January 2020 - citizenship application

[mindHacker]

So I need to travel to the US in early November 2021. I applied in January 2020 and my application is stuck in nowhereland ... Background verification completed, that's it... AOR was July 21, 2020. To complicate things, my PR card expires in October.. Yes, I have submitted my renewal (months ago, still no AOR) and that seems to be in the same rapid processing queue as the citizenship application.

So, yes, I know, I need to get a PRTD - but it seems that follows the same process i.e. fill out paperwork, send photos, pay $50 and mail it off.. which means it's also going to take 6 months maybe. So what to do? Anyone else been in a similar situation? Are they allowing re-entry on expired PR Cards given the application delay shenanigans. I may end up just going and hoping for the best... showing up at the border on 10 November with expired PR card, and 3 proofs of application for Citizenship, PR Card renewal and PRTD. That's if they even let me onto the plane to leave Canada and to come back. Nervewracking... What a circus.

You can send a new application for PR card renewal with urgent processing with the proof of urgency if u have any. You could also ask for urgent processing for ur existing PR card renewal case if u had an AOR but unfortunately thats not the case.
i had a similar situation and i sent a 2nd application with a valid cause for urgent processing( i also did not have AOR on the 1st application even after months!) And they processed the 2nd application urgently.

u might also pursue urgent processing for citizenship if that applies to u.

 

[Orlaith]

18 months waiting here too- insane

15 months waiting here....

 

[jman25]

New update today!

Place: British Columbia
Sent: January 10th 2020
Received: January 14th 2020
AOR: March 13th 2020
Physical days: 1098

In Process: September 23rd 2020
Test Invite: May 31st 2021
Test Completed: June 11th 2021

Prohibitions, Language and Physical Presence all changed to completed today July 7th, 2021.

Ceremony still says not started. But I remain hopeful!

 

[mindHacker]

Sent citizenship application in December, 2019. Still everything in process. Its getting really frustrating now.

 

[AmericanCanadian007]

There isn't a three month timeline per say. The "usually" within 3 months was before the pandemic. I'm not saying it can't happen now; What I'm saying is that there is a nasty backlog for oath and there is a chance it might not happen. I would give 3 - 5 months from when the test status was set to "Completed" for oath.

Some people have recently received DM and oath dates within a month (some got DM and oath invite on the same date). There will always be exceptions.

I agree but isn't it pre-pandemic they did all the checks before test and on test date, we will complete the test then interview and DM right then and there VS post pandemic where only criminal/security clearance is done prior to test and all the other checks are done after the test? Stoll 3 to 5 months wait after test is still ridiculous to say the least!

 

[harirajmohan]

I agree but isn't it pre-pandemic they did all the checks before test and on test date, we will complete the test then interview and DM right then and there VS post pandemic where only criminal/security clearance is done prior to test and all the other checks are done after the test? Stoll 3 to 5 months wait after test is still ridiculous to say the least!

I doubt that the officers do need/take months to complete language, physical presence and prohibitions.
We can see many files get DM fairly quickly within 2-3 days to a week which means that they can do it fast.

As we know that they are not going to investigate/verify the ielts report, i hardly doubt that they do.
Physical presence is just few mins job or even worst case its a few hours job to calculate the days resided inside the country from cbsa report. (i hope they rely on cbsa report but i still wonder why they even ask for third country reports such as I94 as if cic officers can trust only non-canadian source )
I dont know why even prohibitions are separated from background check. Again officers wont be verifying separately when bg check is clear.

So all 3 wont take hardly few hours to few days to complete but still officers take months becasue they dont actually work on it to complete it rather they just keep pushing for next day next week next month etc.

But one good thing we have seen is that the test verification is getting done fast but of course not for all as usual. May be they need something like this to make them complete each section in a particular time or else they dont do it on their own

 

[ChokshiSA]

Location: Brampton, ON
App Type: Single / Family (# of applicants): Single
Physical Presence Days: 1200
App Sent: Jan 22, 2020
App Delivered: Feb 06, 2020
AOR: July 2020
In-Progress: Oct 13, 2020
Test Invite : Apr 12, 2021
Test / Interview Date : May 3, 2021
After that no update.

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

I agree but isn't it pre-pandemic they did all the checks before test and on test date, we will complete the test then interview and DM right then and there VS post pandemic where only criminal/security clearance is done prior to test and all the other checks are done after the test? Stoll 3 to 5 months wait after test is still ridiculous to say the least!

I'm not saying what's happening now is good. I'm just stating the situation as-it-is. 3 - 5 months is only an estimate. Could happen sooner or later. Given that there is a HUGE difference in processing times, even estimating a ballpark figure becomes tedious.

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Location: Brampton, ON
App Type: Single / Family (# of applicants): Single
Physical Presence Days: 1200
App Sent: Jan 22, 2020
App Delivered: Feb 06, 2020
AOR: July 2020
In-Progress: Oct 13, 2020
Test Invite : Apr 12, 2021
Test / Interview Date : May 3, 2021
After that no update.

Updated the spreadsheet!

Hope you see progress soon.

All the best!

 

[harirajmohan]

I'm not saying what's happening now is good. I'm just stating the situation as-it-is. 3 - 5 months is only an estimate. Could happen sooner or later. Given that there is a HUGE difference in processing times, even estimating a ballpark figure becomes tedious.

IRCC is tasked to work on surprises for candidates hence cic never reveals on how they work. if not you will predict on the estaimated timeline and you would start demanding hence they keep changing goal posts like issuing oath within days for some after the test and for some after few weeks and for some they keep pending for months.

 

[Nkhalidvmc]

I doubt that the officers do need/take months to complete language, physical presence and prohibitions.
We can see many files get DM fairly quickly within 2-3 days to a week which means that they can do it fast.

As we know that they are not going to investigate/verify the ielts report, i hardly doubt that they do.
Physical presence is just few mins job or even worst case its a few hours job to calculate the days resided inside the country from cbsa report. (i hope they rely on cbsa report but i still wonder why they even ask for third country reports such as I94 as if cic officers can trust only non-canadian source )
I dont know why even prohibitions are separated from background check. Again officers wont be verifying separately when bg check is clear.

So all 3 wont take hardly few hours to few days to complete but still officers take months becasue they dont actually work on it to complete it rather they just keep pushing for next day next week next month etc.

But one good thing we have seen is that the test verification is getting done fast but of course not for all as usual. May be they need something like this to make them complete each section in a particular time or else they dont do it on their own

CBSA report doesn't have anything lol. I actually asked for mine because I had travelled to US extensively during a year due to my work. That CBSA report just shows entry into Canada and not any exits. So that report is basically of no use, as for I-94 they can check themselves from the CBP/homeland dept and I doubt it will take a long time to check most other things like you correctly said should take a few minutes to an hour - you are giving them too much benefit of the doubt by saying a few days lol....but heck even if they take a few weeks we wouldn't be stuck in this limbo they take months and then some....and still no progress. My app has been in-progress since Oct 2020 (jan 2020 applicant) and nothing so far. I have lost hope that 2021 will bring any good news lol

 

[Mexontario]

CBSA report doesn't have anything lol. I actually asked for mine because I had travelled to US extensively during a year due to my work. That CBSA report just shows entry into Canada and not any exits. So that report is basically of no use, as for I-94 they can check themselves from the CBP/homeland dept and I doubt it will take a long time to check most other things like you correctly said should take a few minutes to an hour - you are giving them too much benefit of the doubt by saying a few days lol....but heck even if they take a few weeks we wouldn't be stuck in this limbo they take months and then some....and still no progress. My app has been in-progress since Oct 2020 (jan 2020 applicant) and nothing so far. I have lost hope that 2021 will bring any good news lol

CBSA does get the exit records if they are by LAND. Internal reports to IRCC can be different, they may have a way to calculate physical presence just like how online physical presence calculator does. Anyway, worst case they will try to match the dates on CBSA report vs those in the application. That can take a while if some one is commuting in an irregular pattern (not daily).

 

[Nkhalidvmc]

In my cbsa reports even thought I basically went to US via LAND border it still did not show my exits and I have seen people on here being asked to provide a copy of their i94 travel history.

 

[harirajmohan]

CBSA report doesn't have anything lol. I actually asked for mine because I had travelled to US extensively during a year due to my work. That CBSA report just shows entry into Canada and not any exits. So that report is basically of no use, as for I-94 they can check themselves from the CBP/homeland dept and I doubt it will take a long time to check most other things like you correctly said should take a few minutes to an hour - you are giving them too much benefit of the doubt by saying a few days lol....but heck even if they take a few weeks we wouldn't be stuck in this limbo they take months and then some....and still no progress. My app has been in-progress since Oct 2020 (jan 2020 applicant) and nothing so far. I have lost hope that 2021 will bring any good news lol

CBSA does get the exit records if they are by LAND. Internal reports to IRCC can be different, they may have a way to calculate physical presence just like how online physical presence calculator does. Anyway, worst case they will try to match the dates on CBSA report vs those in the application. That can take a while if some one is commuting in an irregular pattern (not daily).

Surprised to see that they havent been collecting for the last 10-20 years of this internet era.
https://www.cicnews.com/2020/07/cbsa-now-collecting-basic-information-of-air-travellers-0714898.html#gs.59fqme
"As of June 25, commercial air carriers must provide the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Airlines are expected to be fully phased into the program by June 2021.
Canada and the U.S. have been exchanging biographic entry information on all travellers at the land border since July 11, 2019."

https://www.canada.ca/en/border-services-agency/news/2018/12/entryexit-initiative.html
"Currently, Canada and the U.S. exchange biographic entry information on third-country nationals and permanent residents, so that entry into one country serves as an exit record from the other. Canada also shares with the U.S. biographic entry information on U.S. citizens and nationals. "

 

[Mexontario]

Surprised to see that they havent been collecting for the last 10-20 years of this internet era.
https://www.cicnews.com/2020/07/cbsa-now-collecting-basic-information-of-air-travellers-0714898.html#gs.59fqme
"As of June 25, commercial air carriers must provide the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Airlines are expected to be fully phased into the program by June 2021.
Canada and the U.S. have been exchanging biographic entry information on all travellers at the land border since July 11, 2019."

https://www.canada.ca/en/border-services-agency/news/2018/12/entryexit-initiative.html
"Currently, Canada and the U.S. exchange biographic entry information on third-country nationals and permanent residents, so that entry into one country serves as an exit record from the other. Canada also shares with the U.S. biographic entry information on U.S. citizens and nationals. "

Good info. This is the case for US and canadian citizens. For foreign nationals they do collect entry/exit information prior to these dates.

The ATIP travel history report I received from CBSA last year, has every crossing that was done across the land border on both directions.