Today I have reached the end of one long journey. and embarking on a new one. I can finally say that I'm proudly Canadian. I wish everyone over here in this forum all the best. And be patient, you are next! It may take some time, but soon we will be welcoming you as members of the Canadian family too.
I also wanted to quickly share with you the oath ceremony experience, although if you have been following this forum you probably already have an idea. The invitation was for 9am today. I was there 15 minutes before that. People were already lining up and one of the personnel was checking the invitation letters and allowing only those who will take the oath to enter and directing guests either to a different entrance or to wait outside until they are done with all invitees (I'm not sure). Another member of the organizers was waiting at the hall entrance to direct us to a table where they were checking the invitation letter, taking the signed documents that came with the invitation, and checking the ids. I was then asked whether I had been in trouble with the police at all and asked to sign confirming this on a paper that they had (apparently there was another field in the same paper that I sign after taking the oath). Then my PR card was taken away and I was given some brochures, a cultural pass, and a couple of pins, and directed to my seat.
There were around 270 people taking the oath from 59 countries. Everyone was well-dressed an happy. Around 9:45 they started explaining what will happen in the ceremony and we started at 10am when the judge entered. After greeting us and welcoming us to the Canadian family, he gave a short speech alternating between French and English. He was really nice and made everyone smile. Then we were asked to stand to take the oath in both languages. After that we lined up one row at a time and were called one at a time to receive the certificate. After receiving the certificate I signed the other field in that paper I was given at the beginning and went back to my seat.
After everyone received their certificates, the judge congratulated us once again and we stood up for the national anthem which was the last part of the ceremony. Of course the judge was available after that for anyone who wants to take pictures with him. One advice that was given to us is to make sure to check both sides of the certificate for any mistakes or spelling errors once you receive it. If you do find a mistake, approach one of the organizers and they will help you.
