Citizenship timeline

Congrats mimimeme. Wow, you have quite a similar timeline.

Mine:
1. We received your application for Canadian citizenship (grant of citizenship) on June 7, 2012.
2. We sent you a letter acknowledging receipt of your application(s), and a study book called Discover Canada on June 7, 2012. Please consider delays in mail delivery before contacting us.
3. We started processing your application on January 7, 2013.
4. We sent you a notice on October 24, 2013 to appear and write the citizenship test on November 19, 2013 at 10:05 AM. The notice you will receive by mail will be your official confirmation of your appointment. If you have not received this notice prior to the date of your scheduled appointment, please contact us.
5. We sent you a notice on January 17, 2014 to appear and take the oath of citizenship at the citizenship ceremony to be held on January 27, 2014 at 10:45 AM. The notice you will receive by mail will be your official confirmation of your appointment. If you have not received this notice prior to the date of your scheduled appointment, please contact us.

I was checking mail every single day in the evening. Yesterday (Jan 21, 2014) I checked ecas around 2 pm and oath notice wasn't there. I picked up the paper notice from the mailbox in the evening, and immediately checked ecas, and the notice was also there. Quite a short notice btw, 10 days in total, less mail over the weekend left only 6 days before the test.

Excited and can't wait! :)

Just got of the phone with CIC and the representative told me that my file was transferred to the Scarborough local office in January 2014. She said, from this point in the process, they advise people that it can take up to 9 months to receive an invitation to take the test.

Edited by marathon2011 - 23 Jan 2014 at 12:06pm

Thank you netghost for your advice. 

Today, I had the oath ceremony and become a Canadian Citizen

Everyone’s experience with CIC is different, some faced with lots of waiting and received Residency Questionnaire, and others had a smooth process and fast processing time. That’s because everyone’s case is different from each other!!

You can’t expect what happened to others to happen to you, but the rule of thumb is being ready and well prepared.

My initial application was sent the first time on January 2013, but was returned for lack of school records for my kids and proof of language for myself and wife. I resubmitted my application on March 2013, but never heard from CIC and on June 2013 I approached the local MP office for help and to contact CIC Office and locate my application. Within few days, my application was located and CIC started processing it that was July 2013, though I did not receive the acknowledgment letter till end of July 2013.

My application took about 10 months from March 2013 to January 2014, that’s really a short period considering the circumstances that I mentioned earlier above. However, my application is consider routine as I didn’t receive RQ. We all know that average processing time for routine applications is 25 months!! Mine had only 10 months!!

Do I consider myself lucky!

Yes because I didn’t receive RQ although I had many three periods of unemployment (upon arriving Canada, after graduating from Colleague, after got laid off from my first job, and another lay off from my most recent job in Jan 2013), I stayed unemployed but receiving EI for about a year!!

My passport’s pages were full of stamps, each page had between 4-6 stamps of foreign entries and exits that occurred before I arrived to Canada, I only had few pages blank. The certified translation of stamps was clear and presented at the test day. I only made one trip after I graduated from a local college; my absence is about 30 days!

On mid of December 2013, I called CIC Call center to request processing my application urgently due to extended family circumstances, I had the proof and was ready to take it to the Minister Office for approval. Though I was discouraged by a well-known moderator in this forum, telling me that I should just wait in line like everyone else!!

The Call Centre Agent agreed that my case can be processed urgently and he even said that criteria for urgent process is not limited for what is mentioned in the Manual, however he looked into my file and give me the most awaited news!!

He told me that a letter from CIC Office was sent two days ago inviting me to take the test on 18^th January 2014, that’s four weeks from now. In addition, he told me that I can even still send a letter to CIC Office in Mississauga to request speeding the process of my application if I wish to do that. But I decided to wait till the test day.

 

Test day: Saturday January 18, 2014 at Mississauga Office 12:45 pm

CIC started conducting Citizenship Tests on Saturday and Sunday for the first time in the beginning of 2014. To me that was something good, because it would speed up the process for many applicants, the Minister really serious about that and this was one of his best ideas!!

I reviewed the Study Guide one time only, but I was more studying from this website called: CitizenshipSupport.Ca it’s very convenient, though I had to pay $ 33!!

Having four weeks of notice prior the test, helped me to prepare well for the exam. In my personal opinion, CIC should make this a standard period that all applicants receive a test notice four weeks in advance; this would reduce the percentage of test failure and save CIC time from rescheduling the test.

One week prior to the test, I had my passport stamps translated and ready for submission during the test’s interview. Also I visited CIC Office in Mississauga; just make myself familiar with the area.

On the test day, I woke up early and made myself a big breakfast at home, and then I left the house 3 hours early. I arrived to the location about two hours early; I entered the building to see how it looks like.

It is one floor building; the right side has a seating area for the Ceremony Hall. On the left side another seating area for the Test Hall, but it’s smaller. There was a big desk on the center of the waiting area with washrooms along the corridor that lead to the authorized agent’s entrance.

It was very quiet; most people waiting are busy reviewing the study guide. So I decided to stay in my car.

I forgot to mention that I brought with me a big box that contains documents which I prepared few months ago in response to expected Residency Questionnaire. I left the box in the Car, because I heard that sometimes Agent are no longer issuing RQ after the test, instead they would ask for a specific documents and allow submission in person. To me, every day is counted and just wanted to save the time toward the Oath taking!!

It was about an hour to the test time, I decided to move inside the building and wait there. I noticed that many people are already waiting inside, but luckily I had two seats vacant for my wife and self. My wife looked stress, she never liked tests at all, although she studied well.

So I pulled my smart phone and browsed the website (Citizenshipsupport.ca), it is easy and customized for smart phones and tablets. I started reviewing similar questions through my phone while everyone in the hall was studying from the printed guide. I guess they thought I was busy texting, I could see that in their looks to me!

Anyway, about 20 minutes to the test time, I decided to visit the washroom. When I returned back, there was an Immigration Office making announcement. Those with invitation letters printed in Yellow color to line up toward the Ceremony Hall. On the other side, those who had a Green color test letter, and they will have their test in the Test Hall.

To be honest, I don’t know what the difference is! But I noticed that those with Yellow Printed Letters are double in number of the Green Letters. I was holding a yellow letter, so I was so excited to be inside the Ceremony Hall. I turned to my wife and told her: maybe we are the luckiest one who will have a ceremony after the test! My wife didn’t take the joke as she was keeping herself focused on the test.

It was about 1 pm when CIC Officers started letting us enter the hall. They were checking the invitation letter, PR Card, Health Card, Driving License and Landing Papers. They were also checking names form a pre-printed list, and asked everyone to set freely anywhere but away from any close person by about two seats.

The Ceremony Hall was huge; I noticed about 300 seats inside with numbers. Many people were seating together. There were about 8 Immigration Officer assigned to this room and about 55 applicants in the Ceremony room. The other side, the test room I think about 30 people only were there.

The officers distributed the answer sheets with pencils. They asked us to write our names, date and time.

Then they told us that interviews will be conducted before the test, then they started calling names. The Officers had small tables at the front and back of the room, and they would call couples together. Some interviews were fast, it took about 7 minutes, others 10 minutes and it can be as 30 minutes!

One thing I noticed, that Officers were very helpful. An Officer approached one lady who had an Asian look, and told her to complete the missing information at the original application which she submitted long time ago!!

I was surprised, because I thought incomplete applications would be returned to the applicants! Actually this happened to a few applicants in the room. Also, I noticed that applicant with Chinese look are called by Officers who had the same look!! Is it because they understand the Asian Passport more and other home related procedures, or was it to make the communication more easy with those applicants who had difficulty in communicating in English! I wasn’t sure?

I heard both my wife and my name, so we went to the Officer, who was super nice, very calm and smiling! To me that was a good sign. She started with my application; it was in front of her along with a check list. She checked my Canadian Issued ID’s and she noticed that I renewed my Health Card, so she kept it to make a photocopy of it.

Then she started asking me about my current address, contact, and my work history too. Then she took my passport and reviewed the expiry date and went through the pages. She was confused with all foreign stamps (non English – French Stamps), I hand the certified translation to her, but she told me that she would keep the passport for more review and return before I leave.

My wife interview was next, with same steps. Then the Officer told us to write down the Case ID Number in the Answer Sheet (the Case ID Number was stated in the Test Invitation Letter).

It took about 90 minutes to Interview all the 55 applicant, then an Officer introduced himself to the applicants and told us the test instructions. Bags and personal belongs were kept under the seats, electronic devices were switched off. The Officer gives us the big news: he said that whoever will pass the test today, and if the application is complete, the applicant will return for Oath Taking next Thursday 23^rd January!! He said: I hope my announcement will not put more pressure on you to do well in the test!!

About Three Officers helped distributing the Test Question folders, I noticed that folders have different colors which indicates different version of questions. It was 20 questions with multiple choice answers and true / false as well. I took my time and completed the test. There was a line up to hand the answer sheets to the Officer who was seating in front. (Answer sheet, pencil, folder, and the test invitation letter) was handed to the Officer who checked our personal information, then I walked outside the room to the waiting area.

When the test was over, everyone was outside the hall were waiting for the Officers to come back with test results. It was a bit warm, although I kept my jacket in the car. I could imagine how hot it could be for those who were dressed heavily and waiting inside the building. Not everyone got a seat; I was standing for about 45 minutes waiting for the good news.

It was 3:20 pm, I was so hungry, tired and feeling warm. I started feeling the pressure, as Officers appeared in several times they were carrying folders and letters, they called specific names. The first group they called, it was obvious they were the unlucky ones who didn’t pass the test. After that, the called groups were given letters which require more documents; I would call it “Mini RQ’s”.

It was about 3:45 and I was still waiting for my test result. Counted the people who are waiting, there were about 30 persons!! Everyone looked stressed. An Officer opened the door of the Ceremony Hall and asked those who hear their name to enter the room and seat on the right side. We were actually the last group who were waiting outside, we went in and seated.

The Officer said: do you want to know why you are here?

We all answered: Yes!! He said: Congratulations to you all, you all have passed the test!!

I heard loud applause and others cheering up. The Officer then continued his announcement and told us that we are invited to take the Oath next Thursday 23^rd January (after 5 days).

He said: in rare cases, the Citizenship Judge may hold someone if the application is incomplete, but this happens very rare and you should be alright.

After that, the Officer hand each one of us two letters which has no names. The first letter is the invitation to take the Oath with the required documents to bring along with. The second letter is the applicant’s declaration for public media. Extra copies were handed for those wanted to bring their little children to the Oath.

My wife and I left the Ceremony Hall feeling disoriented and almost flying of happiness after receiving double shot of good news!

As I am writing the few last lines in my Citizenship Application Experience, I can imagine how fast an application can be processed if CIC would have the adequate number of resources to do so!

I am now a Canadian Citizen… My journey with CIC is over!!

I have not decided what to do with the big box of “RQ Documents” which I prepared but never had to use any of its 600 printed sheets!

I joined this forum few months ago, I made about 100 comments and replies. Were my comments negative during the waiting time?

I think I worried a lot like everyone here, but I never stopped praying for a miracle to happen, never lost hope!

To be fair, this forum was one of the best websites which educated and prepared me for the unexpected part of CIC.

To those who are waiting to become a Canadian Citizen:

Hold on.. It is going to happen soon. You just need to be prepared, my story and the others is to let you know what to expect and how to be ready!

Big thanks go to everyone who contributed their time and effort in this forum.

Good luck to all.

 

Simon

Edited by Fedup2013 - 24 Jan 2014 at 12:12pm