London, ontario citizen applicants

[Welshdazza86]

I hope your right! I am in my 11th month now and hoping to get it all sorted before I fly home late May.

 

[Owais Iqbal]

I hope your right! I am in my 11th month now and hoping to get it all sorted before I fly home late May.

I hope so too! Please keep us updated. Good luck!

 

[yezdi_in]

Finally received test invite after a wait of 10 months

Timeline :

Application - Family (3)
Office - London
App delivered - 20 March 2018
AOR - 09 April 2018
IP - 02 May 2018
Test Invite - 11 March 2019
Test - 10 Apr 2019

 

[Owais Iqbal]

Finally received test invite after a wait of 10 months

Timeline :

Application - Family (3)
Office - London
App delivered - 20 March 2018
AOR - 09 April 2018
IP - 02 May 2018
Test Invite - 11 March 2019
Test - 10 Apr 2019

Wow finally!! Great news!! Good luck with your test and hope that you get oath invite soon after! Keep us posted

 

[yezdi_in]

Wow finally!! Great news!! Good luck with your test and hope that you get oath invite soon after! Keep us posted

Thank you

 

[Welshdazza86]

Finally received test invite after a wait of 10 months

Timeline :

Application - Family (3)
Office - London
App delivered - 20 March 2018
AOR - 09 April 2018
IP - 02 May 2018
Test Invite - 11 March 2019
Test - 10 Apr 2019

congratulations on the invitation for your test.
Is the 12 month time line from when you receive your AoR?

 

[yezdi_in]

I think 12 month time line is from application received date to oath. In that sense, I am reaching 12 month next week. Nowadays, I am seeing some movement in the London office which is a good sign and hope all others who have been waiting also will hear updates soon.

 

[SideshowLoki]

Alright, guys. I got my citizenship today. So here's my write up on the whole oath experience.

Important Note: This will officially be my last post here on this website; now that I am a Canadian citizen and I have done my write ups for both the test and now the oath ceremony, I feel I don't have anything else unique to offer. I will not forget the wonderful people here with whom I have shared a very long and sometimes arduous wait to get here. To those still waiting for either the test or oath, be patient. As hard as that is to hear at times, you must remember that the wait is well rewarded in the end. I wish all of you the best of luck on your respective journeys.

Date and Time of Oath: March 20th, 2019 @ 1:00pm

Total Time Spent: Just about 2 hours

Documents Brought:
-PR Card (which was kept to be destroyed)
-CoPR
-Oath Invitation
-Signed Media Consent form
-Current US Passport Card
-Expired US Passport Book
-OHIP Card
-Ontario Photo Card

Experience: I arrived at the IRCC building around 12:15pm. I tried to walk in and found the door was locked, so I buzzed. I was told the doors would open no earlier than 1:00pm, so I went back to the car with my husband. A couple of oath takers came after about 10 minutes and they went inside- so much for opening at 1pm! The entire lobby was packed with oath takers and guests; see the bottom about guests if you're unsure of how many to bring. Just after 1:00pm, two officers came to two of the windows and had us form two lines. I was the first one in one line. He asked for my PR card, the Oath Invite, and the Media Consent Form. He returned only the Oath Invite, telling me my seat number. I asked if he wanted to see anything else and he said no. Immediately afterward, the doors to the ceremony hall were open and an officer directed all the guests to go inside. They were given the wall seats and the last two rows of seats. I asked if I could go in after checking in and they said yes. So I walked in and looked for my seat number on the back of the chair.

On the chair was the following citizenship package, labelled "Our Citizenship":
-A large printed copy of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
-An insert with "O Canada" lyrics
-A pamphlet with the Oath of Citizenship
-A brochure for a free cultural access pass
-A brochure about Parks Canada

Once the hall was filled, a clerk in formal judicial dress came out and acted as the master of ceremonies. She gave us the rundown on how the ceremony will take place and gave us basic instruction; she particularly emphasized to turn cell phones to silent because the judge will stop and wait for the call to cease. Once she was finished, she left to go fetch the judge. The judge entered with an RCMP officer and we had to stand as he entered. He allowed us to resume being seated and gave his opening remarks. He was actually a very warm and very funny judge; the one thing that really resonated with me is that he himself was an immigrant to Canada. He encouraged guests to also take the oath of citizenship as a symbol of reaffirmation before he had us stand for the Oath and then led the Oath- said first in French (which he encouraged everyone to recite) and then in English. Once concluded, he declared us Canadian citizens and we sat down. We were called up one by one by the clerk and shook hands with the judge, who presented us with our Certificate of Citizenship, and the RCMP officer, who gave us a paper flag. The judge asked us where we came from and what we did in Canada; I myself told him how 14 years ago I immigrated to Canada and after 11 years of being a PR, I finally took the plunge to be a citizen. Once we finished shaking hands with the RCMP officer, we were sent to a table (with 2 IRCC officers) and signed the Confirmation of Oath (paraphrasing on what it actually is). Once signed, we officially became citizens on paper- we were also encouraged to take a maple leaf lapel pin from a basket. When all the oath takers had received their certificates, the judge gave us some closing remarks and then we were led to sing "O Canada" (with the amended lyrics of "In all of us command"). Once done, we were free to either leave or stay and take pictures with the judge/RCMP officer. I myself, after having been here in Canada for so long, I opted to just leave once the ceremony concluded.

Advice and Footnotes: The attire that is requested is business casual, but I did see plenty of people dressed on the more casual side; the rule of thumb I give you is dress as if you were going to church on a Sunday! I will bring special attention to the fact that even though I only had to show my PR card, I would still bring ALL the documents indicated on the Oath Invitation because you never know if they want to see them. Make sure you bring a bottle of water because the room can get hot. If you have young children, you need to bring someone with you if you can't get a sitter; you will not be allowed to leave the ceremony at any point if they get fussy. There were a few kids at my ceremony and they were fussing; if in doubt, leave them with a sitter. Try to limit your guests to 2 max; the room filled up really fast and there really isn't a lot of seats- at my ceremony, there were 61 candidates to take the oath alone. Also, once you become a citizen, you have to wait 2 business days before you can apply for a passport. Have fun with it and really soak in the majesty of taking the oath; celebrate that you have finally become a citizen and go out to eat.

Final thoughts: The judge at my ceremony said something that is so apt, and so deserving of being the final thought I must quote him: "Do not see the receipt of citizenship as the end of your citizenship journey, but rather see it as the threshold of a brand new beginning as a Canadian citizen".

 

[Owais Iqbal]

Alright, guys. I got my citizenship today. So here's my write up on the whole oath experience.

Important Note: This will officially be my last post here on this website; now that I am a Canadian citizen and I have done my write ups for both the test and now the oath ceremony, I feel I don't have anything else unique to offer. I will not forget the wonderful people here with whom I have shared a very long and sometimes arduous wait to get here. To those still waiting for either the test or oath, be patient. As hard as that is to hear at times, you must remember that the wait is well rewarded in the end. I wish all of you the best of luck on your respective journeys.

Date and Time of Oath: March 20th, 2019 @ 1:00pm

Total Time Spent: Just about 2 hours

Documents Brought:
-PR Card (which was kept to be destroyed)
-CoPR
-Oath Invitation
-Signed Media Consent form
-Current US Passport Card
-Expired US Passport Book
-OHIP Card
-Ontario Photo Card

Experience: I arrived at the IRCC building around 12:15pm. I tried to walk in and found the door was locked, so I buzzed. I was told the doors would open no earlier than 1:00pm, so I went back to the car with my husband. A couple of oath takers came after about 10 minutes and they went inside- so much for opening at 1pm! The entire lobby was packed with oath takers and guests; see the bottom about guests if you're unsure of how many to bring. Just after 1:00pm, two officers came to two of the windows and had us form two lines. I was the first one in one line. He asked for my PR card, the Oath Invite, and the Media Consent Form. He returned only the Oath Invite, telling me my seat number. I asked if he wanted to see anything else and he said no. Immediately afterward, the doors to the ceremony hall were open and an officer directed all the guests to go inside. They were given the wall seats and the last two rows of seats. I asked if I could go in after checking in and they said yes. So I walked in and looked for my seat number on the back of the chair.

On the chair was the following citizenship package, labelled "Our Citizenship":
-A large printed copy of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
-An insert with "O Canada" lyrics
-A pamphlet with the Oath of Citizenship
-A brochure for a free cultural access pass
-A brochure about Parks Canada

Once the hall was filled, a clerk in formal judicial dress came out and acted as the master of ceremonies. She gave us the rundown on how the ceremony will take place and gave us basic instruction; she particularly emphasized to turn cell phones to silent because the judge will stop and wait for the call to cease. Once she was finished, she left to go fetch the judge. The judge entered with an RCMP officer and we had to stand as he entered. He allowed us to resume being seated and gave his opening remarks. He was actually a very warm and very funny judge; the one thing that really resonated with me is that he himself was an immigrant to Canada. He encouraged guests to also take the oath of citizenship as a symbol of reaffirmation before he had us stand for the Oath and then led the Oath- said first in French (which he encouraged everyone to recite) and then in English. Once concluded, he declared us Canadian citizens and we sat down. We were called up one by one by the clerk and shook hands with the judge, who presented us with our Certificate of Citizenship, and the RCMP officer, who gave us a paper flag. The judge asked us where we came from and what we did in Canada; I myself told him how 14 years ago I immigrated to Canada and after 11 years of being a PR, I finally took the plunge to be a citizen. Once we finished shaking hands with the RCMP officer, we were sent to a table (with 2 IRCC officers) and signed the Confirmation of Oath (paraphrasing on what it actually is). Once signed, we officially became citizens on paper- we were also encouraged to take a maple leaf lapel pin from a basket. When all the oath takers had received their certificates, the judge gave us some closing remarks and then we were led to sing "O Canada" (with the amended lyrics of "In all of us command"). Once done, we were free to either leave or stay and take pictures with the judge/RCMP officer. I myself, after having been here in Canada for so long, I opted to just leave once the ceremony concluded.

Advice and Footnotes: The attire that is requested is business casual, but I did see plenty of people dressed on the more casual side; the rule of thumb I give you is dress as if you were going to church on a Sunday! I will bring special attention to the fact that even though I only had to show my PR card, I would still bring ALL the documents indicated on the Oath Invitation because you never know if they want to see them. Make sure you bring a bottle of water because the room can get hot. If you have young children, you need to bring someone with you if you can't get a sitter; you will not be allowed to leave the ceremony at any point if they get fussy. There were a few kids at my ceremony and they were fussing; if in doubt, leave them with a sitter. Try to limit your guests to 2 max; the room filled up really fast and there really isn't a lot of seats- at my ceremony, there were 61 candidates to take the oath alone. Also, once you become a citizen, you have to wait 2 business days before you can apply for a passport. Have fun with it and really soak in the majesty of taking the oath; celebrate that you have finally become a citizen and go out to eat.

Final thoughts: The judge at my ceremony said something that is so apt, and so deserving of being the final thought I must quote him: "Do not see the receipt of citizenship as the end of your citizenship journey, but rather see it as the threshold of a brand new beginning as a Canadian citizen".

Wow, that's amazing. Congratulations on the conclusion of your long journey.I am very happy for you! Also, thank you for your contribution. Good luck!

 

[yezdi_in]

Alright, guys. I got my citizenship today. So here's my write up on the whole oath experience.

Important Note: This will officially be my last post here on this website; now that I am a Canadian citizen and I have done my write ups for both the test and now the oath ceremony, I feel I don't have anything else unique to offer. I will not forget the wonderful people here with whom I have shared a very long and sometimes arduous wait to get here. To those still waiting for either the test or oath, be patient. As hard as that is to hear at times, you must remember that the wait is well rewarded in the end. I wish all of you the best of luck on your respective journeys.

Date and Time of Oath: March 20th, 2019 @ 1:00pm

Total Time Spent: Just about 2 hours

Documents Brought:
-PR Card (which was kept to be destroyed)
-CoPR
-Oath Invitation
-Signed Media Consent form
-Current US Passport Card
-Expired US Passport Book
-OHIP Card
-Ontario Photo Card

Experience: I arrived at the IRCC building around 12:15pm. I tried to walk in and found the door was locked, so I buzzed. I was told the doors would open no earlier than 1:00pm, so I went back to the car with my husband. A couple of oath takers came after about 10 minutes and they went inside- so much for opening at 1pm! The entire lobby was packed with oath takers and guests; see the bottom about guests if you're unsure of how many to bring. Just after 1:00pm, two officers came to two of the windows and had us form two lines. I was the first one in one line. He asked for my PR card, the Oath Invite, and the Media Consent Form. He returned only the Oath Invite, telling me my seat number. I asked if he wanted to see anything else and he said no. Immediately afterward, the doors to the ceremony hall were open and an officer directed all the guests to go inside. They were given the wall seats and the last two rows of seats. I asked if I could go in after checking in and they said yes. So I walked in and looked for my seat number on the back of the chair.

On the chair was the following citizenship package, labelled "Our Citizenship":
-A large printed copy of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
-An insert with "O Canada" lyrics
-A pamphlet with the Oath of Citizenship
-A brochure for a free cultural access pass
-A brochure about Parks Canada

Once the hall was filled, a clerk in formal judicial dress came out and acted as the master of ceremonies. She gave us the rundown on how the ceremony will take place and gave us basic instruction; she particularly emphasized to turn cell phones to silent because the judge will stop and wait for the call to cease. Once she was finished, she left to go fetch the judge. The judge entered with an RCMP officer and we had to stand as he entered. He allowed us to resume being seated and gave his opening remarks. He was actually a very warm and very funny judge; the one thing that really resonated with me is that he himself was an immigrant to Canada. He encouraged guests to also take the oath of citizenship as a symbol of reaffirmation before he had us stand for the Oath and then led the Oath- said first in French (which he encouraged everyone to recite) and then in English. Once concluded, he declared us Canadian citizens and we sat down. We were called up one by one by the clerk and shook hands with the judge, who presented us with our Certificate of Citizenship, and the RCMP officer, who gave us a paper flag. The judge asked us where we came from and what we did in Canada; I myself told him how 14 years ago I immigrated to Canada and after 11 years of being a PR, I finally took the plunge to be a citizen. Once we finished shaking hands with the RCMP officer, we were sent to a table (with 2 IRCC officers) and signed the Confirmation of Oath (paraphrasing on what it actually is). Once signed, we officially became citizens on paper- we were also encouraged to take a maple leaf lapel pin from a basket. When all the oath takers had received their certificates, the judge gave us some closing remarks and then we were led to sing "O Canada" (with the amended lyrics of "In all of us command"). Once done, we were free to either leave or stay and take pictures with the judge/RCMP officer. I myself, after having been here in Canada for so long, I opted to just leave once the ceremony concluded.

Advice and Footnotes: The attire that is requested is business casual, but I did see plenty of people dressed on the more casual side; the rule of thumb I give you is dress as if you were going to church on a Sunday! I will bring special attention to the fact that even though I only had to show my PR card, I would still bring ALL the documents indicated on the Oath Invitation because you never know if they want to see them. Make sure you bring a bottle of water because the room can get hot. If you have young children, you need to bring someone with you if you can't get a sitter; you will not be allowed to leave the ceremony at any point if they get fussy. There were a few kids at my ceremony and they were fussing; if in doubt, leave them with a sitter. Try to limit your guests to 2 max; the room filled up really fast and there really isn't a lot of seats- at my ceremony, there were 61 candidates to take the oath alone. Also, once you become a citizen, you have to wait 2 business days before you can apply for a passport. Have fun with it and really soak in the majesty of taking the oath; celebrate that you have finally become a citizen and go out to eat.

Final thoughts: The judge at my ceremony said something that is so apt, and so deserving of being the final thought I must quote him: "Do not see the receipt of citizenship as the end of your citizenship journey, but rather see it as the threshold of a brand new beginning as a Canadian citizen".

Congrats for the citizenship and thank you very much for sharing the experience so beautifully

 

[Welshdazza86]

Alright, guys. I got my citizenship today. So here's my write up on the whole oath experience.

Important Note: This will officially be my last post here on this website; now that I am a Canadian citizen and I have done my write ups for both the test and now the oath ceremony, I feel I don't have anything else unique to offer. I will not forget the wonderful people here with whom I have shared a very long and sometimes arduous wait to get here. To those still waiting for either the test or oath, be patient. As hard as that is to hear at times, you must remember that the wait is well rewarded in the end. I wish all of you the best of luck on your respective journeys.

Date and Time of Oath: March 20th, 2019 @ 1:00pm

Total Time Spent: Just about 2 hours

Documents Brought:
-PR Card (which was kept to be destroyed)
-CoPR
-Oath Invitation
-Signed Media Consent form
-Current US Passport Card
-Expired US Passport Book
-OHIP Card
-Ontario Photo Card

Experience: I arrived at the IRCC building around 12:15pm. I tried to walk in and found the door was locked, so I buzzed. I was told the doors would open no earlier than 1:00pm, so I went back to the car with my husband. A couple of oath takers came after about 10 minutes and they went inside- so much for opening at 1pm! The entire lobby was packed with oath takers and guests; see the bottom about guests if you're unsure of how many to bring. Just after 1:00pm, two officers came to two of the windows and had us form two lines. I was the first one in one line. He asked for my PR card, the Oath Invite, and the Media Consent Form. He returned only the Oath Invite, telling me my seat number. I asked if he wanted to see anything else and he said no. Immediately afterward, the doors to the ceremony hall were open and an officer directed all the guests to go inside. They were given the wall seats and the last two rows of seats. I asked if I could go in after checking in and they said yes. So I walked in and looked for my seat number on the back of the chair.

On the chair was the following citizenship package, labelled "Our Citizenship":
-A large printed copy of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
-An insert with "O Canada" lyrics
-A pamphlet with the Oath of Citizenship
-A brochure for a free cultural access pass
-A brochure about Parks Canada

Once the hall was filled, a clerk in formal judicial dress came out and acted as the master of ceremonies. She gave us the rundown on how the ceremony will take place and gave us basic instruction; she particularly emphasized to turn cell phones to silent because the judge will stop and wait for the call to cease. Once she was finished, she left to go fetch the judge. The judge entered with an RCMP officer and we had to stand as he entered. He allowed us to resume being seated and gave his opening remarks. He was actually a very warm and very funny judge; the one thing that really resonated with me is that he himself was an immigrant to Canada. He encouraged guests to also take the oath of citizenship as a symbol of reaffirmation before he had us stand for the Oath and then led the Oath- said first in French (which he encouraged everyone to recite) and then in English. Once concluded, he declared us Canadian citizens and we sat down. We were called up one by one by the clerk and shook hands with the judge, who presented us with our Certificate of Citizenship, and the RCMP officer, who gave us a paper flag. The judge asked us where we came from and what we did in Canada; I myself told him how 14 years ago I immigrated to Canada and after 11 years of being a PR, I finally took the plunge to be a citizen. Once we finished shaking hands with the RCMP officer, we were sent to a table (with 2 IRCC officers) and signed the Confirmation of Oath (paraphrasing on what it actually is). Once signed, we officially became citizens on paper- we were also encouraged to take a maple leaf lapel pin from a basket. When all the oath takers had received their certificates, the judge gave us some closing remarks and then we were led to sing "O Canada" (with the amended lyrics of "In all of us command"). Once done, we were free to either leave or stay and take pictures with the judge/RCMP officer. I myself, after having been here in Canada for so long, I opted to just leave once the ceremony concluded.

Advice and Footnotes: The attire that is requested is business casual, but I did see plenty of people dressed on the more casual side; the rule of thumb I give you is dress as if you were going to church on a Sunday! I will bring special attention to the fact that even though I only had to show my PR card, I would still bring ALL the documents indicated on the Oath Invitation because you never know if they want to see them. Make sure you bring a bottle of water because the room can get hot. If you have young children, you need to bring someone with you if you can't get a sitter; you will not be allowed to leave the ceremony at any point if they get fussy. There were a few kids at my ceremony and they were fussing; if in doubt, leave them with a sitter. Try to limit your guests to 2 max; the room filled up really fast and there really isn't a lot of seats- at my ceremony, there were 61 candidates to take the oath alone. Also, once you become a citizen, you have to wait 2 business days before you can apply for a passport. Have fun with it and really soak in the majesty of taking the oath; celebrate that you have finally become a citizen and go out to eat.

Final thoughts: The judge at my ceremony said something that is so apt, and so deserving of being the final thought I must quote him: "Do not see the receipt of citizenship as the end of your citizenship journey, but rather see it as the threshold of a brand new beginning as a Canadian citizen".

Thank you for your advice and information.
Congratulations on becoming a Citizen.

 

[Han]

Any updates from London applicants?!

 

[Welshdazza86]

Nothing from me.
I'm likely going to call this week as I'm almost 2 weeks from the year processing time without a test invite...

What about yourself?

 

[Owais Iqbal]

Nothing from me.
I'm likely going to call this week as I'm almost 2 weeks from the year processing time without a test invite...

What about yourself?

I think April applicants will be getting their test invites this month some time. Seems like London is getting late and late in sending out invites.

 

[Han]

Nothing from me.
I'm likely going to call this week as I'm almost 2 weeks from the year processing time without a test invite...

What about yourself?

I applied in August 2018. So I am not expecting anything any time soon. I hope you get your test invite soon and please keep us posted.