March 2025 - Citizenship Applications

[m34]

The processing time went down to 12 months, my application is still stuck at background and prohibtions! I am starting to beleive I will be one of those applicants who stay stuck in years!

On the bright side, for the first time in at least 12 months, the number of outstanding applications goes down. There are now 50k applications ahead of us - thats about 4.5k less than last month’s number. But, for us stuck in background and prohibitions, it’s surely a long wait.

 

[Andy28231]

Same, waiting. I note for march applicants it now says two months left.

Which we know means 'two months left until we change the message to 'we need more time to process your application.'

Actually it doesn't even mean that, because in practice Jan 2025 still shows two months, so it means "using non-linear time."

Sorry, I guess I'm in a pissy mood today.

I hear you!, I am in a similar mood since at least last couple of weeks, I have almost given up, and just waiting on my renewed PR card to arrive, let the citizenship grant process take time as much as these guys want to take...once it crosses the year mark, you never know you may get approval in couple of weeks or it may take couple of years.. not a clue..

 

[Hwallikniw]

Hey all. been a minute. just came to say same status for me and my spouse. stuck in B and P.

 

[dreamscanadian]

i am just checking everyday.( now that I finally can) and hoping for the best. I should probably consider doing my PR card soon - but still holding out hope.

 

[menaka_p]

Got my passport today!

Super happy to be done with this journey, in case it helps anyone else reading this, I applied from outside Canada, used pre-PR days in the application, and lived outside Canada while the application was being processed. I came back for interview and oath.

Best of luck to everyone waiting, may you cross the finish line soon!!

 

[dreamscanadian]

@menaka_p you had to apply for your passport after right? Did you do the digital certification or the paper? how long between ceremony and passport?

 

[armoured]

i have called severally, requested for the GCMS to no avail. other than waiting is there any way one can "remind them" they have a pending job to do?

How are you applying for the GCMS notes? When I've done, every single time there is a confirmation email from the ATIP system that the application for gcms notes has been received.

IRCC does not provide a request number, CBSA does - and overall I've found the CBSA request system (through the main ATIP portal, which requires a gckey) to be easier and feels more solid. At least on the ATIP portal, you also have the option to request to receive the notes through the portal instead of email, which removes a (potential) point of failure, i.e. if your email marks it as spam or does not receive it. (I believe if you ask for it by email it's actually available on the portal AND on email, but not certain.)

The main government-wide ATIP portal is here: https://atip-aiprp.tbs-sct.gc.ca/

I can't walk you through it, but you want to ask for own personal information, CASE FILES (not personal corporate records, which is for eg employees), and immigration file - gcms record.

YMMV. While the IRCC atip request portal is somewhat different, I've never had a problem getting the results. For both, timing can vary - I once got IRCC notes in a couple of weeks, but CBSA has usually been faster, although either can extend the 30-day service period to 60 days by notfying the applicant.

 

[menaka_p]

@menaka_p you had to apply for your passport after right? Did you do the digital certification or the paper? how long between ceremony and passport?

I had a virtual ceremony so I got an e-certificate. When the clerk admitted me she asked me if I had urgent travel plans and I told her I did. You’re supposed to sign an oath form right after the virtual ceremony and email it back to them. I sent it to her ASAP, she sent me the e-certificate within 15 minutes.

My ceremony was on April 8th. I applied for an urgent passport on April 9th and it was in my hands by April 10th.

 

[armoured]

My ceremony was on April 8th. I applied for an urgent passport on April 9th and it was in my hands by April 10th.

Useful information: we usually see in the instructions from IRCC that the e-certificates and physical certificates are only valid/can only be used 2-3 days after the ceremony.

While I'm going to continue to urge everyone to be cautious and NOT rely upon being able to use it, it's nice to know there is an example of using it immediately / next day.

I've actually thought for a while that it's probably an outdated instruction, likely from some historic expectation that these types of centralized databases only get updated / 'propagated' periodically, and/or that the step of finalizing the certificate information in the database might not happen at the same time it's issued.

The latter concern might make some sense nowadays for physical certificates, because they obviously have to print them before the ceremony (and they know not all will actually make it to the ceremony and can't have 'finalized' certificates in circulation for people who haven't taken the oath), and it's at least conceivable that staff might not be able to do the finalization/confirmation step until they're back in their office or something (and that could even be a different day). But it doesn't really make sense for the e-certificates (IMO).

Anyway, it probably is not an issue, but no-one should rely on that for super-important travel, because it /might/ be an issue after all.

 

[Hwallikniw]

folks, the last mass batch approval for BG was end of December. I expected another batch release by end of march (every 3months intervals). I expected at least a few of us get the BG but looks like nothing! most of us passed the one year anniversary. do you think we entered the black hole realm and we'll be waiting for another year or two?

 

[Andy28231]

Well at least they processed my PR card renewal exactly within the processing time standard on the website, Received my New PR card today, exactly 4 weeks from the day I applied. Only God knows when I will see the progress on my citizenship application (402 days and counting....)

 

[m34]

folks, the last mass batch approval for BG was end of December. I expected another batch release by end of march (every 3months intervals). I expected at least a few of us get the BG but looks like nothing! most of us passed the one year anniversary. do you think we entered the black hole realm and we'll be waiting for another year or two?

I dont comprehend this? . Why would BG clearances be done in batches? Arent those BG checks unique to each case and can highly differ from one applicant to the other?

 

[Hwallikniw]

I dont comprehend this? . Why would BG clearances be done in batches? Arent those BG checks unique to each case and can highly differ from one applicant to the other?

I am almost certain the BG checks that are stuck with third party come as batch. when I was actively looking at FB pages and forums I remember some dates such as Aug 28 and Dec 29 when there was huge batch release. one friend got her BG on Dec29 after 2.5 years of waiting.

 

[CopperTiger]

Any one here from Edmonton?
Still stuck at BG&P. Is it a Vancouver office thing


One of my friends applied in Sep 2025 (Winnipeg) and she got her passport yesterday.

 

[armoured]

Any one here from Edmonton?
Still stuck at BG&P. Is it a Vancouver office thing

My belief is that Vancouver office is a step for the security parts (BG&P), i.e. either all or those with certain types of security (the ones that take longer than bog-standard) go through Vancouver/are managed for that portion out of Vancouver.

So it's not "Vancouver is slow", but "Vancouver handles this part of process which can be slow."

Not certain though.