Citizenship test: Collective action required, or expect endless delays, years. Example of the effective lobbyng of people awaiting spousal sponsorship

[mazamilam]

Congratulations! Please share the sender information. My wife was scheduled for the same day but she has not yet got an invite.

Thank you.

Hello everyone, I got notice to appear for online citizenship test. Mail received at 11:59PM on 09Dec. I hope everyone will get very soon.

App sent: 13May2019
AOR: 31July2019
Original test scheduled: 21Mar2020

 

[harirajmohan]

Congratulations! Please share the sender information. My wife was scheduled for the same day but she has not yet got an invite.

Thank you.

What do you mean scheduled for same day but not yet got an invite?
There is no specific date schedule for test with an additional invite. She needs to choose any day within the 21 days(from that start date) and give the test. Thats it. You wont get separate invite.
Did she get the email with subject "Notice to appear" and in the body of email like "You are invited..... Canadian Citizenship Test"? Then thats the invite and she needs to give the test in 3 weeks from that start date.

 

[canuck78]

100% you're right. It does feel like being in a copy of Animal Farm. Even more so with sponsorship - if you're spouse is from a country not requiring a visa they can come here for up to 6 months and keep extending their visa and then the couple applies for PR from within Canada...but for a spouse from a country where you require a visa to visit Canada, forget it. 99% of us are denied. The common denominator for refusals - strong ties to Canada (ie. spouse). During this time, it would be so nice for us to see our spouses and I'm sure 99.9% would honour not having our family overstay because no one wants to risk the sponsorship. If any program is inhumane with IRCC it is 100% outland family sponsorship.

That is a very simplistic view. There is data behind many of these decisions and policies. People arriving from visa exempt countries haven't overstayed their visas as much as those from countries requiring a visa based on historical data. In a larger percentage couples arriving from visa exempt countries tend to have had a dating relationship, have a higher chance of having lived together before marriage, etc. and in general very little to gain by marrying a Canadian therefore there is less concern about whether marriages are genuine. Unfortunately marriages of convenience still exist and if all spouses were admitted during sponsorship automatically you are likely to see many people get married, sponsor their spouse and then withdraw the sponsorship once the spouse is in Canada with a WP and before the sponsorship is complete. It is very difficult and expensive for Canada to deport people so Canada tries to be more strict about who they let into the country. The US approves visas more easily but also deports people more easily without the government paying for access to a lawyer.

 

[canuck78]

Piotr,

this is what happened to me. I was in Africa and could not get on the repatriation flight because I was a PR and additionally, i was not able to get emergency funding! I've lived in canada for 35 years, not explaining my history again so people can laugh why it took so long. If I ended up having to go back to my home country of Poland, I would be FUBAR... I don't know anything about Poland, I came to Canada as a child.

You had 30 years to get citizenship so a few months will not make a big difference at this point. If you have been living in Canada you should have qualified for the temporary repatriation loan. Have you been living in Canada permanently over the past few years? Filing your taxes? Not everyone got on a repatriation flight even citizens. Whether you were on a temporary holiday, had a place to stay, whether there were medical reasons why you needed to return to Canada, etc. were all considered.

 

[blingyrie]

Ha Ha Ha. I had commented about his cribbing about this group being for "sophisticated" English speakers. And wasn't really talking about IRCC anywhere in my reply.

Now coming to the point of urgency, online test etc.

Fact: IRCC has implemented Online Tests and is sending invitations to people whose test's have cancelled in March/April, now if you don't want to believe it and always be a pessimist, its your problem. Everytime someone mentions they get an invitation, you have been looking at it with suspicion.

IRCC has come out with a plan for 2 things, Online tests and Online Citizenship applications. And your whole logic of IRCC not working during Covid has just blown up. IRCC worked on these two things and are now implementing them with a plan. First appreciate that. Secondly, it looks like you are a person who wants the system to fail to prove yourself right.

Hahahaha.....If I get a test, why should I reject it? I appreciate IRCC providing me the facility of giving the test online. I think you should cancel the online test if you get one and keep protesting for in person tests as you are not able to digest IRCC employee taking a paid vacation. Isn't that your whole argument was since the beginning.

And just being curious, when did you apply for citizenship? Feb 2020? And tell me, are you waiting for citizenship for travel purposes? I have feeling that's the real reason you are trying to push for citizenship.

Well said! Couldn’t have said it better than this.

 

[sachinsoman1988]

Ha Ha Ha. I had commented about his cribbing about this group being for "sophisticated" English speakers. And wasn't really talking about IRCC anywhere in my reply.

Now coming to the point of urgency, online test etc.

Fact: IRCC has implemented Online Tests and is sending invitations to people whose test's have cancelled in March/April, now if you don't want to believe it and always be a pessimist, its your problem. Everytime someone mentions they get an invitation, you have been looking at it with suspicion.

IRCC has come out with a plan for 2 things, Online tests and Online Citizenship applications. And your whole logic of IRCC not working during Covid has just blown up. IRCC worked on these two things and are now implementing them with a plan. First appreciate that. Secondly, it looks like you are a person who wants the system to fail to prove yourself right.

Hahahaha.....If I get a test, why should I reject it? I appreciate IRCC providing me the facility of giving the test online. I think you should cancel the online test if you get one and keep protesting for in person tests as you are not able to digest IRCC employee taking a paid vacation. Isn't that your whole argument was since the beginning.

And just being curious, when did you apply for citizenship? Feb 2020? And tell me, are you waiting for citizenship for travel purposes? I have feeling that's the real reason you are trying to push for citizenship.

Very well said. I have been trying to find out the need for protests for a very long time in this forum and have failed every time. Some of the protesters are feeding from outright jealousy against IRCC employees as they seem to have better employment agreement than themselves. No.1 quoted reason for protests is 699 Code!! They cant digest that some people are getting paid because government shut their offices down to control COVID!!

 

[his*marty]

You had 30 years to get citizenship so a few months will not make a big difference at this point. If you have been living in Canada you should have qualified for the temporary repatriation loan. Have you been living in Canada permanently over the past few years? Filing your taxes? Not everyone got on a repatriation flight even citizens. Whether you were on a temporary holiday, had a place to stay, whether there were medical reasons why you needed to return to Canada, etc. were all considered.

I had 30 years but I was not in a position to apply. Yes, it matters to me as if my husband can't join me here I will join him in his country but I do not want to go without citizenship.

Nothing was considered for my repatriation flight, I was put on a list and contacted when a spot was available. PRs did not qualify for the emergency loan, only Canadians.

 

[his*marty]

That is a very simplistic view. There is data behind many of these decisions and policies. People arriving from visa exempt countries haven't overstayed their visas as much as those from countries requiring a visa based on historical data. In a larger percentage couples arriving from visa exempt countries tend to have had a dating relationship, have a higher chance of having lived together before marriage, etc. and in general very little to gain by marrying a Canadian therefore there is less concern about whether marriages are genuine. Unfortunately marriages of convenience still exist and if all spouses were admitted during sponsorship automatically you are likely to see many people get married, sponsor their spouse and then withdraw the sponsorship once the spouse is in Canada with a WP and before the sponsorship is complete. It is very difficult and expensive for Canada to deport people so Canada tries to be more strict about who they let into the country. The US approves visas more easily but also deports people more easily without the government paying for access to a lawyer.

Its not a simplistic view. People from a non visa country have the ability to cultivate their relationships because they can travel easily between countries. I don't disagree about the process of sponsorship but they shouldn't make it so difficult to have your spouse visit on a visitor visa especially if your application is in process. International students and people on a work permit can also bring their spouse. If my husband was able to visit me 5 times before marriage and he went back to his country, why would it be different after we are married ? This isn't something that should be a form denial, each situation should be looked at separately.

Apologies on the brevity I'm on my phone.

 

[his*marty]

The email response I received on applying for the emergency loan is below. Thankfully, I wasn't stuck for months and was able to pay the steep $2,000 for repatriation without the loan. But, my reason for applying was in the case I was stranded for much longer.

Email response to loan:

Hello,



Thank you for contacting the Emergency Watch and Response Centre at Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa. Please see information below about the COVID-19 Emergency Loan Program for Canadians Abroad. However, please note that the program is open to Canadian citizens. Permanent residents may be included in an application’s eligible expenses if the PR is travelling with an immediate family member who if a Canadian citizen. Based on the information you provided about your current situation, your wife would not be eligible to apply.



Thank you.



Emergency Watch and Response Centre (EWRC) | Centre de surveillance et d’intervention d’urgence

CAN.finances.CV19@international.gc.ca

Telephone (613) 996-8885, Fax (613) 943-1054

125 Sussex Dr., Ottawa, Canada K1A 0G2

Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada

Government of Canada | Gouvernement du Canada

 

[piotrqc]

Last update from pressure ( Lobbying ) group:

Hello Everyone ,
With holiday season fast approaching I want to post in year 2020 for the record. If you remember at @AdvocatesCtest we decided to revaluate the process and promise of IRCC about citizenship tests at the end of January 2021.
Really, either of the two scenarios can play out once we enter the new year
1-) Test invites start picking up fast and we start seeing substantially more invites (positive scenario)
2-) Test invites remain slow (As they are right now) , people remain stressed and transparency remains an issue.
Really hoping for Scenario one , Preparing firmer for scenario 2.
Happy new year , Stay Safe.
See you on in 2021 !
Thanks,
Ahsan
Lead @AdvocatesCtest

 

[his*marty]

Last update from pressure ( Lobbying ) group:

Hello Everyone ,
With holiday season fast approaching I want to post in year 2020 for the record. If you remember at @AdvocatesCtest we decided to revaluate the process and promise of IRCC about citizenship tests at the end of January 2021.
Really, either of the two scenarios can play out once we enter the new year
1-) Test invites start picking up fast and we start seeing substantially more invites (positive scenario)
2-) Test invites remain slow (As they are right now) , people remain stressed and transparency remains an issue.
Really hoping for Scenario one , Preparing firmer for scenario 2.
Happy new year , Stay Safe.
See you on in 2021 !
Thanks,
Ahsan
Lead @AdvocatesCtest

Have the invites been minimal for the online test from what you have observed?

 

[savarana]

Have the invites been minimal for the online test from what you have observed?

Absolutely

 

[AshesNdust]

Have the invites been minimal for the online test from what you have observed?

When the IRCC announced online testing they caveated it by stating that they would start with 5000 people that would be a mix of high priority and those with previous test dates that were canceled. So, there was never going to be a large amount in December. After this initial group they’ll probably ramp up the invites if everything goes smoothly for this first round.

 

[his*marty]

When the IRCC announced online testing they caveated it by stating that they would start with 5000 people that would be a mix of high priority and those with previous test dates that were canceled. So, there was never going to be a large amount in December. After this initial group they’ll probably ramp up the invites if everything goes smoothly for this first round.

I don't fit in either category of high priority or cancelled. Unless they are deeming high priority as a I applied for PR after 34 years and had minimal documentation of who I am and where I come from (I did have the long form landed document in poor condition). In any case, I'm stressed about the additional documentation now.

 

[AshesNdust]

I don't fit in either category of high priority or cancelled. Unless they are deeming high priority as a I applied for PR after 34 years and had minimal documentation of who I am and where I come from (I did have the long form landed document in poor condition). In any case, I'm stressed about the additional documentation now.

I’m going to be optimistic in your case. They might consider you a good test candidate because you’ve been in Canada for so long that as long as you don’t have a massive arrest record, they think you’ll just fly through the process with very little need to do a big background check on you.