Hi everyone,
I'm posting this thread because I'm in dire need of advice from my fellow forumers (I'm not too sure if that's even a word), and the latest development of my citizenship application has become a source of great consternation and stress for me.
A little about me:
Application type: online (single)
Location: Vancouver
May 23, 2021: Application date
September 3, 2021: AOR
January 19, 2022: FP request
January 26, 2022: Test Invitation
February 3, 2022: Test status updated to "complete"
February 15, 2022: FP results received by IRCC
February 16, 2022: Background check status updated to "complete"
March 4, 2022 - passport copies requested by IRCC.
March 8, 2022 - I submitted my passport copies.
April 26, 2022 - received an invitation to attend an interview via MS Teams.
***As of right now, the only sections of my online tracker that are marked complete after my test and background check.***
I checked my online tracker and noticed there was a ghost update on April 25, 2022. On April 26, 2022, I received an email inviting me to attend an interview with a citizenship official to verify my documents, language skills, etc., however this email is yet to be reflected in my online tracker. Should I be worried?
I've only had to report one absence from Canada; I've always been on the right side of the law throughout my 10+ years in Canada. Furthermore, my wife and 3 year-old son are both Canadian citizens, and I work for the provincial government of where I live. So, I really don't see why I'm being asked to attend an interview, while I see that most online applicants are enjoying a hassle-free trip straight to their oath ceremony without having to provide passport copies or fingerprints.
What I also find confusing is that the citizenship interview has been scheduled in Mountain Time, even though I live in BC, and was sent to me from "West Citizenship EAPP", which seems to be a centralized processing office responsible for both BC and Alberta. Wouldn't it make sense to be interviewed by a citizenship official in my local office?
I submitted my online application with an expired passport (an explanation for why I hadn't renewed it was provided in the application form) and I had legally changed my name in 2018; so I'm trying to be optimistic by telling myself maybe these two aspects of my application may have triggered the interview request.
Nevertheless, what frightens me is that I had gone through a citizenship interview before in May 2021 application that resulted in my first citizenship application being refused because I was 30 days short of my physical presence requirement. It was a genuine mistake, with the citizenship official acknowledging it as such, that I had made because I filled out my physical presence calculator based on my flight itinerary which had been processed in Canada, but I forgot that I had actually extended my family visit by one month. The Citizenship Official was very cool about the whole thing, and even told me that my application was "straightforward", but gave me the option of withdrawing my application, which I later did. Fortunately for me, my withdraw request was approved within one hour. Just for context, my first application was submitted in June 2019, then COVID-19 happened, I took and passed the online test in April 2021, attended finally attended an interview on May 2021 with an officer from my local office during which I learned that I didn't meet the physical presence requirement.
That's right, it took IRCC almost two years to tell me that I didn't meet the physical presence requirement. So, I'm sure all of you can understand my fear and frustration. I just feel like all the stops are being put in front of me.
Any advice as to where my application is going from the more experienced forumers over here would be greatly appreciated. This is my second application and I don't think that I can stomach the ambiguity of this citizenship process any more.
Thank you.