egyo said:
Hello guys,
Do you think contacting the member of parliament about the delay of your citizenship application can be helpful?! Can his/her office inquiry about the case result in a positive outcome?! is it recommended or not?! PLEASE let me know if you have any similar experience. Thanks
Please do contact your member of Parliament. Even though you are not yet a citizen, you are their constituent and they have a responsibility to hear your concerns. There is no risk to contacting your MP and all of us caught in the ballooning backlog woulld benefit if MPs knew that the citizenship backlog has consequence for actual, politically engaged constituents. If no one ever complains about the low level of service received as a result of the dramatic CIC budget and staffing cuts of the last years, the MPs could be excused for thinking that no one really cares.
Part of the reason that the processing of citizenship applications gets such low priority is because few people complain.
There are two possible positive results:
1. Individual: If the applicant has waited longer than the "average" or needs to see a judge an MP can make an official inquiry with the CIC. The MP is considered a constituent's "ombudsman" to the federal goverment and part of their job is to advocate for you.
2. Collective; In the long term MPs need to know that those of us caught in the record citizenship delay are politically engaged and are paying attention to who advocates for our rights and who ignores us. An individual complaining to an MP will not change the world immediately, and yes, they may just brush you off initially, but if hundreds or thousands of us complain to our MPs it can create political consequence for the CIC leadership's mismanagement. It's harder to brush off a hundred people than a single person.
There is no drawback to contacting your MP. Only possible benefits. It's easy to do.
http://residencequestionnaire.wordpress.com/resources-for-rq-recipients/sample-letters-to-mps/
