Should I be worried?

[Maggie65]

I applied for my citizenship certificate and received a letter of receipt from IRCC dated 1/24/17 - 3 weeks ago. To date when I go to check the status of the application at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/my_application/status.asp?s=3 I get the message:

"We were not able to identify you using the information you provided. There could be three possible reasons:

Please be sure the information you entered is correct and then try again (It's 100% correct).

This service is only available to clients with applications in process. We may have received your application but not begun processing it yet. The following link may help you determine if your application is being processed (it suggest I go to the link that will tell me what I already know, that it takes 5 months on average)."

Do they really not even look at the application - does it really sit around for 3 weeks with nothing done to it? Guess I'm confused.

When I try the other method of checking the status, seeing that mine was a paper application, I go to the "link an existing application to this account" page, and the first question it asks is "what program did you apply for?" and it give me four options, none of which are applicable. The options are Electronic Travel Authorzation, Interim Federal Health Program (I don't even know what that is), and then either permanent or temporart resident. I'm applying for my citizenship certificate (my mother was born in Quebec.)

Can anyone shed some light on any of this?

Many thanks ...

 

[andykumar]

This is normal timing. Wait until you get a mail or email that they received the application. Your status will be visible after this.

 

[Maggie65]

Hi sorry, but that is what I indicated in my post - that I already received the letter dated 1/24/17 that they have my application. But when I go in and try to determine what the status is, it says what I indicated. They have had my application for 3 weeks and there is no indication that anything has occurred with it, and it seems odd to me that they would sit on someone's application for 3 weeks and do nothing with it.

That's why I'm worried and confused.

 

[tmota]

eCAS status are a strange game. I've read in the forum about people receiving test invites and even oath invites without seeing change in the online status.

If you are certain the info you put on the fields are right - check the spelling of your last names on the letter you received - you could call them to ask.

That said, I'm sorry to tell you that it is fairly common to not have any news from the IRCC for three weeks, even more. Hang in there.

 

[Azsereth]

Hi sorry, but that is what I indicated in my post - that I already received the letter dated 1/24/17 that they have my application. But when I go in and try to determine what the status is, it says what I indicated. They have had my application for 3 weeks and there is no indication that anything has occurred with it, and it seems odd to me that they would sit on someone's application for 3 weeks and do nothing with it.

That's why I'm worried and confused.

It is normal for there to be a delay between receiving the letter acknowledging they received your application (AOR) and for them to start processing it. The delay varies from person to person (sometimes by a lot). I would recommend calling them if you don't get correspondence from them within the next few weeks and are still unable to check your status online.

If you want to see what other people have experienced, you can find timelines for people applying in different months here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jSGX4QDMkXG_ROU0sbIFCMg_eL-gv-YZGVctgxojLYI/edit#gid=1883388690

 

[Maggie65]

Thank you all so much for your responses. The only phone number I'm aware of is the one that is only available from inside Canada. I'm in the U.S. Does anyone know of a number available from outside Canada?

Thanks again. This forum has been a godsend.

 

[SusanB]

Hello Maggie,

I was on pretty much the same timeline as you describe for the Proof of Citizenship application. Mailed it in early January. It arrived at the office in NS on a fitting day--Trump's inauguration :-(

My circumstances were much like yours. One American parent and one Canadian-born, my late father, who only confirmed his US citizenship after my sibs and I were born.

Luckily, i already had an old, original copy of his Canadian birth certificate and made a certified copy of it at the local Canadian consulate here in CA.

It took a little over 2 weeks to get back the confirmation letter by e-mail. After that, just waiting and hoping. Never was able to track it on the government website. (I suspect they only log in regular citizenship applications.)

8 weeks later, my proof of citizenship arrived in the mail! I was happy and so surprised it came so quickly.

I hope you have had similar good news by now.

 

[cprak0]

Thank you all so much for your responses. The only phone number I'm aware of is the one that is only available from inside Canada. I'm in the U.S. Does anyone know of a number available from outside Canada?

Thanks again. This forum has been a godsend.

You could use a magicjack or some such to get a Canadian number and you could dial from any where in the world as if from within Canada...