November 2017 - Citizenship Applicants

[dutts]

Congrats, updated the sheet. Other who have passed through this situation may help

Thank you.

 

[Quiches]

Hey y'all,

Another update: Decision made as of today.

I am so incredulously happy! (and crossing my fingers for a speedy oath invite)

Hoping everyone's application is going well!

 

[MapleJam]

Hello everyone
Please update the spreadsheet for me. Got email notification to take the oat of citizenship on June 8. However no new line has appeared on ecas as yet. Location Calgary took the test March 22

 

[stina67]

Just updating. Had interview today in Ottawa. Experience very similar to poster on previous page. Pretty straightforward, main focus seemed to be matching up stamps on passport with what was declared on application. Told citizenship was granted and to expect oath ceremony 1-2 months. She pointed out it could be sooner or later but that seems to be the timetable Ottawa is currently working with which agrees with many of the Ottawa cases on the excel files here.

The interviews, as mentioned on previous page, take place at a booth much like in a bank so it was easy to hear others being interviewed while waiting turn. What I did pick up from that was to make sure you bring all your original documents with you ie....every passport you have had in your eligibility period. And if translations are needed for the passport stamps make sure you bring them. I know the poster on the previous page mentioned they brought it but officer didn't wish to see it but while I sat there listening it was an issue for one guy. Just thought I'd throw that out there if it helps. Just bring all your original documents and any translations that might be needed if what you bring is not in french or english and it goes smoothly.

 

[rajmalhotra7]

Hey y'all,

Another update: Decision made as of today.

I am so incredulously happy! (and crossing my fingers for a speedy oath invite)

Hoping everyone's application is going well!

Updated

 

[ZingyDNA]

For the original docs your brought, did you carry a backpack or suitcase? Were you allowed to bring the backpack with you in the test room? If not, where would you leave the backpack if you didn't bring anyone with you?

Just updating. Had interview today in Ottawa. Experience very similar to poster on previous page. Pretty straightforward, main focus seemed to be matching up stamps on passport with what was declared on application. Told citizenship was granted and to expect oath ceremony 1-2 months. She pointed out it could be sooner or later but that seems to be the timetable Ottawa is currently working with which agrees with many of the Ottawa cases on the excel files here.

The interviews, as mentioned on previous page, take place at a booth much like in a bank so it was easy to hear others being interviewed while waiting turn. What I did pick up from that was to make sure you bring all your original documents with you ie....every passport you have had in your eligibility period. And if translations are needed for the passport stamps make sure you bring them. I know the poster on the previous page mentioned they brought it but officer didn't wish to see it but while I sat there listening it was an issue for one guy. Just thought I'd throw that out there if it helps. Just bring all your original documents and any translations that might be needed if what you bring is not in french or english and it goes smoothly.

 

[Kamal.Aly]

For the original docs your brought, did you carry a backpack or suitcase? Were you allowed to bring the backpack with you in the test room? If not, where would you leave the backpack if you didn't bring anyone with you?

You are allowed.

 

[dmn1363]

Thanks for sharing, especially the parking lot info!

Hey guys,

I hope you all are doing great!

I had my citizenship interview today and I want to share my experience to potentially help anyone who needs it:

*Keep in mind this is specific to the Vancouver test centre and you might have a very different experience.

The interview was scheduled at 12:20 pm; arrived at 11:40 am; the doors of the main room didn't open until around 12:00 pm (the building, however, was open); public parking is right next to the building and very plentiful (I was concerned about this, haha).

People who accompanied the candidate could enter the main room, where the interview happens, but not the test room. The people who had to take the test were invited to another room, while the people who had only the interview had their appearance notices taken away.

Interviews started at around 12:30 pm, before then, there were no citizenship officers. The interviews happen in booths, much like in a bank, and they will call your name.

The questions were straight-forward, much to the likes of "do you have family in Canada?" and "do you travel to the US often?". Passport and other two IDs checked. Passport stamps dates are then verified against your physical presence calculator. I stated that I also had official passport stamp translations, my COPR, among other things, should the officer wished to see them. The officer did not need them.

After all stamps are checked, you are done! Other small talk or questions might come up to your specific case, as I've (unintentionally) heard from adjacent booths, but that's pretty much it!

In the end, you will receive some reiterated version of:" you are all good! Wait for oath in 2-5 months." , which seems to be Canada-wide.

The whole process for me is around 1 hour from my scheduled time on the invite, which 40 minutes is just simply waiting.

An additional (kind-of-comical) note about my specific case:

Remember (not that I expect you to) when I received an ECAS update about a correspondence sent on April.10th and was convinced it was going to be an RQ? I checked my mailbox religiously (and very-nervously) every day but nothing came.

At the end of my interview, my agent asked me to request a Police certificate from a certain country. I pointed out it was already sent with my original application, and promptly spotted a corner of that document in question sticking out from the bottom of her file because it had a distinct colour. The officer was genuinely surprised at the discovery and took it to verify with someone else.

I then inquired about my ECAS update and she told me the police certificate is what it was, and I won't receive anything in the mail because she was planning on giving it to me in the interview this whole time.

So yeah, a bit of an oversight on the officer's part but it is totally crisis averted for me. I am so relieved, and once again reminded that unnecessary anxiety is just that --- unnecessary.

Anyways, it was an overall amazing experience and an amazing day! (It also really helped that Vancouver is uncharacteristically sunny today, haha.)

 

[benjis_monikuss]

I submitted a request for my notes yesterday since it's been past the 60 days of inactivity on my file, might shed some light on to the differences between the Vancouver and Surrey offices processing. Now I guess it's a race to see what comes first, test invite or notes.

 

[CanaMeow]

Please update me on the spreadsheet.

Received e-mail today for test date. Test will be on 23 May.

Thanks!

 

[HLR]

Please update me on the spreadsheet.

Received e-mail today for test date. Test will be on 23 May.

Thanks!

updated the sheet. congratulations

 

[Nov2017]

Please update me on the spreadsheet, Our application package (for 5 people ) returned back yesterday, after almost 5 months , they received our applications on Nov 20, 2017!!!!!!

 

[Kan_Sri]

Please update me on the spreadsheet, Our application package (for 5 people ) returned back yesterday, after almost 5 months , they received our applications on Nov 20, 2017!!!!!!

I am sorry to hear that. I have updated the ss. Why was it returned ?

 

[Nov2017]

I am sorry to hear that. I have updated the ss. Why was it returned ?

It was returned because 1 application from 5.
4 applications are considered complete and 1 application of my daughter isn't accepted , they couldn't count her days when she was temporary resident like minor in Canada ( today she is adult) . We don't understand why. We landed all together and only for her ( she was minor and a secondary school student) they couldn't count it. They wrote :"Some or all of the time reported on the calculator (prior to the Permanent Residence day) could not be verified". We sent evidence that she studied at school in this time...

 

[stina67]

For the original docs your brought, did you carry a backpack or suitcase? Were you allowed to bring the backpack with you in the test room? If not, where would you leave the backpack if you didn't bring anyone with you?

Yes. Brought briefcase. It's very much like walking up to a bank teller when your name is called and talking to them through a glass partition with open slots in it to hand things to them and vice versa. I just mention it because the gentleman before us didn't have a translation of some of the stamps so there was a bit of a back and forth over that. He was granted citizenship anyway so it wasn't a deal breaker but always good to be prepared