Test Experience - St Clair, pre-test RQ

Have just had CIT test and interview @ St.Clair. One family member RQed in March 2013. Notice to prepare, followed by Notice to appear - Jan 2014.

1. Logistics. Do not come earlier than 15 minutes before your due time - there is absolutely no room to wait and staff ask people not to stay in the hallways. Door opens quarter to the due time. They perform massive operations these days - there are at least 150 people taking the test at the same time. Seniors are invited for interview right away, those taking the test check in once all the seniors are already seated in the interview waiting area.

2. Test. No comments - nothing that you can't find online and practice. After the test response cards are processed momentarily and placed into your file by clerical staff.

3. Interview. Interview waiting area is located at the back of the testing hall. There are 20 clerical stations set up there and each clerk has 8 to 10 cases assigned for that day. Numbers on the station booths correspond with handwritten numbers that you can find on your Notice. People are called in one by one, case workers came out to the waiting area asking case members to follow them to the booth.

Step 1 - documents verification, quite simple and mechanical. Step 2 - travel and RQ. It HAS BEEN processed - case worker who interviewed me clearly said that after asking me a few questions about work and life in Canada and verifying stamps against CBSA record. The worker then explained that she needed to focus on non-RQed individual as she did not have any issues with me after processing the RQ but needed to know more about my partner and their travel history.

Non-RQed family member was also questioned about work and study but she took quite some time to carefully screen passports page by page, and stamp by stamp asking some clarification question. IMPORTANT!!! Although there is nothing about  any additional documents mentioned in the Notice, we had copies of all passports, translation of stamps, CBSA record and employment verification letter for my partner. The worker took it all and said that it was very helpful. I believe that had we not to have these papers handy my partner would have been given an RQ-lite. We have passport copies annotated - each stamp and mark was linked to a footnote, explaining what that one was about.

BTW - my partner seems to be passing through with 18 trips outside Canada, and 7 months absence right after landing.

At the end she said she did not have any issues with the file and it will be referred to the CJ. There is some discrepancy between what they say about the ceremony - before the test we were told to wait for 2 to 8 weeks, after the interview "my" worker "guessed" it would be 3 to 6 months, and at the same time I overhead another worker talking about "just a couple of weeks". And, yes, all ceremonies will be in Scarborough.

So, lesson learned - be proactive and take some steps in advance to help them to process you smoothly. Overall experience - stressful but very positive.




Edited by twocats - 28 Jan 2014 at 2:55pm

Thank you so much for sharing. 

Correct me if I'm wrong but there is one particular office which is famous for quick oath timeline - Mississauga. As for Scarborough - I'm not sure, so far have not found any evidence here.

Hi Twocats,

Thanks ..the info you provided is very helpful. :-)