Why does Citizenship application takes such a long time to process?

[pitu]

Can someone please help us understand what happens in the citizenship processing background that takes such a long time to process the application.
Keeping the number of applications aside, its hard to believe that it takes 2-3 months to just acknowledge the application.

 

[Dejaavu]

there is a backlog.
in the united states citizenship applications take about 3 months to process.

 

[bambino]

AND the Americans allow you to apply three months early to allow for the processing times, so that you receive your citizenship when you earned it.

To answer the OP's question: because this government, the current Minister of Immigration and his predecessor are all a bunch of F'ing assholes.

 

[Montrosco]

The main raison is the recent citizenship fraud. before that issue it was faster

 

[admontreal]

Because the process sucks... because :

1. The process is completely paper-based (at least on the front-end), in Australia for example, you can apply online, for a final decision 14 days later

2. The Citizenship Officer has no decision power, everything goes to the judge, and we have less than 30 judge for the whole Canada

3. As Montrosco outlined, they basically switched from an Honour system to an Everyone-is-a-fraudster-unless-the-contrary-is-proven system, so that created a LOT more screening, for very few positive results

I could give dozens of other reasons

The C-24 Bill has, in fact, good intentions, but it's so badly written that it will make the citizenship value litteraly fall apart. Moreover, it's creating a lot of inequalities, but that's another debate.

 

[QianLi]

It's a combination of factors. You will learn more as you spend more time digging into it. Some of those I learnt are:

- CIC's new agenda on scrutinizing taxpayers
- CIC's reducing its resources, namely shutting down offices and laying off employees
- CIC's lack of implementing $44M given to its Citizenship programs, leaving it for the election year (2015)
- CIC's agenda on creating a problem, then blaming the Liberals for it (like they haven't been in power for 8 years), and then using it to further shove through their new Citizenship act
- Conservative hatred of immigrants, stemming from the racist roots of the reform party (one of the predecessor's to the current Conservative party)

 

[pitu]

Wow...Great reasons...

I guess no one knows what happens in the background that takes 2 years to process....

From CIC perspective there are not more than 7/8 steps...

Its really ridiculous that we have to send paper based application and it takes 2-3 months just to acknowledge the application.

Almost all steps can automated and can be done under 2-3 weeks....

Not sure whats going on .....

 

[us2yow]

Agreed...it's reallllllllllllllllly embarrassing !

And they constantly quote and compare themselves against "our peer and like minded countries" (mainly US, UK, Aus, NZ).

Well, try comparing the processing speeds for citizenship in Canada with the same peer or sister countries and we will definitely come out looking like a developING country and not like a developED country !

But keep the faith, nothing remains the same forever. Even the Bush era is no more and a thing of the past !

 

[pitu]

Yup...we look like fools and uneducated in-front our peers...

We are still living in cavemen's era as for as adapting technologies are concerned...

I am not blaming the country but what frustrates is we are failing to adapt advanced tools and techniques

Hope someone listens and addresses for the future ....

 

[pitu]

I guess here are the steps

1. Review the application, ensure right documents are included. 2. Acknowledge the application and create an file number/id. 3. Issue Discover Canada hard copy book to the address given in application. 4. Validate the physical presence against CBSA. 5. Validate the security clearance (Make sure no charges against the applicant). 6. Send out an invite for citizenship test. 7. Based on test result conduct oath and issue citizenship certificate...

All the above can be easily automated and whole process can be finished within 3-4 weeks....