momosalahi said:
Passed my test on Feb. 7th. Got 20/20.
During the interview the officer told me that i will receive the decision in a couple of days.
So far so good.
But almost a month has passed and nothing has happened, so i decided to call cic call center.
The call center agent told me that my file is pending security clearance, that i have passed the criminality part but still pending the security one.
Has anyone had his citizenship application delayed because of this? and for how long?
Would appreciate if anyone could share his experience.
Thanks and good luck to all.
As far as we know, referrals for background clearances to both the RCMP and CSIS are still made when the application is initially screened in Sydney, that is concurrent with the procedures that create the file and commence processing. And that ordinarily these clearances are completed prior to being scheduled for the test and documents-check interview.
Depending on other factors, and particularly on how long the process has taken, IRCC often makes a further referral to
update the clearances before scheduling an applicant for the oath. These updates are usually perfunctory and for the vast majority of applicants result in only a short delay.
But, as
heeradeepak observed, the timeline in individual cases depends on the particulars of each case and can vary considerably, ranging from a minimal delay to much longer delays,
depending.
The longer delays do tend to arise from the CSIS security clearance. I am not familiar with enough recent reports to discern current range, but just a couple years ago we were seeing some take
years while
most appeared to take from a month or two up to several months.
There is probably a correlation between why the process of updating the clearance is not routine, thus involving more than a minimal delay, and the length of the delay.
The reasons, that is why or what causes some applicants to be subject to a more extensive CSIS security clearance, are largely unknown (to us, to the public). But it is easy to infer some, such as an extended absence from Canada while the application is pending, and especially so for time spent in certain parts of the world.
Contrary to popular opinion, ATIP requests are
NOT likely to shed any light on why or on how long it will be.
Mostly the applicant needs to swallow a big chill pill and be patient. And yeah, this can be more difficult than those who have not gone through this process seem to appreciate, since the notice for the oath can come any time and the amount of notice can be rather short and a failure to appear for the oath can mean having to start over. This can severely compromise an applicant's freedom to travel even within Canada, and can be especially inconvenient for anyone whose employment involves travel for lengthy periods of time.
