@dpenabill
I am little concerned about the design of virtual oaths invites. Even in ongoing July 2020 - past Jan up to July 2019 citizenship applicants/clients (irrespective of whether they'd previously received oath notices or not or cancelled) are now getting video ceremony invites "in a random manner". Apparently, it looks a little bit
random but actually it is not.
Based on the pattern or sequence of virtual oath ceremony invitations, I'm assuming there is definitely some sort of
re-screening or
security clearance process going on in the background, and it does makes sense because it's been months since in-person ceremonies were cancelled and individual's circumstances might have changed. And ONLY after the receipt of satisfactory results (feedback) of that screening process, IRCC would then probably put that candidate(s) in a queue and/or forward the application(s) for further processing, scheduling etc for the next available virtual oath. Screening process usually takes time and may be random depending upon individual's circumstances, and how much time that department takes to process and respond back to IRCC.
That's my speculation. Please share your theories as well.
https://www.canada.ca/en/security-intelligence-service/services/security-screening-for-immigration-and-citizenship-applications.html
I have already expressed quite a lot regarding current processing and oath ceremony scheduling.
Makes sense to me that updating background screening is at least one of the processing aspects affecting who and when. After all, it is safe to infer that, at the least, it is still necessary to conduct another GCMS background screening (which covers various things, including at least an updated screening for hits in name-record criminal history databases) attendant scheduling the oath, since the last internal operations information obtained stated that this check was to be done EVERY time any action is taken on the file (so this is done multiple times during the overall process, from initial completeness screening, to referral to local office, to preparation for and administration of test and interview, and attendant actually scheduling the oath . . . with additional instances along the way for many applicants depending on the particulars for a specific individual).
And I suppose it is fair to criticize my lack of concern about the particular procedures and criteria being employed because I do not have a personal stake in the game; I've been a citizen for more than a half dozen years now. In opposition to this, though, I think sober forum participants should confront the more heavy-handed characterizations of IRCC operations, including the "random" characterization, but including many others which in effect accuse IRCC personnel (as in Canadians) of callous disregard for the responsibilities of their offices and positions and otherwise suggest that current processing is arbitrary or capricious. Any of these characterizations erroneously suggest to those who have applications in process, and who come here for some insight about what to REALISTICALLY expect, that there is little or no effort to process applications with due regard for procedural fairness. That is misleading. The process virtually came to a standstill. It appears to be starting operations in a limited, slowly-progressing way. There is a real crisis happening and given what is looming nefariously across the border to our south, potentially a worsening crisis.
How much detail in things we can figure out, like criteria used to select virtual oath participants, particular processing steps, or such, is kind of beside the point since this is clearly a transitional phase. It appears almost obvious that all these things are in *development* stages, so to say. Some false starts and restarts are rather likely. The best we can do now is wait and watch. (ATI process, in particular, would be digging up yesterday's efforts with recognition that IRCC has already moved beyond that information.)
Much of the discussion simply strikes me to be in the vein of "
are we there yet" when it is rather obvious that NO, we are NOT there yet.
The "random" characterization in particular:
As I have attempted to illuminate, objections to the "random" characterization are twofold:
-- relative to its actual meaning, it is simply not at all applicable; the odds are very high that IRCC is not using a lottery or haphazardly opening files to schedule oath ceremonies, so much so it is actually quite ludicrous to suggest it is "random" in this sense
-- as for the common, essentially slang usage of "random," which essentially is an insult, that is all it is, a generic, trite, and uninformative insult, dismissive and derogatory
For the Section 5(1) grant citizenship process BOTH are misleading. One simply not applicable. The other an insubstantial slur lacking any real information or insight into the what and how being applied during these days.