Hi all, just curious- what is considered a routine application and a non-routine application for citizenship?
Routine/Non-Routine?
- Thread starter ManiHoopes
- Start date
What is a non-routine application?
We consider your application non-routine if:
We consider your application non-routine if:
- you asked to change your personal information, such as:
- name
- sex or gender identifier
- date of birth
- you missed a:
- test
- interview
- hearing
- we need you to submit extra documents, like:
- fingerprints
- residence documents
- we asked you to come to another interview or hearing after you attended your interview
- failed a test
- didn’t meet the language requirements during your interview
I spoke to a call centre agent about a couple of weeks ago, and she was very clear that receiving an FP request didn't necessarily mean my application was non-routine.
There seems to be a lot going on in IRCC at the moment and I suspect some of the information here may be out-of-date.
There's an extremely high number of FP requests being received by people form Jan/Feb/Mar 2020 and I don't think that'd necessarily make all of their applications non-routine
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The what-is-non-routine? question does not warrant much attention.
It appears that saying this does not appease more than a few forum participants. Despite being largely insignificant, this subject comes up again and again.
I have probably said most of what follows before. But for those who are not convinced there is no-here-here, nothing to worry about, I will once again offer the LONG EXPLANATION.
The Long Explanation (for those who care; most won't):
There is little or no reason for an applicant to consider let alone focus on what is "non-routine" . . . simply does NOT matter, and for sure will not affect any decision-making an applicant might need to do.
In contrast, however, how certain non-routine procedures can affect the process is something to consider by those subject to that procedure. The Residence Questionnaire (RQ) is among those additional (non-routine) procedures having the bigger impact, and applicants receiving RQ can expect significant delays in the overall processing timeline. Fingerprint (FP) requests, in contrast, tend to have minimal impact and might not cause the process to take any longer than it would have taken otherwise.
In itself, the label "non-routine" has ZERO impact on what happens to an application. Applications do not have a routine or non-routine status. (What matters, again, is what particular non-routine process the application encounters.)
The label is really about, and ONLY about, how in the past IRCC calculated the processing times it publicizes. That processing time was based on how long processing took to complete 80% of applications that involved NO non-routine procedure or processing. That timeline itself had NO impact on how long any individual application took, or will take. In NORMAL times the publicized time was, at best, a general indicator of how long applicants might anticipate it could take, usually but no where near always, if their application did not encounter any procedure that might add to the processing time.
Individual processing timelines, in contrast, have always varied, considerably so, even if entirely routine, and even during the most normal times.
This is NOT a normal time. The processing time currently listed for grant citizenship is still 12 months for applications which are routinely processed. It currently comes with the caveat that IRCC is NOT processing applications "normally," and that IRCC can't "give accurate processing times."
So for now, and for some time well into the future, apart from the fact that "non-routine" means little or nothing in itself, it is not even tied to the general timeline information IRCC provides during normal times.
That is a fair description insofar as it goes. Which is not far. Not far at all. And, frankly, it is misleading in the way that bureaucratic descriptions often are, in that it states the obvious while otherwise utterly failing to convey what "non-routine" means in practical terms.
Which is OK. Really. Because in regards to any particular application the term "non-routine" illuminates nothing more than the fact that the application has been subject to some procedure outside of or in addition to the *routine* process.
What really matters is what the particular non-routine process/procedure is and how that particular process might impact the application.
Most applicants do not get a Fingerprint (FP) request. A FP request is not routine.
Getting issued a Residence Questionnaire (RQ) is likewise not routine.
BUT there is a huge, huge difference in the impact of a FP request (for most applicants, the impact is minimal, and for many it does NOT even delay the timeline to Decision Made and scheduling for the oath, or at least not by much) versus the impact of RQ, which usually results in a longer timeline, and can result in a much longer timeline, and depending on how it goes, can have an impact on the outcome of the application (an inadequate submission in response to RQ can lead to the application being denied).
Leading to . . .
But here too, no big deal. Does not really matter. Indeed, it is quite likely the reasoning underlying what the call centre agent said, that a FP request does not necessarily mean the application is "non-routine," is that a FP request will not necessarily result in any delay in the process.
Part of the reason people get a little hung-up with the "non-routine" label is that it is not really an applicable label. It is descriptive. Applications do not have a "routine" or "non-routine" status. Anyone who has obtained a copy of their citizenship application GCMS records will not see an entry labeled "routine" or "non-routine," no such label or status listed in those records. They might see an entry showing there was a FP request, or RQ, or some other procedure outside of (in addition to) routine processing, and based on that a person can then describe the application as "non-routine." And, in the course of conversations with call centre agents, especially for applicants calling to inquire about the timeline for their particular application, if the applicant has had some request or procedure in addition to the routine processing, the call centre agent may typically tell the applicant the processing time listed by IRCC does not apply because the application is "non-routine."
But of course FOR NOW the processing time listed by IRCC does NOT apply to any citizenship application.
And for those still not persuaded to, essentially, ignore the "non-routine" label . . .
A Bit Weedy Clarification of What "Non-routine" Means In the FP Context:
For grant citizenship applications, fingerprint requests are not a part of the routine process. Most applicants do not need to submit FPs. Most do not get a FP request.
While the number of applicants getting FP requests may be up considerably (my guess is that this is being done as an additional layer of screening, a program integrity assurance measure, given the virtual/online testing, interviewing, and oath procedures currently employed), there is no indication that applicants are routinely asked for FPs or that the number of those asked is at all approaching a majority.
That is, apart from using labels, the FP request is simply, plainly NOT routine.
Is there a difference between what is "NOT routine" for a grant citizenship application, and the application being labeled "non-routine?" If there is, who cares? That would be a distinction that makes NO DIFFERENCE. NONE at all.
To grovel even lower into trite, in regards to the what-is-non-routine question, or in an effort to be concise, one might simply quote Shakespeare, it's "much ado about nothing."
It appears that saying this does not appease more than a few forum participants. Despite being largely insignificant, this subject comes up again and again.
I have probably said most of what follows before. But for those who are not convinced there is no-here-here, nothing to worry about, I will once again offer the LONG EXPLANATION.
The Long Explanation (for those who care; most won't):
There is little or no reason for an applicant to consider let alone focus on what is "non-routine" . . . simply does NOT matter, and for sure will not affect any decision-making an applicant might need to do.
In contrast, however, how certain non-routine procedures can affect the process is something to consider by those subject to that procedure. The Residence Questionnaire (RQ) is among those additional (non-routine) procedures having the bigger impact, and applicants receiving RQ can expect significant delays in the overall processing timeline. Fingerprint (FP) requests, in contrast, tend to have minimal impact and might not cause the process to take any longer than it would have taken otherwise.
In itself, the label "non-routine" has ZERO impact on what happens to an application. Applications do not have a routine or non-routine status. (What matters, again, is what particular non-routine process the application encounters.)
The label is really about, and ONLY about, how in the past IRCC calculated the processing times it publicizes. That processing time was based on how long processing took to complete 80% of applications that involved NO non-routine procedure or processing. That timeline itself had NO impact on how long any individual application took, or will take. In NORMAL times the publicized time was, at best, a general indicator of how long applicants might anticipate it could take, usually but no where near always, if their application did not encounter any procedure that might add to the processing time.
Individual processing timelines, in contrast, have always varied, considerably so, even if entirely routine, and even during the most normal times.
This is NOT a normal time. The processing time currently listed for grant citizenship is still 12 months for applications which are routinely processed. It currently comes with the caveat that IRCC is NOT processing applications "normally," and that IRCC can't "give accurate processing times."
So for now, and for some time well into the future, apart from the fact that "non-routine" means little or nothing in itself, it is not even tied to the general timeline information IRCC provides during normal times.
Others have referenced, linked, and quoted the IRCC PDI stating the criteria for what applications IRCC will "consider" to be "non-routine."
That is a fair description insofar as it goes. Which is not far. Not far at all. And, frankly, it is misleading in the way that bureaucratic descriptions often are, in that it states the obvious while otherwise utterly failing to convey what "non-routine" means in practical terms.
Which is OK. Really. Because in regards to any particular application the term "non-routine" illuminates nothing more than the fact that the application has been subject to some procedure outside of or in addition to the *routine* process.
What really matters is what the particular non-routine process/procedure is and how that particular process might impact the application.
Most applicants do not get a Fingerprint (FP) request. A FP request is not routine.
Getting issued a Residence Questionnaire (RQ) is likewise not routine.
BUT there is a huge, huge difference in the impact of a FP request (for most applicants, the impact is minimal, and for many it does NOT even delay the timeline to Decision Made and scheduling for the oath, or at least not by much) versus the impact of RQ, which usually results in a longer timeline, and can result in a much longer timeline, and depending on how it goes, can have an impact on the outcome of the application (an inadequate submission in response to RQ can lead to the application being denied).
Leading to . . .
What you should suspect is the veracity of the call centre agent.
But here too, no big deal. Does not really matter. Indeed, it is quite likely the reasoning underlying what the call centre agent said, that a FP request does not necessarily mean the application is "non-routine," is that a FP request will not necessarily result in any delay in the process.
Part of the reason people get a little hung-up with the "non-routine" label is that it is not really an applicable label. It is descriptive. Applications do not have a "routine" or "non-routine" status. Anyone who has obtained a copy of their citizenship application GCMS records will not see an entry labeled "routine" or "non-routine," no such label or status listed in those records. They might see an entry showing there was a FP request, or RQ, or some other procedure outside of (in addition to) routine processing, and based on that a person can then describe the application as "non-routine." And, in the course of conversations with call centre agents, especially for applicants calling to inquire about the timeline for their particular application, if the applicant has had some request or procedure in addition to the routine processing, the call centre agent may typically tell the applicant the processing time listed by IRCC does not apply because the application is "non-routine."
But of course FOR NOW the processing time listed by IRCC does NOT apply to any citizenship application.
And for those still not persuaded to, essentially, ignore the "non-routine" label . . .
A Bit Weedy Clarification of What "Non-routine" Means In the FP Context:
For grant citizenship applications, fingerprint requests are not a part of the routine process. Most applicants do not need to submit FPs. Most do not get a FP request.
While the number of applicants getting FP requests may be up considerably (my guess is that this is being done as an additional layer of screening, a program integrity assurance measure, given the virtual/online testing, interviewing, and oath procedures currently employed), there is no indication that applicants are routinely asked for FPs or that the number of those asked is at all approaching a majority.
That is, apart from using labels, the FP request is simply, plainly NOT routine.
Is there a difference between what is "NOT routine" for a grant citizenship application, and the application being labeled "non-routine?" If there is, who cares? That would be a distinction that makes NO DIFFERENCE. NONE at all.
To grovel even lower into trite, in regards to the what-is-non-routine question, or in an effort to be concise, one might simply quote Shakespeare, it's "much ado about nothing."
Location: Mississauga
Application Received: November 5, 2018
Test Date: November 18, 2019 Passed 20/20
May 18, 2021 : My status is (In process) NO DM / NO OATH INVITATION.
In Feb, 2020 they asked me for extra docs. / non routine.
ASSESSMENTS
Knowledge: Passed
Residence: In Progress
Language: Passed
Prohibition: In Progress
Criminality: Passed
Oath: Not Started
Yes, this is an example of an application that IRCC will "consider" non-routine. But the fact the application is considered "non-routine" is of little or no import. Knowing it is non-routine does not tell you anything other than what is obvious: your application is subject to some processing that most applications are not.
The important question, usually, has to do with just what that particular procedure outside the routine process is. In your case, it is the request for extra documents. In particular, what documents have been requested (considering what that indicates) is what will affect how your application goes.
Unless the request for extra documents is one of the more severe versions of "non-routine" processing (like the full-blown RQ CIT 0171 (Residence Questionnaire), which can cause extremely long processing delays in the best of times), the odds say you are a victim of damn downside-luck-of-the-draw-timing: you got hit hard by bad timing, needing to submit the extra docs just as the global pandemic totally disrupted all processing. Leaving your application sitting in a queue for which there has probably been very little if any progress since the beginning of the pandemic.
In any event, in particular, the dominant story, for more than a year now and likely to continue for at least several more months, is indeed Covid-19. That's the culprit causing lengthy processing times for the vast majority of applicants who apprehend there is no progress being made in processing their applications . . . they are probably correct, there is no progress being made, for now, in processing their applications.
What is routine or non-routine is a mere sideshow.
They did not request a RQ CIT 0171 , they requested a rental agreement , Tax , college transcript , T4 .
Hello
I submitted my online application in September 2021
AOR December 2021
Test Completed June 2022
Background in progress
(security - passed, criminality - in progress)
Physical Presence, Prohibitions, Language - In Progress
Oath - Not Started.
Is my application non routine ?
I submitted my online application in September 2021
AOR December 2021
Test Completed June 2022
Background in progress
(security - passed, criminality - in progress)
Physical Presence, Prohibitions, Language - In Progress
Oath - Not Started.
Is my application non routine ?
It's been 18 months since i filled my application (March 2022) and had Test in Jan 2023, Interview in May 2023 but since then everything else has turned green but not Physical Presence. I have been calling IRCC and each time they say that it's a Non-Routine application and hence no processing time applies. I got my ATIP and under it Application Status says Open, Application Status Reason says Transfer workload re-distribution and Location says E-Grant Cessation. Can anyone please help with what can i interpret of these terms or status?
Looks like one of the numerous “place holders” they use to park applications until they feel like getting back to it!
I’ve been stuck in “e-grant pending docs” since May 2023 with no end in sight!
I’ve been stuck in “e-grant pending docs” since May 2023 with no end in sight!
I am in a similar situation. My Physical Presence is still in progress. I was asked for additional documents on August 3rd after my interview on June 15th. I sent the documents on August 4th. I sent an email asking them if they received the document a week back and I got a response that they received the documents.
I’m in the same boat! I did an interview for my application March 31, the officer said he wanted to verify my physical presence.
Application received on April 24
Test passed in Dec 15 dec 2022
Everything has been updated! Except prohibitions and physical presence
no updates yet. Winnipeg office is handling my files
Application received on April 24
Test passed in Dec 15 dec 2022
Everything has been updated! Except prohibitions and physical presence
no updates yet. Winnipeg office is handling my files
Unbelievable that comments are being made about a visa application in a discussion about Canadians (Permanent Resident Canadians) applying for citizenship? Not really unbelievable, we all make mistakes.
There is little concurrence in processing timelines for completely different kinds of applications, and of course processing timelines for non-routine applications made by Foreign Nationals are largely unrelated to processing timelines for applications made by Canadians, such as PRs applying for citizenship.
Many of the processing timelines for immigration and citizenship applications are indeed not only lengthy but excessively so. There is so much news and commentary and discussion illustrating this, and especially so if an application is involved in additional processing beyond the routine procedures all applications go through, someone would have had to have their head buried deep in the sand to not be aware of this. What is common and blatantly apparent is hardly "unbelievable" (hence my question whether this attribution was more about posting a FN's visa application comment in a discussion about processing applications by Canadians).
For context, "non-routine" does not describe the status of an application but, rather, is simply a label applicable to any application that involves procedures in addition to those which are part of the routine process. While any additional tasks will mean the application is labelled non-routine, the label itself is unimportant; the actual impact on processing depends on what additional procedures are involved. Some non-routine procedures have a minimal, almost no impact on processing timelines. Others can be complex and involve inter-agency inquiries or full-blown investigations, and depending on what the particular non-routine processing is (and why the application is subject to that non-routine procedure), can potentially have a huge impact. Moreover, obviously, some non-routine processing can signal that IRCC has concerns which could lead to a negative outcome.
So . . . if in processing your wife's application, there has been a request for additional information or documents, that does indeed mean it is "non-routine." Which tells you almost nothing. What matters is what has been requested and why. If you are actually interested in more information about what this "really means," you are more likely to find relevant information in forums discussing visa applications generally and spousal sponsored PR visa applications in particular. Or if you just posting to rant, still the wrong forum.