Applying Canadian Citizenship

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For folks who moved to Canada roughly 3+ or more years ago, how did the process for application of Canadian citizenship go? (If applied)

I am reaching close to 3 years of stay now and will be starting the process soon, so would be great to know about the preferences:
: online v/s paper
: individual v/s family joint application
: travel outside Canada during the application is in process
: Anything else of importance.

Thanks

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following…

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Also following …

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Thanks for starting this thread👍

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Anyone ??? :smile:

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Following as well :slightly_smiling_face:

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Nobody?

@usa2can so did you figure out answers?

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Anyone?

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I applied in May 2022. Got AOR within a few days. Nothing after that till Nov 2022 when my Background Verification switch to “Completed”. Rest of it is “In Progress” wherever applicable.

I raised webform a couple of times for address change because I moved, and the online address change tool wasn’t working. No response.

Recently filed for GCMS notes couple of days ago, no response yet.

In general expect many months before you get any updates at all.

Overall the process is simple. Make sure you have:

  • Your in/out record (border crossings) so you can calculate days correctly.
  • English/French proficiency test (in my case I submitted my expired IELTS result)
  • Police clearances as applicable to you. In my case I was in USA so I got the FBI EDO check done and submitted that.
  • Rest of the documents are pretty standard and you should have those if you’ve lived here.

: online v/s paper (I have heard paper was getting processed faster but this is purely anecdotal)
: individual v/s family joint application (I think everyone has to apply individually, e.g. couples have to apply separately when they become eligible)
: travel outside Canada during the application is in process (after submitting the application, as long as you have not taken oath and surrendered original passport, you can travel. Can also travel once you get your Canadian passport)
: Anything else of importance (make sure your other travel documents are up to date, don’t rely on the citizenship application getting processed within a year, can take longer)

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Thanks @avj - much appreciated. Please keep us posted on how it goes.

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There is also this IRCC contact number - 8882422100 that you case use to call for case related enquiries (PR application, PR card renewal, Citizenship application). This comes in handy if you want some immediate insight/clarification for your application status.

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Update:
So I had called IRCC helpline and the representative told me my application had been moved between processing centers (likely due to address change) and hence the (possible) reason for delay.

On Feb 28th I got my test invite and gave my test a week ago (passed). Now just awaiting the other steps to change to ‘Completed’ and/or citizenship oath invite.

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Great.
Tentative timelines based on multiple anecdotal experiences:
4-6 week from test given to all Green
1-2 weeks for oath scheduling
4-6 weeks from oath scheduling to oath ceremony
1 week to receive citizenship certificate
2 days - 15 days for passport in hand (depending on whether you apply urgent or normal)
OFF YOU GO !!!

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Great. My Citizenship has been approved, Awaiting for Oath ceremony.

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@canadainland Congrats! Can you please share the timeline - how long it took since you submitted your application to → AOR → Background → Approval? Thanks

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Applied in Feb 2023
AOR and Background completed in Mar 2023
Citizenship test completed in April 2023
May Language, Prohibitions, Physical presence completed in May 2023
Oath - pending

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@canadainland - Amazing! that’s great it’s under 4 months

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Done with Oath finally.
AOR June 2022, Test Feb 2023, Oath May 23.

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Update:
Applied May 2022
Background completed: Nov 2022
Test completed: March 2022
LPP completed: May 2022
Waiting for Oath ceremony request.

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Applied in Feb 2023
Oath: May 2023
Received passport in June 2023.

It’s super fast these days in BC