September 2020 - Citizenship Applicants

[Hot2Cold]

Well, I still think it is very unlikely for IRCC to let applicants take oath outside Canada unless the situation very extenuating (if the applicant is terminally ill, for example).

I posted my reasons here =>

https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/october-2020-citizenship-applicants.704665/post-9525577

We were just discussing hypothetical methods that IRCC could use if IRCC were to decide that applicants can take oath ceremonies outside Canada. The other way, in addition to the one mentioned above, would be to allow the consulate to print Canadian Citizenship certificates instead of mailing it to Canada. These policy changes might take a LONG time to be implemented.

I did read your post on the reasons. And I certainly agree that destroying your PR card after oath is the primary reason that they won't allow the oath to be taken outside Canada.

Any change in immigration policies that affect all consulates and embassies worldwide will definitely take a long time in coming.

 

[sajid7x7]

"Request to submit all pages of the passport" would be more appropriate and make more sense. This is the stage where IRCC requests some applicants to send a copy of all the pages of their passport pages to verify physical presence. They will compare the information available in the CBSA database, your stamps on the passport and whatever you've mentioned on the physical presence calculator. If everything checks out, they'll be able to pass your "Physical Presence" component.

If you don't have a passport, simply provide an explanation and give them a reason as to why you don't have a passport. Simple.

thank you! Pretty sure I provided all the pages with stamps, so fingers crossed I should be okay. Will renew regardless

 

[Naush4]

OATH OUTSIDE CANADA
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/citizenship.html

 

[rafzy]

Yes, they could. But they'd have to introduce a new workflow and send this information to every Canadian consulate in other countries. This might take time.

I think for now, the quicker (and probably cheaper) way to do it would be for IRCC to use secure courier services to mail the certificate overseas as a temporary solution.

We won't know until we start seeing some reports of oath ceremonies outside Canada.

Recently IRCC page was also updated with information about overseas oath ceremonies. Do check it out

 

[MrChazz]

I did read your post on the reasons. And I certainly agree that destroying your PR card after oath is the primary reason that they won't allow the oath to be taken outside Canada.

Any change in immigration policies that affect all consulates and embassies worldwide will definitely take a long time in coming.

Sorry, I don't get it. Why would it take a long time? The certificates would simply go into the diplomatic bag as happens with passports ordered from outside Canada.

As for just informing the consulates and embassies about changes in policy, the number worldwide is irrelevant; such things are routinely done for all at once ... it is not one-at-a-time process,

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

OATH OUTSIDE CANADA
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/citizenship.html

Recently IRCC page was also updated with information about overseas oath ceremonies. Do check it out

Actually, NO. IRCC hasn't mentioned anywhere that you can take the oath outside Canada. Please read the wording on the IRCC website in the link the OP posted.

You need to be in Canada to take the Oath of Citizenship. If you get your invitation while you’re outside Canada, reply to the invitation email to explain your situation in detail.

In your email

• put “Outside Canada – Oath of Citizenship” in the subject line
• In the body of your message, include
  • your full name
  • your application number
  • a detailed explanation of your situation

We’ll contact you with your next steps after we receive your email.

They are asking applicants to reach out to them if they are outside Canada and they receive an oath invitation. We can't be sure unless someone tries this and confirms that they were allowed to take the oath outside Canada. Also, based on the wording above, even if IRCC grants permission to take oath from outside Canada, it might be on a case-by-case review and approval. They are asking for a detailed explanation of the situation (as to why the applicant is outside Canada) which suggests that applicants might be allowed to take oath outside Canada if the circumstances are extenuating - I am not sure about this and we'll have to wait for reports from a few forum members who try this option and receive a response from IRCC.

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

May be we'll see some DMs in a couple of weeks for September 2020 applicants who've taken their tests. Its been almost a week since passport pages were submitted. Fingers crossed.

Many applicants that are from offices outside the GTA (and several applicants in offices within the GTA) haven't received their test invites yet. Some of them have their BG checks set to "Completed" yet there's no test invite. I received several reports via PM that suggested that many September 2020 applicants still have their BG checks in progress. Hopefully, we'll start seeing more test invites in the upcoming weeks for the remainder of the September 2020 applicants.

Good luck, everyone!

 

[Hot2Cold]

Sorry, I don't get it. Why would it take a long time? The certificates would simply go into the diplomatic bag as happens with passports ordered from outside Canada.

As for just informing the consulates and embassies about changes in policy, the number worldwide is irrelevant; such things are routinely done for all at once ... it is not one-at-a-time process,

Nothing in government happens "simply". The time taken will be to discuss it in parliament before changing the laws / rules regarding how the oath is conducted and citizenship certificates are issued.

It's very easy to be an armchair diplomat and say it can be easily done, bit I suspect in reality the logistics of the whole thing is not that simple.

 

[MrChazz]

Nothing in government happens "simply". The time taken will be to discuss it in parliament before changing the laws / rules regarding how the oath is conducted and citizenship certificates are issued.

It's very easy to be an armchair diplomat and say it can be easily done, bit I suspect in reality the logistics of the whole thing is not that simple.

Nonsense. Not everything requires "discuss it in parliament before changing the laws / rules". When they changed to online tests and oaths, were there first parliamentary discussions to change laws and rules?

Armchair diplomat? Ha ha ha. As it turns out, I was a diplomat for New Zealand for 9 years! Anyway, I would be curious to know what "logistics of the whole thing" you have in mind in such a case. (And, yes, I know that New Zealand is not Canada.)

 

[PM_ME_UR_REJECTION_REASON]

Nonsense. Not everything requires "discuss it in parliament before changing the laws / rules". When they changed to online tests and oaths, were there first parliamentary discussions to change laws and rules?

Armchair diplomat? Ha ha ha. As it turns out, I was a diplomat for New Zealand for 9 years! Anyway, I would be curious to know what "logistics of the whole thing" you have in mind in such a case. (And, yes, I know that New Zealand is not Canada.)

Why would you pick Canada over New Zealand as a place of domicile? If I qualified, I would immigrate to New Zealand in a heart beat.

 

[MrChazz]

Why would you pick Canada over New Zealand as a place of domicile? If I qualified, I would immigrate to New Zealand in a heart beat.

I got married to an American would now like to live closer to home. On the other hand, I find American culture a bit too "rough-and-ready" and would much rather live in Canada.

 

[Rehan123]

Depends on where you live now and where you are moving to.

Generally, file transfers don't happen within the offices located in the GTA. For example, if you live in Mississauga and you move to downtown Toronto or Etobicoke or Brampton etc, your office most likely will not change.

However, if you are in the GTA and you move to a location that is outside the GTA, then the location might change.

However, I have seen several applicants move to an address that is under the jurisdiction of a different IRCC office but their GCMS notes showed the "Event Office" to be the original local office they were assigned to. This means that the applicants moved to a new address but the old office was still sending out test invites and processing their application.

We cannot be sure if your application will be transferred or not.

Take a look at the IRCC regulations for address changes below :

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/canadian-citizenship/admininistration/general-file-processing/sending-applications-changes-address.html

Thanks bro for your reply

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

One of my friends had the oath ceremony yesterday (He was a 2019 October applicant from Brampton). He mentioned that there were 60 families taking oath in the same ceremony. His processing office was Mississauga.

Looks like MIS office has increased the number of applicants per ceremony!

 

[Georgesand]

One of my friends had the oath ceremony yesterday (He was a 2019 October applicant from Brampton). He mentioned that there were 60 families taking oath in the same ceremony. His processing office was Mississauga.

Looks like MIS office has increased the number of applicants per ceremony!

Now that it’s online, they should do 200 families at once

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Now that it’s online, they should do 200 families at once

I guess 60 families in one ceremony constitutes moderate development (in the right direction). I suppose they will increase it further if they are unable to start in-person oath soon.

Fingers crossed.