I waited for exactly 12 months as this is what IRCC website mentions for processing time. Otherwise, IRCC typical reply even to the MP would have been that the application still within their timelines.
November 2017 - Citizenship Applicants
- Thread starter rrajendra
- Start date
Congrats for your test invite!
I involved my MP since last March 2018 and her office has been following from time to time but no success yet. The MP's office has been giving me the same BS that IRCC contact centre gives me.
Who's your MP?
Good luck! All will be well!Unfortunately I'm still in process nothing changed even after my MP involved and I got the same answer your background check not completed yet!!!
I've completed my Oath on March 14, 2019 and i am not a Citizen. Now my issue is, I unable to apply for my passport and I am wondering if i can travel the certificate that they provide you with as they no longer give you a citizenship card. Because, without the canadian passport how can you get reentry.
The MP office would not be able to speed up the process, but will only help to get more specific information on what their next step is compare to if you call them, they will just they it's within the normal processing time and being process.Unfortunately I'm still in process nothing changed even after my MP involved and I got the same answer your background check not completed yet!!!
Sadly, it's just a wait from here on.
Hi Everyone
I am writing my Citizenship Test / Interview experience at 3085 Glen Erin Dr. Mississauga recently . Hopefully, it will help getting some additional answers that I did not get elsewhere (or perhaps I didn’t googled enough!). The long journey that started almost 12 years ago is approaching its eventual end, i.e. Oath and passport!
Myself and my wife got the test invite that was for 7:45AM. We arrived at 7:15AM, and as the invitation letter prescribed, I parked the car on the backside parking lot (in front of the actual entrance for the test takers). The parking lot was almost empty at that time. Please remember that it’s a paid parking, i.e. $1.75 per 30 minutes to a max $9 for the whole. I wasn’t sure how long it will take and therefore I paid $9 to get that peace of mind (and it turned out that I made the right decision!). The gate was locked and as we were waiting outside, one of the staff member arrived and as he was about to enter, he told us that we will be allowed to get in at 7:30AM. Hence, we waited outside in the car patiently (as it was a bit cold). Exactly at 7:30AM,we got in and were asked to sit and wait. It was a moderately large hall. The washrooms and water sprinklers were available. At 7:45AM a staff member called all 55 years or above to follow her. She asked the rest of us to remain seated. After 10 minutes, we were all asked to form a queue and went inside another hall (which was smaller in size) one by one. A staff member checked PR Cards and Invitation letters. She matched our names with the list that she had. There were typical examination chairs arranged in the hall and were asked to take a seat. On the exam chair, a pencil and answer sheet had already been put. Once all test takers arrived, a staff member explained how to fill the answer sheet. Anyways, the question paper folders were distributed and test started. I found that was comparatively easy test as I was done within 10 minutes. But it really depends how well you prepare. Don’t take it too lightly though. You have to read the official book and practice lots of quizzes. I used the following:
http://citizenshipcounts.ca/
http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/new-to-canada/citizenship.jsp
Once the test was completed, we were asked to wait in the bigger hall and were asked to get the following documents ready:
- PR Card
- Driver License
- Health Card
- Passports
- Landing papers
- Signed Prohibition Form (that came with the test invite)
They started to call people in immediately in no specific order. I families and couples were called in together. We waited for 45 minutes before our turn came. Our interviewing officer was a very nice lady. She had our paper file. First she checked our PR cards and driving licenses. Then asked for passports. I gave her the two passports that were within eligibility period and showed her a bundle of other passports that were outside (before) the eligibility period. She said she don’t need them. Then she checked each and every page of the passports and kept tallying it with the content of our application. We had some Arabic only stamps on our passports that I got translated by Translations CTS in Mississauga (https://www.translationcts.com/). As I also had 100+ stamps from Dubai, the translator advised me not to get those translated as they were bilingual (English + Arabic). The Interviewing Officer did kept the translated documents. She asked us about our work and whether we have been filing our tax returns regularly. And then asked us to sign on another farm declaring that all information that we provided is true. She then congratulated us and told us that within next 6 to 8 weeks, we should receive the oath invitation which is mandatory for all aged 14 and above. She told me that I was over prepared as on several occasion I offered her to show the original documents whenever she mentioned…for example tax return, work letter etc. We took all old passports and all original documents with us but nothing was seen. Only two passports within eligibility period, PR cards, Driving License and Health Cards were seen. I already knew that will happen. Hence, I made two folders. One to keep the Invitation Letter, PR cards, Driving License, Health Card, Passports within eligibility period and the translations…and the other with all other documents and old passports. The other folder remained unopened.
One important thing….although we only traveled once since we arrived in Canada…I still made a “Travel Log” for myself and my wife showing the dates when we arrived, the description and the dates with we went out and came back. This was really helpful in explaining the officer when she was tallying passport stamps with the original application.
You can take bags etc. inside. I wasn't sure about that as my wife and I had our office laptops bags along with documents folder bags. But no one checked and asked any questions.
Overall, it was a very welcoming, professional and relaxed environment. Very nice, polite and helpful staff.
I hope the above will be helpful in getting some stress relieved for some of you and good luck!
I am writing my Citizenship Test / Interview experience at 3085 Glen Erin Dr. Mississauga recently . Hopefully, it will help getting some additional answers that I did not get elsewhere (or perhaps I didn’t googled enough!). The long journey that started almost 12 years ago is approaching its eventual end, i.e. Oath and passport!
Myself and my wife got the test invite that was for 7:45AM. We arrived at 7:15AM, and as the invitation letter prescribed, I parked the car on the backside parking lot (in front of the actual entrance for the test takers). The parking lot was almost empty at that time. Please remember that it’s a paid parking, i.e. $1.75 per 30 minutes to a max $9 for the whole. I wasn’t sure how long it will take and therefore I paid $9 to get that peace of mind (and it turned out that I made the right decision!). The gate was locked and as we were waiting outside, one of the staff member arrived and as he was about to enter, he told us that we will be allowed to get in at 7:30AM. Hence, we waited outside in the car patiently (as it was a bit cold). Exactly at 7:30AM,we got in and were asked to sit and wait. It was a moderately large hall. The washrooms and water sprinklers were available. At 7:45AM a staff member called all 55 years or above to follow her. She asked the rest of us to remain seated. After 10 minutes, we were all asked to form a queue and went inside another hall (which was smaller in size) one by one. A staff member checked PR Cards and Invitation letters. She matched our names with the list that she had. There were typical examination chairs arranged in the hall and were asked to take a seat. On the exam chair, a pencil and answer sheet had already been put. Once all test takers arrived, a staff member explained how to fill the answer sheet. Anyways, the question paper folders were distributed and test started. I found that was comparatively easy test as I was done within 10 minutes. But it really depends how well you prepare. Don’t take it too lightly though. You have to read the official book and practice lots of quizzes. I used the following:
http://citizenshipcounts.ca/
http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/new-to-canada/citizenship.jsp
Once the test was completed, we were asked to wait in the bigger hall and were asked to get the following documents ready:
- PR Card
- Driver License
- Health Card
- Passports
- Landing papers
- Signed Prohibition Form (that came with the test invite)
They started to call people in immediately in no specific order. I families and couples were called in together. We waited for 45 minutes before our turn came. Our interviewing officer was a very nice lady. She had our paper file. First she checked our PR cards and driving licenses. Then asked for passports. I gave her the two passports that were within eligibility period and showed her a bundle of other passports that were outside (before) the eligibility period. She said she don’t need them. Then she checked each and every page of the passports and kept tallying it with the content of our application. We had some Arabic only stamps on our passports that I got translated by Translations CTS in Mississauga (https://www.translationcts.com/). As I also had 100+ stamps from Dubai, the translator advised me not to get those translated as they were bilingual (English + Arabic). The Interviewing Officer did kept the translated documents. She asked us about our work and whether we have been filing our tax returns regularly. And then asked us to sign on another farm declaring that all information that we provided is true. She then congratulated us and told us that within next 6 to 8 weeks, we should receive the oath invitation which is mandatory for all aged 14 and above. She told me that I was over prepared as on several occasion I offered her to show the original documents whenever she mentioned…for example tax return, work letter etc. We took all old passports and all original documents with us but nothing was seen. Only two passports within eligibility period, PR cards, Driving License and Health Cards were seen. I already knew that will happen. Hence, I made two folders. One to keep the Invitation Letter, PR cards, Driving License, Health Card, Passports within eligibility period and the translations…and the other with all other documents and old passports. The other folder remained unopened.
One important thing….although we only traveled once since we arrived in Canada…I still made a “Travel Log” for myself and my wife showing the dates when we arrived, the description and the dates with we went out and came back. This was really helpful in explaining the officer when she was tallying passport stamps with the original application.
You can take bags etc. inside. I wasn't sure about that as my wife and I had our office laptops bags along with documents folder bags. But no one checked and asked any questions.
Overall, it was a very welcoming, professional and relaxed environment. Very nice, polite and helpful staff.
I hope the above will be helpful in getting some stress relieved for some of you and good luck!
They are working really fast....had my test on 16th April and got the Oath invite for 7th May!
I originally sent my application in November 2017!
I originally sent my application in November 2017!
I have completed the process, took the Oath yesterday. Good luck to everyone that is waiting, i applied on Nov 2017.