+1(514) 937-9445 or Toll-free (Canada & US) +1 (888) 947-9445

August/September Citizenship ceremony

rk990

Member
Aug 2, 2022
17
18
Part 1...

Feedback on Oath ceremony - Part 2

6- The clerk came back at 13:55 and explained they would call certain seat numbers to make sure the identification process was done for each one. If our number WAS NOT CALLED, that means everything IS FINE. People did not listen to the instructions. While the clerk called seat numbers, they were interrupted by people wondering if they missed something or why their number was not called. So please pay attention! Listen to the staff! Don’t leave your screen unattended or turn the sound off! That took 10 minutes, as it’s now 14:05.

7- The clerk then checked again that everyone had their camera on. Some obviously had closed it somehow. And to put our mikes off until the oath. So as to not distract the proceedings. Then we were redirected to the ‘main’ room with everyone else.

8- The coordinator took over at 14:10 and introduced the citizenship judge for our ceremony, and said there would be a brief video followed by the ceremony. The video was about Canada. The clerk introduced us to the judge something along the lines of ‘it is my privilege to present… 144 candidates from 40 countries that all fulfilled the requirements... ready to take the oath of citizenship’. I don’t remember the exact words but it was a poignant moment.

9- The judge spoke of the importance of the rights and responsibilities we take as Canadian citizens. How we can make this country even better for us and the future generations. By that time, it was 14:25. Time for the oath.

10- The clerk explained how we would proceed for the oath. We could SWEAR/AFFIRM our oath, we had to repeat each line after the judge spoke the line. Not to say the whole oath in one go. We had to repeat after the judge each sentence. For people needing their holy book, it was time to take it in their left hand. The clerk asked us to open our microphone but stay silent until the oath itself, and to lift our right hand. Then the clerk asked the judge to proceed.

11- The oath itself took 5 minutes as it’s 14:30. It was a cacophony as you hear not only the judge but everyone else say the line as you repeat it yourself. So there is a bit of delay and distortion. Practice before hand to know the words (it’s on page 4, you can print it).

12- The judge congratulated us and waved the Canadian flag! People applauded in celebration. Some people also waved a Canadian flag! We sang the national anthem. The words were shown on the screen so you can follow along. The coordinator then asked we turned off our mikes and showed a video of the Prime minister, M Trudeau congratulating us in becoming Canadian citizen. Being now part of the greatest country in the world! Canada!

13- For the photo-op with the judge, the coordinator asked us to turn off our camera so as not to take pictures of other people beside the staff. Then the video feeds of the judge and clerk were put to the forefront of the ZOOM screen. We had a few minutes to find the best angles and click away! The coordinator warned us we had 1 minute left. And that was it! It’s now 14:40.

14- The clerk thanked the judge who saluted us once more and then left. We were asked to remain online.

15- The coordinator then presented a powerpoint explaining how to sign the Oath and Affirmation form and to send it back to them. Two things to note here : a) when scanning the signed paper form, save it as a pdf file no more than 1 meg in size; b) add your home address in the body of the email.

16- It’s now 14:55! We ended the ZOOM call and proceeded to sign the form and send the email. We immediately received an automatic acknowledgement email from IRCC.


Final thoughts

The ceremony being bilingual meant they repeated everything in French then English multiple times. It might have added a degree of difficulty for people to understand and follow along. Being bilingual myself, it was a bit tedious to hear the same things being repeated multiple times. But I get it that some people are more nervous, or need reassurance. However, it added time to the process’s duration.

From my point of view, it went well. The staff seemed to know from past experiences how to react to the different situations that happened. They seemed mostly unperturbed. The clerk did say at one point ‘you did not listen to what I said earlier’. I hoped this chastised a few participants in being more attentive. The staff was/is there to help us become Canadian citizens. So please, be respectful of their time and everyone else’s time.

Prepare yourself before the ceremony. Join the ZOOM call on time. Listen to the staff. Turn your camera/mike on/off at the appropriate time. Pay attention to your surrounding as if you were truly in-person taking your oath.
Thank you so much for the amazing summary! I think we attended the same ceremony (August 15)?
I have a question though, I e-mailed them the signed form (and got the automatic reply) immediately after the ceremony but my status tracker is still "in progress" a week later. I am starting to feel stressed about it, I was wondering if yours changed yet? Thanks in advance!
 
Last edited:

WhereAmIQc

Star Member
Jun 3, 2022
69
62
Thank you so much for the amazing summary! I think we attended the same ceremony (August 15)?
I have a question though, I e-mailed them the signed form (and got the automatic reply) immediately after the ceremony but my status tracker is still "in progress" a week later. I am starting to feel stressed about it, I was wondering if yours changed yet? Thanks in advance!
Ours was 3 days later on August 18th. In the IRCC portal : Update date still August 1st 2022, Citizenship ceremony still 'in progress'.

And at the top, the banner 'Take the oath of citizenship - Waiting on you' has disappeared. Since August 18th, we see only 'Your citizenship application status: In progress - While we're working on your application'.

From other posts in the August 2021 thread I follow more closely, the Closing of the application varies. But from recollection its in weeks not months.

I saw someone who took oath from MB on August 15th got an update today August 22nd with Application closed on Aug 19th. Someone else took oath from SK and they said it took 1 week from Oath date to Application closure.

So nothing really solid. Some people in our thread recommended to the admin to add columns in the Google sheet for the invitation email date, closing app and certification reception. That would make it easier to check the stats and see trends emerging. But right now, you need to search the forums to have an idea of the timeline.

I don't expect anything moving for at least a week.
 

rk990

Member
Aug 2, 2022
17
18
Ours was 3 days later on August 18th. In the IRCC portal : Update date still August 1st 2022, Citizenship ceremony still 'in progress'.

And at the top, the banner 'Take the oath of citizenship - Waiting on you' has disappeared. Since August 18th, we see only 'Your citizenship application status: In progress - While we're working on your application'.

From other posts in the August 2021 thread I follow more closely, the Closing of the application varies. But from recollection its in weeks not months.

I saw someone who took oath from MB on August 15th got an update today August 22nd with Application closed on Aug 19th. Someone else took oath from SK and they said it took 1 week from Oath date to Application closure.

So nothing really solid. Some people in our thread recommended to the admin to add columns in the Google sheet for the invitation email date, closing app and certification reception. That would make it easier to check the stats and see trends emerging. But right now, you need to search the forums to have an idea of the timeline.

I don't expect anything moving for at least a week.
Thanks for your reply. I guess I'm starting to get anxious because I read some posts saying their status was updated a couple of days after their ceremony, and it's been more than a week for me.
Will keep waiting. Best of luck to you!
 
  • Like
Reactions: WhereAmIQc

Tommy2581

Hero Member
May 15, 2017
207
192
AOR : May 31, 2022
Decision Made on eCAS: Aug 18, 2022
Oath Scheduled on: Sep 1, 2022
Yet to receive the email invitation
 

Tommy2581

Hero Member
May 15, 2017
207
192
AOR : May 31, 2022
Decision Made on eCAS: Aug 18, 2022
Oath Scheduled on: Sep 1, 2022
Yet to receive the email invitation
Received the Oath invite email this afternoon from Mississauga office. This is virtual oath ceremony on Sep 1 at 1PM Eastern. Anyone else have the same day/time oath scheduled?
 
  • Like
Reactions: andrem

cooldoc80

Hero Member
Nov 1, 2010
761
47
NOC Code......
4111
Passport Req..
No PPR yet , just Passport Biopage request
LANDED..........
I'm Dreaming of July/2015
Hi All

I'm getting really nervous. Anybody at Scarborough office has Oath scheduled on 1st of September ? I did not recieve any links

I'm just afraid that it could be in person and they sent it by mail! I tried 2 times to change my address via webform with no success! I have forward service on my old address but afraid that It may take long time to be forwarded to my new address

ANYBODY SCHEDULED 1ST of September and received the invitation? was it online or in-person.

please advice ?
 

LifeRacer

Star Member
Jul 20, 2017
106
34
Hi All

I'm getting really nervous. Anybody at Scarborough office has Oath scheduled on 1st of September ? I did not recieve any links

I'm just afraid that it could be in person and they sent it by mail! I tried 2 times to change my address via webform with no success! I have forward service on my old address but afraid that It may take long time to be forwarded to my new address

ANYBODY SCHEDULED 1ST of September and received the invitation? was it online or in-person.

please advice ?
Same boat Bud.
Waiting for official letter to receive.
 

cooldoc80

Hero Member
Nov 1, 2010
761
47
NOC Code......
4111
Passport Req..
No PPR yet , just Passport Biopage request
LANDED..........
I'm Dreaming of July/2015

cooldoc80

Hero Member
Nov 1, 2010
761
47
NOC Code......
4111
Passport Req..
No PPR yet , just Passport Biopage request
LANDED..........
I'm Dreaming of July/2015
Let's wait till Monday, I don't know if the delaying in sending the emails is bad sign (for rescheduling?)
Also, please check your mail box, they start sending mail letters for in person ceremony
Did you recieve anything so far regarding the oath? i'm also at scarborough at 1st of September and nothing yet!
 

cooldoc80

Hero Member
Nov 1, 2010
761
47
NOC Code......
4111
Passport Req..
No PPR yet , just Passport Biopage request
LANDED..........
I'm Dreaming of July/2015
Yes, I did.
let’s wait for a day more.
Please as soon as you hear back update me. I will do the same. The problem is I cant even reach IRCC from outside Canada as i'm currently travelling.

I hope some other applicants who have oath in Scarborough on 1st of September will start reporting in this forum?
 

WhereAmIQc

Star Member
Jun 3, 2022
69
62
Please as soon as you hear back update me. I will do the same. The problem is I cant even reach IRCC from outside Canada as i'm currently travelling.

I hope some other applicants who have oath in Scarborough on 1st of September will start reporting in this forum?
@LifeRacer @cooldoc80 Usually the invitation email is sent 7-10 days prior to the Oath ceremony. You are still in that timeframe. We got ours 9 days before our oath ceremony that took place on August 18th.

Some people on the forums got their email the day before the ceremony. Some wrote to IRCC using the Webform and got the email within the day. So there is no solid trends beside usually a week before the oath ceremony date, you'll receive the invitation email.

So far in all the months I checked the forums, I saw one person reporting an invitation for a IN-PERSON ceremony, I think for Scarborough this September. All others talked of an ONLINE/VIRTUAL ceremony. And in the invitation email it says which one it is


Also if you requested your communications be by email in your application, IRCC will communicate with you at the email address you provided. They will not send you a letter thought Canada Post. Unless you choose that mode of communication when you applied.

Fingers crossed you'll get news soon.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: LifeRacer

Aspiring Canadian

Hero Member
Nov 10, 2016
756
128
Can applicants from Scarborough office that have had their oath already please share their dates from the time they had their citizenship ceremony to when the tracker got closed as completed. I’m trying to gauge the timelines.

My oath was on August 17th and my tracker is still in progress which likely means my certificate hasn’t even been mailed out yet
 

astrogal86

Star Member
Apr 26, 2022
56
51
I just got an update on ECAS. It now says a notice was sent to me on August 24. I just checked my email and the invite was there which is great since the ceremony is in 6 days.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WhereAmIQc