2023 Citizenship Applications
- Thread starter GFLiam
- Start date
Thanks, I'm also AOR 13 December, but just waiting for BG.
It's weird that they're already processing January 2024...
There's no FIFO here really.
It's more like reasonable expectation based on how others went through it.
December applicants have now waited nearly 2 years and a half, which is pretty much what many people stuck in security faced before finally being done, but those are broad observations, and a specific application amongst what are already outliers may end up being in the extremes...
Realistically, there is no FIFO and if there were, applications from October and November would have seen updates first.
just wanted to let y'all know that I got Oath Invite for May 1
For clarification . . .
. . . at the risk of giving a detailed explanation for what most fully understand but, for some reason, gets shoved aside in some conversations.
To the contrary, FIFO dominates citizenship application processing but FIFO is in regards to each particular step, the particular queue the application is in.
Except in regards to the very first step, that is opening the application and determining it meets the completeness requirements, FIFO in regards to citizenship applications is not about processing applications based on the date the application is made or first arrives at IRCC. (To be clear, for the first step, again that is opening the application and determining it meets the completeness requirements, FIFO is based on date the application first arrives at IRCC.)
So it is not weird that even some (probably many now) applications which got AOR in January 2026 (let alone 2024) could be ahead of some December 2023 applications; after all, for example, the vast majority of those citizenship applications which were given AOR in January 2025 and January 2024 are now fully processed, a decision made to grant citizenship, the oath taken. Indeed, any December 2023 applications still being processed have clearly been the subject of a referral for non-routine processing (fairly or unfairly, as the individual case will be) resulting in a lengthy delay (many much longer than is fair). When that non-routine processing is completed (and usually only then) and the application is returned to a local office for further processing of the citizenship application, that will determine when it goes into the queue for further local office processing.
It will be FIFO in regards to any applications arriving at that stage after then.
It will be behind any applications arriving at that stage in the local office before then. Regardless of when the application was initially made. Regardless when the application got AOR.
So, for example, if a December 2023 application arrives back at the local office after a referral to CBSA/NSSD or CSIS the day after a January 2026 application has arrived at that local office, pursuant to FIFO the latter (January 2026) application will be processed before the December 2023 application. That is FIFO as employed in processing citizenship applications.
Further Observations For Clarification Re Processing Order:
To be clear, in most contexts, in most circumstances, in regards to most of the procedures done in processing citizenship applications by IRCC (so not necessarily in regards to processing done by CSIS or CBSA/NSSD or other agencies/departments to which a citizenship application/applicant may be referred, such as for investigation), processing is done in the order the application is received. This is what many characterize to be FIFO, or First-In, First-Out.
But, to be clear, this is queue-specific, step-specific. It is about the order in which applications are processed within a given queue. It is not about giving older applications priority at subsequent steps in processing.
That is, for any given step in processing citizenship applications (with exceptions, always with exceptions), the applications are processed in the order they arrived in that particular queue ready for that step to be done. "Out" means completing that particular step OR referring the application for additional processing (typically what has been referred to as "non-routine" processing).
Only the first step, that is the queue for opening the application and determining if it meets the requirements for processing (meets completeness criteria), is FIFO based on the date the application is received by IRCC.
After that, processing is FIFO based on the date it is received for the next particular step in processing. NOT based on date application was made or the AOR date.
Simple Fingerprint request example:
Compare two applications, one made March 15, 2025 and another made June 21, 2025:
The application which arrives March 15, 2025, gets AOR in due course consistent with other applications arriving at CPC that day. If for some reason, this or that reason, CPC sends the applicant a fingerprint request and that goes a bit awry, resulting in some back and forth, and thus for whatever reason the FP request is not satisfied until, say, November 21, 2025, it will be at that point, on November 21, the application goes into a queue in a local office to be processed.
Meanwhile, compare that with an application made July 11, 2025, for which there is no disruptive extra processing (no FP request for example), such that it goes directly into a queue for processing at the local office by November 19, 2025.
In regards to these two applications, FIFO means the application that was made July 11, 2025 is now FIFO, ahead of the application made March 15, 2025. This is because the July 11 application is in the local office queue for processing as of November 19, days before the March application arrives in that queue.
Obviously, the discrepancy in processing times can go much much longer when more complex non-routine processing is involved, and will vary considerably depending on which agency or department is involved. For CSIS referrals (involving screening beyond the routine BG clearances), in particular, CSIS controls the time line which undoubtedly can vary widely depending on which other countries are involved, which issues or concerns are being investigated, and other factors; I do not know to what extent, if any, CSIS employs FIFO in conducting screening for applicants referred by IRCC.
But as many of the applicants participating in this thread have experienced, applications can get stuck on a referral and so be way, way behind the processing times for applications made later. Not because there is no FIFO processing (again, there is at just about every step of the process) but because there is no priority given to applications based on the date the application was made.
Why This Matters:
There are many reasons why this version of FIFO is how processing citizenship applications works. I will not try to enumerate even the main reasons. Among the more obvious is that this means applications which do not require increased scrutiny are not delayed by those which do.
For example, if the application in front of mine (theoretically . . . I took the oath a dozen years plus some ago) has physical presence issues, mine will not be delayed while that application is subject to non-routine PP verification screening. The application needing additional PP screening will be referred to a queue specifically for that (which in some cases can mean a referral to CBSA/NSSD for investigation), so it is First-Out but "out" here meaning it is sent into a queue for that further PP verification screening. So the local office can proceed with my application.
So almost all 2024 applications, and probably most 2025 applications by now, have been finalized even though quite a significant number of 2023 applications have not.
Among other reasons why this matters to individual applicants is that it makes it clear there is little or no point comparing processing time lines for a given local office if the application has gotten off the mainstream processing track. Applications bogged down in CSIS delays are especially off the routine processing time line.
. . . at the risk of giving a detailed explanation for what most fully understand but, for some reason, gets shoved aside in some conversations.
To the contrary, FIFO dominates citizenship application processing but FIFO is in regards to each particular step, the particular queue the application is in.
Except in regards to the very first step, that is opening the application and determining it meets the completeness requirements, FIFO in regards to citizenship applications is not about processing applications based on the date the application is made or first arrives at IRCC. (To be clear, for the first step, again that is opening the application and determining it meets the completeness requirements, FIFO is based on date the application first arrives at IRCC.)
So it is not weird that even some (probably many now) applications which got AOR in January 2026 (let alone 2024) could be ahead of some December 2023 applications; after all, for example, the vast majority of those citizenship applications which were given AOR in January 2025 and January 2024 are now fully processed, a decision made to grant citizenship, the oath taken. Indeed, any December 2023 applications still being processed have clearly been the subject of a referral for non-routine processing (fairly or unfairly, as the individual case will be) resulting in a lengthy delay (many much longer than is fair). When that non-routine processing is completed (and usually only then) and the application is returned to a local office for further processing of the citizenship application, that will determine when it goes into the queue for further local office processing.
It will be FIFO in regards to any applications arriving at that stage after then.
It will be behind any applications arriving at that stage in the local office before then. Regardless of when the application was initially made. Regardless when the application got AOR.
So, for example, if a December 2023 application arrives back at the local office after a referral to CBSA/NSSD or CSIS the day after a January 2026 application has arrived at that local office, pursuant to FIFO the latter (January 2026) application will be processed before the December 2023 application. That is FIFO as employed in processing citizenship applications.
Further Observations For Clarification Re Processing Order:
To be clear, in most contexts, in most circumstances, in regards to most of the procedures done in processing citizenship applications by IRCC (so not necessarily in regards to processing done by CSIS or CBSA/NSSD or other agencies/departments to which a citizenship application/applicant may be referred, such as for investigation), processing is done in the order the application is received. This is what many characterize to be FIFO, or First-In, First-Out.
But, to be clear, this is queue-specific, step-specific. It is about the order in which applications are processed within a given queue. It is not about giving older applications priority at subsequent steps in processing.
That is, for any given step in processing citizenship applications (with exceptions, always with exceptions), the applications are processed in the order they arrived in that particular queue ready for that step to be done. "Out" means completing that particular step OR referring the application for additional processing (typically what has been referred to as "non-routine" processing).
Only the first step, that is the queue for opening the application and determining if it meets the requirements for processing (meets completeness criteria), is FIFO based on the date the application is received by IRCC.
After that, processing is FIFO based on the date it is received for the next particular step in processing. NOT based on date application was made or the AOR date.
Simple Fingerprint request example:
Compare two applications, one made March 15, 2025 and another made June 21, 2025:
The application which arrives March 15, 2025, gets AOR in due course consistent with other applications arriving at CPC that day. If for some reason, this or that reason, CPC sends the applicant a fingerprint request and that goes a bit awry, resulting in some back and forth, and thus for whatever reason the FP request is not satisfied until, say, November 21, 2025, it will be at that point, on November 21, the application goes into a queue in a local office to be processed.
Meanwhile, compare that with an application made July 11, 2025, for which there is no disruptive extra processing (no FP request for example), such that it goes directly into a queue for processing at the local office by November 19, 2025.
In regards to these two applications, FIFO means the application that was made July 11, 2025 is now FIFO, ahead of the application made March 15, 2025. This is because the July 11 application is in the local office queue for processing as of November 19, days before the March application arrives in that queue.
Obviously, the discrepancy in processing times can go much much longer when more complex non-routine processing is involved, and will vary considerably depending on which agency or department is involved. For CSIS referrals (involving screening beyond the routine BG clearances), in particular, CSIS controls the time line which undoubtedly can vary widely depending on which other countries are involved, which issues or concerns are being investigated, and other factors; I do not know to what extent, if any, CSIS employs FIFO in conducting screening for applicants referred by IRCC.
But as many of the applicants participating in this thread have experienced, applications can get stuck on a referral and so be way, way behind the processing times for applications made later. Not because there is no FIFO processing (again, there is at just about every step of the process) but because there is no priority given to applications based on the date the application was made.
Why This Matters:
There are many reasons why this version of FIFO is how processing citizenship applications works. I will not try to enumerate even the main reasons. Among the more obvious is that this means applications which do not require increased scrutiny are not delayed by those which do.
For example, if the application in front of mine (theoretically . . . I took the oath a dozen years plus some ago) has physical presence issues, mine will not be delayed while that application is subject to non-routine PP verification screening. The application needing additional PP screening will be referred to a queue specifically for that (which in some cases can mean a referral to CBSA/NSSD for investigation), so it is First-Out but "out" here meaning it is sent into a queue for that further PP verification screening. So the local office can proceed with my application.
So almost all 2024 applications, and probably most 2025 applications by now, have been finalized even though quite a significant number of 2023 applications have not.
Among other reasons why this matters to individual applicants is that it makes it clear there is little or no point comparing processing time lines for a given local office if the application has gotten off the mainstream processing track. Applications bogged down in CSIS delays are especially off the routine processing time line.
