August 2020 - Citizenship application

[Anjushka]

Hi guys,
Seems that things are moving differently for different applicants, and it all depends on various factors such as the local office, country of origin or even just mere luck! Such a ridiculous process(
As per the online tracker my background verification is completed - and I was just wondering is this usually the fist and most time consuming step of the process and then the others ( language, physical presence) take less time to be completed?
What's the average timing from now on to start seeing test invitations for our August 2020 group? And do we have to be in Canada when we hopefully take the test?
Best luck to all,

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Hi guys,
Seems that things are moving differently for different applicants, and it all depends on various factors such as the local office, country of origin or even just mere luck! Such a ridiculous process(
As per the online tracker my background verification is completed - and I was just wondering is this usually the fist and most time consuming step of the process and then the others ( language, physical presence) take less time to be completed?
What's the average timing from now on to start seeing test invitations for our August 2020 group? And do we have to be in Canada when we hopefully take the test?
Best luck to all,

BG checks happen first. Some people might receive Fingerprint requests. If they do, then BG checks will be set to "Completed" only after fingerprints are submitted and reviewed.

After that, the citizenship test is set to "In Progress" and later to "Scheduled". After this status change, you'll receive a test invite email. A few days after the test, your test status will be set to "Completed".

If you don't receive an interview request after the test, you'll see "Language", "Prohibitions", "Physical Presence" will be set to "Completed" all together. If you receive an interview invite, "Language", "Prohibitions", "Physical Presence" will be set to "Completed" after the interview.

After this, "Citizenship Ceremony" will be set to "In Progress" and then to "Scheduled". You'll receive your Citizenship ceremony invitation after this. Once you attend your oath, you should see all sections set to "Completed".

This is how it generally works.

And yes, you'll have to be physically present in Canada for Citizenship test, Interview (if you get one) and the Oath ceremony.

Check out the normal workflow of a Citizenship grant application here.

Good luck!

 

[Anjushka]

BG checks happen first. Some people might receive Fingerprint requests. If they do, then BG checks will be set to "Completed" only after fingerprints are submitted and reviewed.

After that, the citizenship test is set to "In Progress" and later to "Scheduled". After this status change, you'll receive a test invite email. A few days after the test, your test status will be set to "Completed".

If you don't receive an interview request after the test, you'll see "Language", "Prohibitions", "Physical Presence" will be set to "Completed" all together. If you receive an interview invite, "Language", "Prohibitions", "Physical Presence" will be set to "Completed" after the interview.

After this, "Citizenship Ceremony" will be set to "In Progress" and then to "Scheduled". You'll receive your Citizenship ceremony invitation after this. Once you attend your oath, you should see all sections set to "Completed".

This is how it generally works.

And yes, you'll have to be physically present in Canada for Citizenship test, Interview (if you get one) and the Oath ceremony.

Check out the normal workflow of a Citizenship grant application here.

Good luck!

Thank you!
Your reply was so informative and useful. Never thought about this step-by-step staging of the process.
Hope I won't be so unlucky as to get the test invite by the time I'm outside Canada. Anyways, in case that happens, I guess I will probably have a chance to reschedule.
)

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Thank you!
Your reply was so informative and useful. Never thought about this step-by-step staging of the process.
Hope I won't be so unlucky as to get the test invite by the time I'm outside Canada. Anyways, in case that happens, I guess I will probably have a chance to reschedule.
)

Yup, you can reschedule the test if you won't be inside Canada during the test window. The test window is 21 days from the start date.

On a side-note, try not to leave Canada unless is absolutely necessary. Given the delays that are already in place, there is no guarantee that you'll receive another test invite soon. We don't know how long it'll take.

Good luck!

 

[Caroline1234]

well i called the cic office this morning and they stated that my file was transferred to the halifax office so i guess there is more waiting however everything online still says in process

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Guys heads up. Looks like someone just got an in-person test.

Look at this post. There is no test window and the words "online test" is not seen on their status update. They've given the applicant a single date (June 7) to attend the test. The OP still hasn't received an email.

We're still NOT SURE if this is an in-person test but be sure to check that thread when the OP responds once s/he receives the test invitation in the email.

UPDATE: This could just be IRCC modifying the process to allow only 1 day for online tests instead of the 21 day window. We won't know until the OP gets back to us once s/he received an email invite.

 

[Hanan22]

Guys heads up. Looks like someone just got an in-person test.

Look at this post. There is no test window and the words "online test" is not seen on their status update. They've given the applicant a single date (June 7) to attend the test. The OP still hasn't received an email.

We're still NOT SURE if this is an in-person test but be sure to check that thread when the OP responds once s/he receives the test invitation in the email.

UPDATE: This could just be IRCC modifying the process to allow only 1 day for online tests instead of the 21 day window. We won't know until the OP gets back to us once s/he received an email invite.

I would assume it is just missing the end date (21 days window) as I don't think it makes any sense to limit this to only 1 day especially now with Covid-19.

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

I would assume it is just missing the end date (21 days window) as I don't think it makes any sense to limit this to only 1 day especially now with Covid-19.

In-person tests used to be a single day event. There was no "window". This might be a 24 hour window to take the test from what I'm seeing (either online or in-person, likely the former). Or yeah, it could be a glitch, who knows.

We'll have to wait until the OP gets back with an update on what his/her email invite says.

 

[Ho_Ho]

I just completed my citizenship test and passed!!

 

[vvarma]

I just completed my citizenship test and passed!!

Hearty congratulations!!! Hopefully you get the Oath date soon... within 3 months

 

[roydboy75]

i got my online test invite... just a question though... can you take the test any time of the day? or you can only do it within office hours like from 8am to 5pm?

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

i got my online test invite... just a question though... can you take the test any time of the day? or you can only do it within office hours like from 8am to 5pm?

Anytime of the day.

I've updated the spreadsheet!

 

[roydboy75]

Anytime of the day.

I've updated the spreadsheet!

Thanks

 

[John1234567890]

Hello everyone,
Can someone answer my below question.
I applied for citizenship in August 2020. I checked my online status. My background verification is completed. I do not know what will happen next and how long it is going to take to get there.

thanks

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Hello everyone,
Can someone answer my below question.
I applied for citizenship in August 2020. I checked my online status. My background verification is completed. I do not know what will happen next and how long it is going to take to get there.

thanks

"What will happen next" is explained in this post. This is the general workflow seen nowadays for Citizenship grant applications.

However... "How long is to going to take..." is a tricky question. Honestly, nobody can tell you that. Some late 2020 applicants have completed their test invite and their interview while some 2019 applicants are still waiting. We simply don't know, depends on your local visa office and the officer processing your file. However, a ball park estimate for citizenship tests as far as August 2020 applicants might be in the next 2 months IMO. Again, that is only my opinion, I am not sure.