Some more observations about the precise procedures: for the routinely processed application, it is simple: CPC-Sydney opens the application file and initiates the cover sheet which used to be, and maybe still is, called the File Requirements Checklist, and then the file goes to a processing agent in the local office who prepares the file for the test and interview, reviews the test results and conducts the interview, and if all is in order prepares the paperwork for the Citizenship Officer to sign off granting citizenship, and the applicant is scheduled for the oath. Done. With some rather long queues, some rather long waits in-between those rather few steps. Whether it takes six months or two years, there might only be four or five times a live person is actually doing something with the application, and most of those tasks only involve a
PART of an Hour, with the test and interview itself along with the review of those in preparing the paperwork for the Citizenship Officer being the one occasion in which a live person is handling the application for more than an hour.
"In process" is mostly about the application IN QUEUE. Nothing happening.
Of course applicants can trigger more live person actions on their file. A call to the help centre asking for information specifically about one's case, for example, and of course that will be logged into the application history. Any non-routine procedure will involve more actions on the file. And the problem with many of the non-routine matters is not they take much time at all (again, parts of an hour not hours, usually), but that means ANOTHER QUEUE, another period of waiting for the next action.
In particular, if there is some non-routine procedure involved, there are all sorts of side roads and tangents, and what happens next depends on this and that contingency. Some are complicated. Full blown RQ process can be very complicated. Regarding which there are discussions here (back pages these days since not a lot of active RQ reports lately) going into detail just about that particular non-routine procedure. Way, way, way too many variable non-routine matters which can potentially take an applicant in this or that direction to try enumerating even a representative sample. BUT even when an application goes down a non-routine path, what adds time is the queue for the next step.
SERIOUSLY, the qualified applicant should relax and simply WAIT and WATCH for communications from IRCC. Prepare for the test. Celebrate the Raptors or Brooke Henderson becoming the Canadian golfer with the most wins ever (more than Mike Weir even).