CanadHockey said:
Hello folks
I searched tons of topics here, called to CIC few times, and being honest? each agent told me a different answer.
So what is that new citizenship process? someone wrote that it started on August 2014, and the CIC told me that it will start only in June 2015. Another CIC agent told me that except increases in the fees there is no new process...Eh?
Can someone please make some order regarding this issue? what exactly it consists of? what is this new process if it exists at all? the steps? times?
Thank you and good luck to everyone in the process!
The processing of grant citizenship applications changes often, and in many respects has changed significantly in the last few years. Most of the changes are internal policy and practice changes, such as the implementation of new policies and practices for questioning the residency of
some applicants, which for example underwent huge changes in 2012 (when a systematic pre-test RQ screening and issuance procedure was implemented). Many significant changes to that particular process (processing RQ'd applicants) have since taken place, some reducing the number of applicants dragged into it. While those changes only directly affect those applicants CIC issues RQ, or in the last year or so those issued a less-comprehensive and less-intrusive request for particular documents (the use of this being among changes taking place), those procedures appear to have had a huge impact on processing times for all applicants. Apparent improvements in that processing have contributed to improving timelines for most applicants.
Changes of the above sort, and others affecting the process, may be reflected by changes (from time to time) in the application form, required documents checklist, or changes in other forms such as the RQ form itself. There are periodic changes like increased fees as well (fees have been increased twice in just the last year). There were changes to policy and practice regarding retesting applicants who fail to pass the written test, other changes affecting rescheduling of who failed to appear for a scheduled test or interview. And so on.
Additionally, it appears that regional offices occasionally change procedures and re-direct applications for processing in different local offices. For example, one year all GTA RQ'd applicants are processed in a particular local office, and the next year only some are depending on this or that criteria. And so on.
Changes as part of Bill C-24:
Some major changes, some already made but with the bigger ones to take place later this year, are due to the change in law last year, the adoption of Bill C-24 (received Royal Assent and became law June 19, 2014). There are way too many changes related to this than is reasonable to enumerate in a forum post, but the two biggest areas of change most often referred to are (1) changes to the decision-making authority of the Minister, with concurrent changes in decision-making steps, and (2) changes to the qualifications for grant citizenship, most notably but not exclusively a major change to the residency requirements.
The latter, the changes to the qualifications for grant citizenship, including the major change to the residency requirements, are
not yet in force, but will come into force sometime this year, most bets focused on June or July.
The former, changes to the decision-making authority of the Minister, with concurrent changes in decision-making steps, came into force on August 1, 2014. For the vast majority of applicants there was no obvious impact from this, other than it has most likely been a major factor in how quickly CIC was able to process and grant citizenship applications in 2014 (which may have nearly doubled the average for 2012 and 2013). Prior to August 1, 2014, all applications had to be approved by a Citizenship Judge. Since then the vast majority of applications are not reviewed by a Citizenship Judge. This is the so-called
one-step decision-making process, even though that is a bit misleading because CIC conducts several steps in processing prior to CIC making the formal decision to grant citizenship, or if not, to refer to a Citizenship Judge for a hearing.
Many references to "changes in process" tend to be vague, to not clearly be in reference to one or the other of these.
