Reply to me from Minister Chris Alexander Office

[DAN11]

Hi all,

Just wanted to have a better understanding of the system and why it is what it is and here is the response. Interesting to know that they looked at my application and I did not provide them with my client ID only name and and where I am from. BTW I "Bold" the parts you are seeing in bold.

This is in reply to your e-mail of February 19, 2015, addressed to Mr. Chris Alexander, Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, about the processing of your citizenship application.

We realize that you are looking forward to becoming a Canadian citizen. Please be assured that we make every effort to deal with the applications we receive in the most efficient and effective way.

The granting of citizenship is a multi-stage process that involves the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia, local offices across Canada, and Citizenship Judges. The local offices are responsible for hosting the various citizenship events, such as the citizenship test, hearing, or oath taking ceremony, and determining when applicants may be invited to these events. Further information on the citizenship process is provided in the section “What Happens Next”, included in the application instructions at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/CIT0002ETOC.asp.

Currently, it takes approximately 24 months to process a routine application for a grant of citizenship. Some applications may take longer, depending on their complexity. Information about processing times is published and regularly updated on Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC’s) Web site at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/canada/cit-processing.asp.

Departmental records indicate that your application was received on August 28, 2014, and referred to the CIC Centre in Windsor for processing on January 15, 2015. It appears to be proceeding normally with no unexpected or unwarranted delays. You will be notified of further steps as soon as citizenship officials in Windsor are in a position to do so.

Further status updates on your application can be made online at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/e-services/index.asp or by contacting our Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100.

Thank you for your patience.

 

[poushi24]

Hi all,

Just wanted to have a better understanding of the system and why it is what it is and here is the response. Interesting to know that they looked at my application and I did not provide them with my client ID only name and and where I am from. BTW I "Bold" the parts you are seeing in bold.

This is in reply to your e-mail of February 19, 2015, addressed to Mr. Chris Alexander, Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, about the processing of your citizenship application.

We realize that you are looking forward to becoming a Canadian citizen. Please be assured that we make every effort to deal with the applications we receive in the most efficient and effective way.

The granting of citizenship is a multi-stage process that involves the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia, local offices across Canada, and Citizenship Judges. The local offices are responsible for hosting the various citizenship events, such as the citizenship test, hearing, or oath taking ceremony, and determining when applicants may be invited to these events. Further information on the citizenship process is provided in the section “What Happens Next”, included in the application instructions at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/CIT0002ETOC.asp.

Currently, it takes approximately 24 months to process a routine application for a grant of citizenship. Some applications may take longer, depending on their complexity. Information about processing times is published and regularly updated on Citizenship and Immigration Canada's (CIC's) Web site at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/canada/cit-processing.asp.

Departmental records indicate that your application was received on August 28, 2014, and referred to the CIC Centre in Windsor for processing on January 15, 2015. It appears to be proceeding normally with no unexpected or unwarranted delays. You will be notified of further steps as soon as citizenship officials in Windsor are in a position to do so.

Further status updates on your application can be made online at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/e-services/index.asp or by contacting our Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100.

Thank you for your patience.

Thanks for sharing with us. Would you please publish email address for minister so that we also can send him email. Thanks

 

[DAN11]

Thanks for sharing with us. Would you please publish email address for minister so that we also can send him email. Thanks

Sure, interestingly I didn't know that they would have responded since the e.mail address is only for invitations and other things except application processing something like that they said. But hey I still went ahead and e.mailed him. Here is the link to his e.mail - http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/minister/alexander.asp?_ga=1.167754686.1894438533.1427294773

 

[tds69us]

Hi all,

Just wanted to have a better understanding of the system and why it is what it is and here is the response. Interesting to know that they looked at my application and I did not provide them with my client ID only name and and where I am from. BTW I "Bold" the parts you are seeing in bold.

This is in reply to your e-mail of February 19, 2015, addressed to Mr. Chris Alexander, Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, about the processing of your citizenship application.

We realize that you are looking forward to becoming a Canadian citizen. Please be assured that we make every effort to deal with the applications we receive in the most efficient and effective way.

The granting of citizenship is a multi-stage process that involves the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia, local offices across Canada, and Citizenship Judges. The local offices are responsible for hosting the various citizenship events, such as the citizenship test, hearing, or oath taking ceremony, and determining when applicants may be invited to these events. Further information on the citizenship process is provided in the section “What Happens Next”, included in the application instructions at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/CIT0002ETOC.asp.

Currently, it takes approximately 24 months to process a routine application for a grant of citizenship. Some applications may take longer, depending on their complexity. Information about processing times is published and regularly updated on Citizenship and Immigration Canada's (CIC's) Web site at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/canada/cit-processing.asp.

Departmental records indicate that your application was received on August 28, 2014, and referred to the CIC Centre in Windsor for processing on January 15, 2015. It appears to be proceeding normally with no unexpected or unwarranted delays. You will be notified of further steps as soon as citizenship officials in Windsor are in a position to do so.

Further status updates on your application can be made online at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/e-services/index.asp or by contacting our Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100.

Thank you for your patience.

Pretty canned response

 

[DAN11]

Pretty canned response

Yea, I know right, but who knows they might do something to help but they wouldn't say it.

 

[chikloo]

Hi all,

Just wanted to have a better understanding of the system and why it is what it is and here is the response. Interesting to know that they looked at my application and I did not provide them with my client ID only name and and where I am from. BTW I "Bold" the parts you are seeing in bold.

This is in reply to your e-mail of February 19, 2015, addressed to Mr. Chris Alexander, Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, about the processing of your citizenship application.

We realize that you are looking forward to becoming a Canadian citizen. Please be assured that we make every effort to deal with the applications we receive in the most efficient and effective way.

The granting of citizenship is a multi-stage process that involves the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia, local offices across Canada, and Citizenship Judges. The local offices are responsible for hosting the various citizenship events, such as the citizenship test, hearing, or oath taking ceremony, and determining when applicants may be invited to these events. Further information on the citizenship process is provided in the section “What Happens Next”, included in the application instructions at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/CIT0002ETOC.asp.

Currently, it takes approximately 24 months to process a routine application for a grant of citizenship. Some applications may take longer, depending on their complexity. Information about processing times is published and regularly updated on Citizenship and Immigration Canada's (CIC's) Web site at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/canada/cit-processing.asp.

Departmental records indicate that your application was received on August 28, 2014, and referred to the CIC Centre in Windsor for processing on January 15, 2015. It appears to be proceeding normally with no unexpected or unwarranted delays. You will be notified of further steps as soon as citizenship officials in Windsor are in a position to do so.

Further status updates on your application can be made online at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/e-services/index.asp or by contacting our Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100.

Thank you for your patience.

I got the same response this my email
I apologize for sending such a long letter and take up your precious time. I'm really grateful for your time and thank you in advance for your response.

I also thank you very much for introducing the citizenship law and streamlining the citizenship process which was in need of a major revamp.

Your bill will in long term benefit everyone who is going to through this new process. It has a definitive timeline for processing an application.

At this time I like to make a request to introduce some method for the applicants to approach the case officer personally and explain their situation. It could be a system of scheduling an appointment via phone, email or online system. All applicants will be grateful. They need not get an appointment immediately. It can be a 3/6/9 month wait and still will have some kind of peace knowing that they have some concrete appointment with the case officer.

Currently the case specific inquiry or call centre does not provide any relevant info on the case status. They are generic and does not help the applicant.

In my case the processing has been faster than most cases. I'm on non routine process. I have provided enough documents to prove my residency. I have passed my test/interview and waiting for the next step.

I have meticulously organized my documents chronologically for the time in question. It still may be difficult for any officer to analyze and decide my 4 year of residency without little explanation from me.

In my RQ submission I have tried to portray my last 4 years which is very difficult for anyone to understand easily.

I provided CBSA and US-CBP report along with my initial application to avoid RQ or delays.

Please let me know if there is someway applicants like me can approach a case officer or RQ reviewer/analyst to explain ourselves.


the response
This is in reply to your e-mail of January 20, 2015, addressed to Mr. Chris Alexander, Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, about the issuance of residence questionnaires to citizenship applicants.

Under Subsection 5(1) of the Citizenship Act, permanent residents shall only be granted Canadian citizenship if they have lived in Canada for three years (1095 days) out of the four years immediately preceding the submission of their application. The requirements to apply for citizenship and a residence calculator tool are provided on Citizenship and Immigration Canada's (CIC’s) Website at: www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/become-eligibility.asp.

Citizenship applicants who have numerous absences from Canada or who apply prior to meeting the residence requirement may be asked to complete a residence questionnaire or attend a hearing in front of a citizenship judge. Citizenship judges are independent, quasi-judicial decision makers for citizenship applications.

Applications are first processed by CIC staff who assess applications to determine if the applicant meets the criteria set out in the Citizenship Act and the Citizenship Regulations to become a citizen. If a citizenship officer is not satisfied that the applicant meets the residence requirement for citizenship, the file is referred to a citizenship judge who will make a decision on the application.

Before making a decision, a judge may hold an oral hearing in which he or she meets with the applicant to obtain more information and assess whether the applicant meets the residence requirement for citizenship. Depending on the nature of the hearing and at the request of the applicant, they may be accompanied by an interpreter or legal counsel.

A decision will be made following an evaluation of the applicant's particular circumstances. However, this may result in longer processing times. Further information on why an application may be delayed can be found at: www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/canada/cit-processing.asp.

Our most recent data indicate that 80% of routine citizenship applications are finalized in approximately 24 months from the date of receipt of the completed application. Cases where an applicant has been asked to submit a residence questionnaire or appear before a citizenship judge are not considered to be routine and may take longer to process, depending on their complexity.

We hope that this information is of assistance.



Ministerial Enquiries Division

This electronic address is not available for reply.

 

[DAN11]

I got the same response this my email
I apologize for sending such a long letter and take up your precious time. I'm really grateful for your time and thank you in advance for your response.

I also thank you very much for introducing the citizenship law and streamlining the citizenship process which was in need of a major revamp.

Your bill will in long term benefit everyone who is going to through this new process. It has a definitive timeline for processing an application.

At this time I like to make a request to introduce some method for the applicants to approach the case officer personally and explain their situation. It could be a system of scheduling an appointment via phone, email or online system. All applicants will be grateful. They need not get an appointment immediately. It can be a 3/6/9 month wait and still will have some kind of peace knowing that they have some concrete appointment with the case officer.

Currently the case specific inquiry or call centre does not provide any relevant info on the case status. They are generic and does not help the applicant.

In my case the processing has been faster than most cases. I'm on non routine process. I have provided enough documents to prove my residency. I have passed my test/interview and waiting for the next step.

I have meticulously organized my documents chronologically for the time in question. It still may be difficult for any officer to analyze and decide my 4 year of residency without little explanation from me.

In my RQ submission I have tried to portray my last 4 years which is very difficult for anyone to understand easily.

I provided CBSA and US-CBP report along with my initial application to avoid RQ or delays.

Please let me know if there is someway applicants like me can approach a case officer or RQ reviewer/analyst to explain ourselves.


the response
This is in reply to your e-mail of January 20, 2015, addressed to Mr. Chris Alexander, Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, about the issuance of residence questionnaires to citizenship applicants.

Under Subsection 5(1) of the Citizenship Act, permanent residents shall only be granted Canadian citizenship if they have lived in Canada for three years (1095 days) out of the four years immediately preceding the submission of their application. The requirements to apply for citizenship and a residence calculator tool are provided on Citizenship and Immigration Canada's (CIC's) Website at: www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/become-eligibility.asp.

Citizenship applicants who have numerous absences from Canada or who apply prior to meeting the residence requirement may be asked to complete a residence questionnaire or attend a hearing in front of a citizenship judge. Citizenship judges are independent, quasi-judicial decision makers for citizenship applications.

Applications are first processed by CIC staff who assess applications to determine if the applicant meets the criteria set out in the Citizenship Act and the Citizenship Regulations to become a citizen. If a citizenship officer is not satisfied that the applicant meets the residence requirement for citizenship, the file is referred to a citizenship judge who will make a decision on the application.

Before making a decision, a judge may hold an oral hearing in which he or she meets with the applicant to obtain more information and assess whether the applicant meets the residence requirement for citizenship. Depending on the nature of the hearing and at the request of the applicant, they may be accompanied by an interpreter or legal counsel.

A decision will be made following an evaluation of the applicant's particular circumstances. However, this may result in longer processing times. Further information on why an application may be delayed can be found at: www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/canada/cit-processing.asp.

Our most recent data indicate that 80% of routine citizenship applications are finalized in approximately 24 months from the date of receipt of the completed application. Cases where an applicant has been asked to submit a residence questionnaire or appear before a citizenship judge are not considered to be routine and may take longer to process, depending on their complexity.

We hope that this information is of assistance.



Ministerial Enquiries Division

This electronic address is not available for reply.

You mentioned that we received the same response based on what I read we received different response since we both asked different questions.

 

[chikloo]

You mentioned that we received the same response based on what I read we received different response since we both asked different questions.

His answer to processing time is same if you are non routine it is indecisive. Not the content it is the cruz of the info. I asked a way to approach them and provide concern info to speed up the process. They don't answer any of that.

 

[DAN11]

His answer to processing time is same if you are non routine it is indecisive. Not the content it is the cruz of the info. I asked a way to approach them and provide concern info to speed up the process. They don't answer any of that.

Ok, surprisingly they answered most if not all that i asked and was able to check my application without me giving them client id, just name and where I live which was interesting.

 

[janoo]

Hi. I also wrote to the Minister and waiting for reply..

my file is pending with CIC since January 2012.. Received RQ in March 2013

Replied April 2013.. since no news whenever I call cic they said my application is

non-routine so processing time is 36 months, when 36 months pass I call CIC

reply that my file assigned to Officer on November 12, 2014 and still under review.

now almost 4 1/2 months officer is reviewing ? am over 60 years so no need for

test, have submitted tonnes of paper at RQ. My entire family (wife and 4 childrens are

canadian since 2004 ) am surprised no movement show on atip report, no positive

response receive from my MP and now am waiting for minister to reply. hope he will

give me some positive news...

waiting 39 months ???

 

[DAN11]

Hi. I also wrote to the Minister and waiting for reply..

my file is pending with CIC since January 2012.. Received RQ in March 2013

Replied April 2013.. since no news whenever I call cic they said my application is

non-routine so processing time is 36 months, when 36 months pass I call CIC

reply that my file assigned to Officer on November 12, 2014 and still under review.

now almost 4 1/2 months officer is reviewing ? am over 60 years so no need for

test, have submitted tonnes of paper at RQ. My entire family (wife and 4 childrens are

canadian since 2004 ) am surprised no movement show on atip report, no positive

response receive from my MP and now am waiting for minister to reply. hope he will

give me some positive news...

waiting 39 months ???

Its really and truely sad of how CIC works, i know we cant compare but in the US it takes approximately 3-8 months to complete citizenship applications and the US is way bigger than Canada, sad man it really is and with your age surprisingly. Then again maybe depends on your local office as some local office only have one a few officers.

 

[janoo]

Thanks for your kind comments.

my file initially at Scarborough Toronto than my file was transferred

to St.clair in March 2013... since than waiting......

 

[BalajiR]

Hi

I am not at all surprised by the email response. And then your application is not even an year old. I wonder why he doesn't answer to all the applicants waiting for more than 3 years. He's sure on his way out.

thanks

Hi all,

Just wanted to have a better understanding of the system and why it is what it is and here is the response. Interesting to know that they looked at my application and I did not provide them with my client ID only name and and where I am from. BTW I "Bold" the parts you are seeing in bold.

This is in reply to your e-mail of February 19, 2015, addressed to Mr. Chris Alexander, Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, about the processing of your citizenship application.

We realize that you are looking forward to becoming a Canadian citizen. Please be assured that we make every effort to deal with the applications we receive in the most efficient and effective way.

The granting of citizenship is a multi-stage process that involves the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia, local offices across Canada, and Citizenship Judges. The local offices are responsible for hosting the various citizenship events, such as the citizenship test, hearing, or oath taking ceremony, and determining when applicants may be invited to these events. Further information on the citizenship process is provided in the section “What Happens Next”, included in the application instructions at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/CIT0002ETOC.asp.

Currently, it takes approximately 24 months to process a routine application for a grant of citizenship. Some applications may take longer, depending on their complexity. Information about processing times is published and regularly updated on Citizenship and Immigration Canada's (CIC's) Web site at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/canada/cit-processing.asp.

Departmental records indicate that your application was received on August 28, 2014, and referred to the CIC Centre in Windsor for processing on January 15, 2015. It appears to be proceeding normally with no unexpected or unwarranted delays. You will be notified of further steps as soon as citizenship officials in Windsor are in a position to do so.

Further status updates on your application can be made online at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/e-services/index.asp or by contacting our Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100.

Thank you for your patience.

 

[DAN11]

Hi

I am not at all surprised by the email response. And then your application is not even an year old. I wonder why he doesn't answer to all the applicants waiting for more than 3 years. He's sure on his way out.

thanks

Unless they pick and choose who to respond to - what you mean by hes on his way out? although i think i know what you mean. :-\

 

[era1521]

Hi all,

Just wanted to have a better understanding of the system and why it is what it is and here is the response. Interesting to know that they looked at my application and I did not provide them with my client ID only name and and where I am from. BTW I "Bold" the parts you are seeing in bold.

This is in reply to your e-mail of February 19, 2015, addressed to Mr. Chris Alexander, Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, about the processing of your citizenship application.

We realize that you are looking forward to becoming a Canadian citizen. Please be assured that we make every effort to deal with the applications we receive in the most efficient and effective way.

The granting of citizenship is a multi-stage process that involves the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia, local offices across Canada, and Citizenship Judges. The local offices are responsible for hosting the various citizenship events, such as the citizenship test, hearing, or oath taking ceremony, and determining when applicants may be invited to these events. Further information on the citizenship process is provided in the section “What Happens Next”, included in the application instructions at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/CIT0002ETOC.asp.

Currently, it takes approximately 24 months to process a routine application for a grant of citizenship. Some applications may take longer, depending on their complexity. Information about processing times is published and regularly updated on Citizenship and Immigration Canada's (CIC's) Web site at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/canada/cit-processing.asp.

Departmental records indicate that your application was received on August 28, 2014, and referred to the CIC Centre in Windsor for processing on January 15, 2015. It appears to be proceeding normally with no unexpected or unwarranted delays. You will be notified of further steps as soon as citizenship officials in Windsor are in a position to do so.

Further status updates on your application can be made online at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/e-services/index.asp or by contacting our Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100.

Thank you for your patience.

So you applied Aug 28 and sent an email to Minister of Citizenship and Immigration on Feb 19; less than 6 months after application when the processing times officially posted is 24months. What actually did you ask in the email?