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Normal Processing Times from Calgary office?

dbo73

Star Member
Apr 15, 2014
100
4
Category........
Visa Office......
Calgary
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Looking at the Spreadsheet and the most recent entries, it appears that it takes now pretty much 14 months from "application received" to "Test Invite" or just under 12 months from "in process date" to "Test Invite".

I am looking forward to June, then 8)
 

informatics

Hero Member
Aug 3, 2009
562
10
dbo73 said:
Looking at the Spreadsheet and the most recent entries, it appears that it takes now pretty much 14 months from "application received" to "Test Invite" or just under 12 months from "in process date" to "Test Invite".

I am looking forward to June, then 8)
Thanks for the interpretation . I would try to sound more optimistic and hope that after the residency clause implementation (in the summer) , hopefully the processing times would improve more .

Good luck !
 

Texan01

Member
Mar 10, 2010
13
0
a.R. said:
Right. Only 6 ceremonies in March. Don't know why they reduced the number of ceremonies going from Feb to March. Texan, dreamchaser, wsm_al and Calcan any updates from your side??
My oath is on March 6, 2015.

Spouse applied for citizenship in Nov 2013 and got invitation for test on Feb 17, 2015.
 

wsm_al

Star Member
Sep 16, 2012
166
2
Texan01 said:
My oath is on March 6, 2015.

Spouse applied for citizenship in Nov 2013 and got invitation for test on Feb 17, 2015.
Congratulations! Please keep us updated on how the oath day goes with you.
Thanks
 

CalgaryDude

Newbie
Feb 4, 2015
3
0
Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to share my on-going Citizenship saga....

Application Type = Family
DATE TIME ELAPSED TOTAL TIME ELAPSED FROM APPLICATION RECEIVED
Stage 1: Application Received = August 2013
Stage 2: In Process = October 2013 since Stage 1 = 2.5 months = 2.5 months
Stage 3: Local Office Transfer = March 2014 since Stage 2 = 5.0 months = 7.5 months
Stage 4: Test Notice (Letter Date) = January 2015 since Stage 3 = 9.5 months = 17.0 months
Stage 5: Actual Test Date = February 2015 since Stage 4 = 1.0 month = 18.0 months
Stage 6: Oath Notice (Letter Date) = XXX
Stage 7: Actual Oath Taking Date = XXX

Took my exam yesterday. We were about 25-30 people who took the exam. We were allowed to go inside the interview room 15 minutes before the scheduled time. Before being sent in, we were told to bring out our requirements to speed up the interview process: passport, invite letter, and IDs. Our names were called one by one and assigned to our respective queues, depending on which officer is handling your case folder. There were 3 officers inside (2 ladies and 1 guy). The 2 ladies appear friendlier and more talkative. I was assigned to the male officer at the far end who was very serious looking. The lady officers have already processed 3 applicants (roughly about 5 minutes per applicant) but the male officer at the far end whom I was assigned to was still processing a male applicant. I cannot hear what was going on and what the delay was, but all I can see was the guy fidgeting and fumbling with his documents. The girl behind me mumbled she's nervous that we were assigned to the strict male officer instead of the ladies who seem to be more lenient. It took more than 10 minutes for the male applicant to be processed.

When it was finally my turn, I put on my best smile as I handed my documents. Instead of waiting for the interviewer to ask me some questions (which I think is their way of gauging your command of the English language), I was the one who started to make small talk. He asked me a question and when I responded, I made sure it was a lengthy, detailed one. I think he was overwhelmed with my talkativeness and seem impressed with my conversational skills. In the end, that was the ONE and ONLY question he managed to ask me. He actually smiled as he handed me the test sheet and sent me off in a jiffy -- all under 2 minutes!

I think the reason why my interview was a breeze is that I was the one who initiated the conversation, which to my mind effectively showcased my language skills and eliminated the need for asking more questions (and prolonging my agony!). Other applicants ahead of me got an average of 3-5 questions each.

So the best tip I can give you, impress the interviewer right away! But of course, bottomline is, your papers must be in order, because no amount of sweet talking can convince an officer if your documents are incomplete.

Test itself was a bit different from the free practice tests online. I got 20/20. You have to read the questions thoroughly since they can be tricky. Some are straightforward questions but majority are designed to "confuse" you and check if you really studied the booklet. You cannot simply guess. But if you did study, you won't have a hard time passing. You will be given 30 minutes to answer 20 questions and must get 15 correctly to pass. They will check on the spot and let you know the results. The officers were very courteous and explained everything in detail. Best tip I can offer - study, study, study!

Hope my experience will give you an insight on what to expect on your testing/interview day. I am now waiting for my oath taking notice, which the officers said will take about 1-3 months.

Good luck to all of us!

:) :) :)
 

informatics

Hero Member
Aug 3, 2009
562
10
CalgaryDude said:
Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to share my on-going Citizenship saga....

Application Type = Family
DATE TIME ELAPSED TOTAL TIME ELAPSED FROM APPLICATION RECEIVED
Stage 1: Application Received = August 2013
Stage 2: In Process = October 2013 since Stage 1 = 2.5 months = 2.5 months
Stage 3: Local Office Transfer = March 2014 since Stage 2 = 5.0 months = 7.5 months
Stage 4: Test Notice (Letter Date) = January 2015 since Stage 3 = 9.5 months = 17.0 months
Stage 5: Actual Test Date = February 2015 since Stage 4 = 1.0 month = 18.0 months
Stage 6: Oath Notice (Letter Date) = XXX
Stage 7: Actual Oath Taking Date = XXX

Took my exam yesterday. We were about 25-30 people who took the exam. We were allowed to go inside the interview room 15 minutes before the scheduled time. Before being sent in, we were told to bring out our requirements to speed up the interview process: passport, invite letter, and IDs. Our names were called one by one and assigned to our respective queues, depending on which officer is handling your case folder. There were 3 officers inside (2 ladies and 1 guy). The 2 ladies appear friendlier and more talkative. I was assigned to the male officer at the far end who was very serious looking. The lady officers have already processed 3 applicants (roughly about 5 minutes per applicant) but the male officer at the far end whom I was assigned to was still processing a male applicant. I cannot hear what was going on and what the delay was, but all I can see was the guy fidgeting and fumbling with his documents. The girl behind me mumbled she's nervous that we were assigned to the strict male officer instead of the ladies who seem to be more lenient. It took more than 10 minutes for the male applicant to be processed.

When it was finally my turn, I put on my best smile as I handed my documents. Instead of waiting for the interviewer to ask me some questions (which I think is their way of gauging your command of the English language), I was the one who started to make small talk. He asked me a question and when I responded, I made sure it was a lengthy, detailed one. I think he was overwhelmed with my talkativeness and seem impressed with my conversational skills. In the end, that was the ONE and ONLY question he managed to ask me. He actually smiled as he handed me the test sheet and sent me off in a jiffy -- all under 2 minutes!

I think the reason why my interview was a breeze is that I was the one who initiated the conversation, which to my mind effectively showcased my language skills and eliminated the need for asking more questions (and prolonging my agony!). Other applicants ahead of me got an average of 3-5 questions each.

So the best tip I can give you, impress the interviewer right away! But of course, bottomline is, your papers must be in order, because no amount of sweet talking can convince an officer if your documents are incomplete.

Test itself was a bit different from the free practice tests online. I got 20/20. You have to read the questions thoroughly since they can be tricky. Some are straightforward questions but majority are designed to "confuse" you and check if you really studied the booklet. You cannot simply guess. But if you did study, you won't have a hard time passing. You will be given 30 minutes to answer 20 questions and must get 15 correctly to pass. They will check on the spot and let you know the results. The officers were very courteous and explained everything in detail. Best tip I can offer - study, study, study!

Hope my experience will give you an insight on what to expect on your testing/interview day. I am now waiting for my oath taking notice, which the officers said will take about 1-3 months.

Good luck to all of us!

:) :) :)


Thank you so much for your detailed and valuable info !

From your timeline it seems that may be CIC is taking LOT date (and not application date ) as a point of reference as most of the March 2014 LOT date are getting test invites . Did the CO tell u anything about your oath ?

I have got one more question for you . Do you have an idea about the other people's application timelines , who took test with you ?

Thanks once again
 

CalgaryDude

Newbie
Feb 4, 2015
3
0
That's what I noticed too, they are calling in people with March 2014 LOT date for testing in Feb 2015, even though the submission dates varied.

Nothing much was said about the oath taking other than it will take anywhere from 1-3 months. But based on what I read here, it takes roughly 2 months to be called in for the oath. The officer also said they will send the letter 2 weeks before the actual oath.

My status in their website is not updated though, it doesn't show that I have already taken the test.
 

titosyr

Full Member
Jan 24, 2015
33
0
CalgaryDude said:
Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to share my on-going Citizenship saga....

Application Type = Family
DATE TIME ELAPSED TOTAL TIME ELAPSED FROM APPLICATION RECEIVED
Stage 1: Application Received = August 2013
Stage 2: In Process = October 2013 since Stage 1 = 2.5 months = 2.5 months
Stage 3: Local Office Transfer = March 2014 since Stage 2 = 5.0 months = 7.5 months
Stage 4: Test Notice (Letter Date) = January 2015 since Stage 3 = 9.5 months = 17.0 months
Stage 5: Actual Test Date = February 2015 since Stage 4 = 1.0 month = 18.0 months
Stage 6: Oath Notice (Letter Date) = XXX
Stage 7: Actual Oath Taking Date = XXX

Took my exam yesterday. We were about 25-30 people who took the exam. We were allowed to go inside the interview room 15 minutes before the scheduled time. Before being sent in, we were told to bring out our requirements to speed up the interview process: passport, invite letter, and IDs. Our names were called one by one and assigned to our respective queues, depending on which officer is handling your case folder. There were 3 officers inside (2 ladies and 1 guy). The 2 ladies appear friendlier and more talkative. I was assigned to the male officer at the far end who was very serious looking. The lady officers have already processed 3 applicants (roughly about 5 minutes per applicant) but the male officer at the far end whom I was assigned to was still processing a male applicant. I cannot hear what was going on and what the delay was, but all I can see was the guy fidgeting and fumbling with his documents. The girl behind me mumbled she's nervous that we were assigned to the strict male officer instead of the ladies who seem to be more lenient. It took more than 10 minutes for the male applicant to be processed.

When it was finally my turn, I put on my best smile as I handed my documents. Instead of waiting for the interviewer to ask me some questions (which I think is their way of gauging your command of the English language), I was the one who started to make small talk. He asked me a question and when I responded, I made sure it was a lengthy, detailed one. I think he was overwhelmed with my talkativeness and seem impressed with my conversational skills. In the end, that was the ONE and ONLY question he managed to ask me. He actually smiled as he handed me the test sheet and sent me off in a jiffy -- all under 2 minutes!

I think the reason why my interview was a breeze is that I was the one who initiated the conversation, which to my mind effectively showcased my language skills and eliminated the need for asking more questions (and prolonging my agony!). Other applicants ahead of me got an average of 3-5 questions each.

So the best tip I can give you, impress the interviewer right away! But of course, bottomline is, your papers must be in order, because no amount of sweet talking can convince an officer if your documents are incomplete.

Test itself was a bit different from the free practice tests online. I got 20/20. You have to read the questions thoroughly since they can be tricky. Some are straightforward questions but majority are designed to "confuse" you and check if you really studied the booklet. You cannot simply guess. But if you did study, you won't have a hard time passing. You will be given 30 minutes to answer 20 questions and must get 15 correctly to pass. They will check on the spot and let you know the results. The officers were very courteous and explained everything in detail. Best tip I can offer - study, study, study!

Hope my experience will give you an insight on what to expect on your testing/interview day. I am now waiting for my oath taking notice, which the officers said will take about 1-3 months.

Good luck to all of us!

:) :) :)
Hey CalgaryDudue

My interview was yesterday, I was actually nervous - I don't know if the officer noticed- Like you I was doing the talking the CO was really calm, he just asked me one question, and while hes checking my passport he was looking only to verify the stamps of listed dates in the online residence calculator, I told him that I forgot to mention two trips to the US that lasted few hours, he never answered, I told him if he needs to see stamps translations, he said yes, I gave him the papers, then I told him that I printed a list for all the stamps on my passports with the page number if he would like to check it, he said okay!
when he finished he asked me if he can keep the extra papers I gave him , I said sure! then he told me that it will take for the ceremony invitation about 1-3 months, and that's it!
when I went there I was under the impression that there will detailed investigation and a lot of questions! there wasn't any!! I fall in love with all the staff there, from the security lady outside, to him and the others ladies who handled the test afterwards, Very very nice people...
I will right them a thank you letter for sure

Cheers
Tito
 

a.R.

Star Member
Apr 9, 2014
199
1
ighgha said:
I just called CIC, my oath is scheduled for March 19, my test date was Nov. 28
Congrats. Can you share your full timeline? Application received and in process dates as well.