April 2025 - Citizenship Applications

[moscatojuices]

If if matters so much you have to scream in caps lock, well, I have amazing news. You have the option to stay a PR for life. That way you can keep your gold medal and always use it if you want. Just skip the ceremony or go but don't pronounce the oath...

This is indeed an excellent proposition.

 

[abff08f4813c]

Update - I just noticed on the tracker that near the end of Feb (just a little time ago), apparently things moved for me. Background and prohibitions still waiting, but physical presence and language completed.

Oddly, the tracker is saying ti has 7 new updates, with stuff dated last summer being a "new update" (i.e. everything on the timeline is marked as new) but I really only had the two updates at the end of Feb forPP and L getting green.

 

[bassamkaaki]

Update - I just noticed on the tracker that near the end of Feb (just a little time ago), apparently things moved for me. Background and prohibitions still waiting, but physical presence and language completed.

Oddly, the tracker is saying ti has 7 new updates, with stuff dated last summer being a "new update" (i.e. everything on the timeline is marked as new) but I really only had the two updates at the end of Feb forPP and L getting green.

This is normal. When a new update takes place, all the prior ones get updated alike. Also, I have noticed that those who get their physical presence and language updated ( I am one of them) will have a longer wait time to have their background and prohibitions cleared. I just find it really unjust when there are those that get their background cleared just after their AOR’s are received i.e, between 3 days to 3 months while others are waiting and waiting…………..

 

[abff08f4813c]

This is normal. When a new update takes place, all the prior ones get updated alike.

Thanks for confirming.

Also, I have noticed that those who get their physical presence and language updated ( I am one of them) will have a longer wait time to have their background and prohibitions cleared.

Dang it, that's me too now!

I just find it really unjust when there are those that get their background cleared just after their AOR’s are received i.e, between 3 days to 3 months while others are waiting and waiting…………..

So there are two possible reasons why, in my case, it might be taking longer (setting aside the possibility that I was chosen at random as a control). I have a super common name (think John Smith and you get the idea) so maybe they have to work harder to filter out the stuff they see that actually comes from other people?

Also, I visited the US a couple of times in the last couple of years. Not since 2024 - but I guess that the US, being in the state it is right now, is probably giving them a headache in terms of sharing docs and info (slowing down my ability to get cleared).

Surrendering the card is EVEN WORSE!!!!

This is also me. Like, this is a valuable and sentimental relic. With old passports, they just put a couple of hole punches and give it back. Why can't they just do the same thing here?

If you conveniently lose your card, they do include in the email the "Solemn Declaration Concerning a Lost, Stolen, Destroyed, or Never-Received PR Card".

Hmm... or "destroyed". So if I get a suitable toddler, and this toddler ends up hole punching my PR card just the day before the ceremony, I can fill out the declaration and keep my hole punched card?

This is indeed an excellent proposition.

Hmm.. in fairness, if it was like drivers licenses, where I have a whole bunch of expired ones, I wouldn't mind surrendering the very last PR card as much. But it's just because this is the only one I've ever had.

 

[afaisalnwo]

Looks like only a few unlucky souls are still stuck in this group. Hopefully God will have mercy on us soon and grant us passage to the other side.

 

[bassamkaaki]

Looks like only a few unlucky souls are still stuck in this group. Hopefully God will have mercy on us soon and grant us passage to the other side.

Yes hope so.

 

[moscatojuices]

Final update from me, my full journey to Canada has been completed:

• October 2019 -> Applied for IEC with my Australian Passport
• October 2020 -> Activated 2-year OWP at YVR
• October 2021 -> Eligible via PNP (SINP skilled worker pathway)
• March 2022 -> Applied via PR Portal (Non-EE)
• February 2023 -> Confirmation of Permanent Residence
• April 2025 - March 2026 - Citizenship process, grant received at 9 March 2026 in Saskatchewan (full process below)

I'm happy to answer questions for a few more days, but I'd just like to call out anyone who chooses to do a virtual ceremony - unless they live far away from where they occur - as a low-effort person. Put the fkn effort in. Dress up. Toughen up. Go to an in-person ceremony. You wouldn't get married on Zoom, so why become a Canadian citizen this way? I can only hope IRCC removes this as an option because it is beyond ridiculous that people can become a citizen on a computer chair.

Special thanks to @armoured and the admins who patiently keep these threads running.

--

Application history
Mar 10, 2026
Activity status updated: Citizenship oath
Citizenship ceremony
Citizenship oath status has been updated to Completed.

Feb 11, 2026
Scheduled for Citizenship oath
Citizenship ceremony
Congratulations! You've been scheduled to attend your citizenship ceremony on March 9, 2026. Follow the instructions you will receive in your ceremony invitation.

Feb 11, 2026
Activity status updated: Citizenship oath
Citizenship ceremony
Citizenship oath status has been updated to In progress.

Jan 28, 2026
Activity status updated: Language skills
Language skills
Language skills status has been updated to Completed.

Jan 28, 2026
Activity status updated: Physical presence
Physical presence
Physical presence status has been updated to Completed.

Jan 28, 2026
Activity status updated: Prohibitions
Prohibitions
Prohibitions status has been updated to Completed.

Jan 28, 2026
Interview required
You've been scheduled to attend an interview with our official on January 28, 2026. Information and instructions will be sent to you.

Jan 7, 2026
Interview required
You've been scheduled to attend an interview with our official on January 7, 2026. Information and instructions will be sent to you.

Aug 28, 2025
Activity status updated: Background verification
Background verification
Background verification status has been updated to Completed.

Jul 17, 2025
Activity status updated: Citizenship test
Citizenship test
Citizenship test status has been updated to Completed.

Jul 3, 2025
Scheduled for citizenship test
Citizenship test
You've been scheduled to take citizenship test online between July 4, 2025 and August 3, 2025. Information and instructions will be sent to you.

Jun 27, 2025
Activity status updated: Citizenship test
Citizenship test
Citizenship test status has been updated to In progress.

May 23, 2025
Application filed
We have received your application and have begun to process your application. Information about next steps and required action items will be coming soon.

 

[abff08f4813c]

I'm happy to answer questions for a few more days, but I'd just like to call out anyone who chooses to do a virtual ceremony - unless they live far away from where they occur - as a low-effort person.

Since you're especially calling me out, I feel compelled to respond. And, since, we've already politely gone over these points before - see https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-i...hip-applications.869454/page-80#post-11115820 - I'm not going to hold back this time. (But apologies if you DID reply to my post back then, and I just missed the reply somehow. Do remember that I'm only human.)

Oddly the post I originally wrote with the calculations I can no longer find, but you helpfully quoted the whole thing for me in https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-i...hip-applications.869454/page-80#post-11115765

Or perhaps ... these folks are sacrificing hard for YOU?

Remember that there's limited space in a public, in-person ceremony and it takes more time to arrange, so there are fewer available. The average count for an in-person ceremony is about 75, and about 52 are held per month. So that's 3900 roughly. Meanwhile for zoom, 224 are held a month with an average count of 135. So that's 30240.

Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...m-october-24-2023/citizenship-ceremonies.html


Or maybe they're waiting to fulfill your wishes by finding you an in-person spot before wrapping up your app all at once?

If everyone was duking it out for an in-person ceremony, think about how much longer you'd have to wait. Your wait would be almost eight (8) times as long!

It's fucked isn't it? If you applied in April, it'll take you 13 months. But if you applied in May/June/July, you've probably already a citizen.

Good old IRCC. I'm a simple, single applicant with application sent on 23 April and no updates after AOR/background complete in August. And you guys are getting citizenship before me.

I am aware that there turned out to be a minor SNAFU that also might have resulted in some delays. But for any part of the delay that can be attributed to the extra wait needed to find space at an in-person ceremony... I do hope it was worth it to you.

Based on your bellyaching though, I suspect you'd disagree (and rightfully blame IRCC for being so slow to arrange these).

Citizenship process, grant received at 9 March 2026 in Saskatchewan (full process below)

How convenient that you let us know a couple of weeks afterward the grant - I assume you've gotten your certificate and your new passport sorted too. Because I would have liked to ask you to put your money where your mouth is, and deliberately delay this by eight months - in solidarity with the rest of us who'd have to wait those extra months if we switched to in-person.

Basically, you've not addressed the point made by armoured here,

From what I've seen a lot of people would be happy to do in-person if they didn't have to wait.

(Of course, if it's just a week or two longer for in-person, I suspect that's something most would happily accept. But if the difference in wait times is significantly more substantial, as is this case today...)

Dress up.

I'm going to do this anyways, even if it's on zoom. Why wouldn't I? A bunch of strangers are going to see me -almost as if I was in public, after all. Besides, it's appropriate for the ceremony.

You wouldn't get married on Zoom

Currently, no, but then, I also wouldn't experience a nearly year long delay to get married in person... but there was a time a few years back when that wasn't the case.

Why should I have to wait 3-4 years to get married if I can do it over zoom instead? See https://www.ellecanada.com/life-and-love/brides-talk-zoom-weddings & https://wedfuly.com/blog/how-to-get-married-over-zoom for folks who thought waiting so long to get married didn't make sense either.

Even then, streaming a wedding for family who can't attend in person (I guess we'd call this hybrid?) has been a thing for a while, see https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding...-are-not-able-to-attend/2be09e7cd9178540.html

I can only hope IRCC removes this as an option because it is beyond ridiculous that people can become a citizen on a computer chair.

So you filed a month after I did, to the day. Yet you have yours in hand now, while the processing times page says I likely have at least another three months to go.

I really hope that IRCC does NOT do this. If they do, and I have to wait even longer because of it, I'm going to feel very, very sour towards you.

(On the other hand, if it was presented as "If you jump on the in-person ceremony bandwagon, you'll get your citizenship grant next week instead of waiting those extra three months" - I'd definitely jump on that bandwagon.)

As was written back then,

Sounds like an IRCC problem.

Why would you not want to?

> I think you just answered your own question.

Finally, a couple of unrelated questions. First, if you have gotten it, how'd you get your new passport? Did you follow the usual guarantor et al or were you chosen for the pilot that expedites this? Second, you had an in-person interview. Apologies if I missed a post already answering this but - what was your interview like, and when did you find out that you had passed with flying colours? Finally,

FFS WHY DO THEY HAVE TO TAKE MY CARD. IT'S LIKE TAKING AN ATHLETE'S GOLD MEDAL. ARE THEY FKN STUPID?

So how did this go? What did you end up doing and what ultimately happened with the PR card?

 

[dzx]

It does not make sense to judge someone’s character etc., solely based on the citizenship oath format that they frequently don’t get to choose.

There is a reason why the Zoom ceremony exists. Not everyone has the privilege to take a day off as they need, and clearly the government doesn’t have infinite money to hold an in-person oath every month in Northern Ontario.

People need to have more empathy not just towards their peers but also the citizenship judges, do you feel it’s fair to request them to do an old-school “circuit citizenship court” every month? Do you feel it’s reasonable to make someone travel 50 kms away or face months of delay just because they live at a remote place (or even a place where there is a significant backlog)?

 

[afaisalnwo]

It does not make sense to judge someone’s character etc., solely based on the citizenship oath format that they frequently don’t get to choose.

There is a reason why the Zoom ceremony exists. Not everyone has the privilege to take a day off as they need, and clearly the government doesn’t have infinite money to hold an in-person oath every month in Northern Ontario.

People need to have more empathy not just towards their peers but also the citizenship judges, do you feel it’s fair to request them to do an old-school “circuit citizenship court” every month? Do you feel it’s reasonable to make someone travel 50 kms away or face months of delay just because they live at a remote place (or even a place where there is a significant backlog)?

100% this. Freedom of choice!.

 

[moscatojuices]

Got it. So y'all are happy to fly to India or Philippines for weddings, take 2 weeks off for honeymoons, blow $30,000 on rings and marital expenses, buy yourselves Audis and nice houses when you get to Canada and find good jobs.

But yes, driving 50 km for a citizenship ceremony and taking one day out of the 1095-3000 days it took to earn citizenship.

Nah. Too much.

Presiding over ceremonies is a CITIZENSHIP JUDGE'S JOB. You don't need to worry about them - the government pays them to do this and government workers have their gas bills covered.

Blows my mind how hypocritical people are with their time and money. A wedding? $30,000, $50,000, 6 weeks off, thousands on PR/partner applications, no problem.

A ceremony? "Can't afford to take the day off".

Besides a Zoom ceremony actually takes longer than an in-person ceremony (2.5 hours vs 1.5 hours) so you'd have to take at least half a day off for it anyway.....

 

[moscatojuices]

Since you're especially calling me out, I feel compelled to respond. And, since, we've already politely gone over these points before - see https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-i...hip-applications.869454/page-80#post-11115820 - I'm not going to hold back this time. (But apologies if you DID reply to my post back then, and I just missed the reply somehow. Do remember that I'm only human.)

Oddly the post I originally wrote with the calculations I can no longer find, but you helpfully quoted the whole thing for me in https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-i...hip-applications.869454/page-80#post-11115765

sss

I am aware that there turned out to be a minor SNAFU that also might have resulted in some delays. But for any part of the delay that can be attributed to the extra wait needed to find space at an in-person ceremony... I do hope it was worth it to you.

Based on your bellyaching though, I suspect you'd disagree (and rightfully blame IRCC for being so slow to arrange these).


How convenient that you let us know a couple of weeks afterward the grant - I assume you've gotten your certificate and your new passport sorted too. Because I would have liked to ask you to put your money where your mouth is, and deliberately delay this by eight months - in solidarity with the rest of us who'd have to wait those extra months if we switched to in-person.

Basically, you've not addressed the point made by armoured here,

(Of course, if it's just a week or two longer for in-person, I suspect that's something most would happily accept. But if the difference in wait times is significantly more substantial, as is this case today...)


I'm going to do this anyways, even if it's on zoom. Why wouldn't I? A bunch of strangers are going to see me -almost as if I was in public, after all. Besides, it's appropriate for the ceremony.


Currently, no, but then, I also wouldn't experience a nearly year long delay to get married in person... but there was a time a few years back when that wasn't the case.

Why should I have to wait 3-4 years to get married if I can do it over zoom instead? See https://www.ellecanada.com/life-and-love/brides-talk-zoom-weddings & https://wedfuly.com/blog/how-to-get-married-over-zoom for folks who thought waiting so long to get married didn't make sense either.

Even then, streaming a wedding for family who can't attend in person (I guess we'd call this hybrid?) has been a thing for a while, see https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding...-are-not-able-to-attend/2be09e7cd9178540.html

So you filed a month after I did, to the day. Yet you have yours in hand now, while the processing times page says I likely have at least another three months to go.

I really hope that IRCC does NOT do this. If they do, and I have to wait even longer because of it, I'm going to feel very, very sour towards you.

(On the other hand, if it was presented as "If you jump on the in-person ceremony bandwagon, you'll get your citizenship grant next week instead of waiting those extra three months" - I'd definitely jump on that bandwagon.)

As was written back then,

> I think you just answered your own question.

Finally, a couple of unrelated questions. First, if you have gotten it, how'd you get your new passport? Did you follow the usual guarantor et al or were you chosen for the pilot that expedites this? Second, you had an in-person interview. Apologies if I missed a post already answering this but - what was your interview like, and when did you find out that you had passed with flying colours? Finally,


So how did this go? What did you end up doing and what ultimately happened with the PR card?

Thanks for confirming.

Dang it, that's me too now!


So there are two possible reasons why, in my case, it might be taking longer (setting aside the possibility that I was chosen at random as a control). I have a super common name (think John Smith and you get the idea) so maybe they have to work harder to filter out the stuff they see that actually comes from other people?

Also, I visited the US a couple of times in the last couple of years. Not since 2024 - but I guess that the US, being in the state it is right now, is probably giving them a headache in terms of sharing docs and info (slowing down my ability to get cleared).

This is also me. Like, this is a valuable and sentimental relic. With old passports, they just put a couple of hole punches and give it back. Why can't they just do the same thing here?

Hmm... or "destroyed". So if I get a suitable toddler, and this toddler ends up hole punching my PR card just the day before the ceremony, I can fill out the declaration and keep my hole punched card?

Hmm.. in fairness, if it was like drivers licenses, where I have a whole bunch of expired ones, I wouldn't mind surrendering the very last PR card as much. But it's just because this is the only one I've ever had.

You're so digital buddy. Why go travel when you can just YouTube and see places? It's free!

I received a paper certificate on the day and they asked if I wanted to swap it for an e-certificate, it had to be one or the other. I kept the former as it looks nice, especially in my citizenship photo frame.

I didn't use nor was I aware of a passport pilot. I had to get the guarantor documents etc. signed and waited 2 hours in line at Service Canada to file it

I forged my PR card and surrendered the real one. I didn't need to - IRCC staff on the day were chill and said I could have just given them a solemn oath if I had indeed lost it.

My interview was tough, she grilled me on everything. Example questions from memory:

When was your first time in Canada? (2012)
Why did you come to Canada for the first time?
Did you overstay in Canada?
Can you prove to me you never overstayed in Canada (I printed out all pages of 2 x passports to walk through this with her).
Do you remember applying for a work permit before you first came to Canada?
What did you do with that work permit?
When was the second time you applied for a work permit?
When did you land and activate your next work permit?
Did you come alone?
Where did you live?
What did you do?
What do you do now?
What is your marital status?
Have you filed taxes in the last three years?
Have you ever been in trouble with the police?

It was about 30 minutes of this, and then she said "I'm happy and I'm going to put you in the citizenship queue" and asked if I wanted Zoom vs in-person. I was happy to wait 6 extra weeks.

 

[afaisalnwo]

Got it. So y'all are happy to fly to India or Philippines for weddings, take 2 weeks off for honeymoons, blow $30,000 on rings and marital expenses, buy yourselves Audis and nice houses when you get to Canada and find good jobs.

But yes, driving 50 km for a citizenship ceremony and taking one day out of the 1095-3000 days it took to earn citizenship.

Nah. Too much.

Presiding over ceremonies is a CITIZENSHIP JUDGE'S JOB. You don't need to worry about them - the government pays them to do this and government workers have their gas bills covered.

My friend, I think there’s been a bit of a mix-up. I personally prefer to go to "In-person" oath ceremony. And I actually opted for it.

That said, I respect that everyone has different circumstances, and it’s not my place to judge anyone’s choice.

 

[abff08f4813c]

Hey, thanks for getting back to me! This is really useful.

Got it. So y'all are happy to fly to India or Philippines for weddings, take 2 weeks off for honeymoons, blow $30,000 on rings and marital expenses, buy yourselves Audis and nice houses when you get to Canada and find good jobs.

Yes, absolutely!

But yes, driving 50 km for a citizenship ceremony and taking one day out of the 1095-3000 days it took to earn citizenship.

Nah. Too much.

No, that's fine. That's not the problem for me. It's the fear that I would have had to wait a number of extra months, or potentially even more than a year. (Sure, it may be an IRCC problem, but I don't hold much hope that IRCC will fix it before my number is up.)

You're so digital buddy. Why go travel when you can just YouTube and see places? It's free!

Indeed, traveling in person is much better. But, it's not the same as this situation - I can see a place on YouTube first and then travel later (say I have to wait due to obligations and needing time to save up funds, etc).

I'd be happy to do a zoom to get the citizenship and then an in-person "redo" even long and far in the future (to make room for folks who need to get it in person more urgently), alas afaik that's not an option. That being said...

It was about 30 minutes of this, and then she said "I'm happy and I'm going to put you in the citizenship queue" and asked if I wanted Zoom vs in-person. I was happy to wait 6 extra weeks.

Ah nice! If it really is just an extra six weeks that's not so bad, actually. That is really good to know!

Alas, I'm skeptical that it's universal - I suspect you got it a bit faster being in Saskatchewan. Meanwhile, I started the process in Toronto - the city that has nearly triple the population of your province - and suspect I'd be in for a much, much longer wait. (One of the perils of living in a big metropolis, I guess.)

I received a paper certificate on the day and they asked if I wanted to swap it for an e-certificate, it had to be one or the other. I kept the former as it looks nice, especially in my citizenship photo frame.

Very cool. Would be nice if it was a standing offer instead of a decision you have to make then and there. (I could trade my e-cert for a paper certificate in the future - though this might just make it easier for me to pick Zoom.)

Presiding over ceremonies is a CITIZENSHIP JUDGE'S JOB. You don't need to worry about them - the government pays them to do this and government workers have their gas bills covered.

Very true. But also, since you said,

anyone who chooses to do a virtual ceremony - unless they live far away from where they occur

I think that's a very fair compromise. Especially if the gov't ends up using armoured's suggestion to deputize citizenship judges - I can easily see those, especially in remote areas but really all over, being unpaid volunteers who simply believe in the mission. (I know, getting ahead of ourselves here. But hey/)

I forged my PR card and surrendered the real one. I didn't need to - IRCC staff on the day were chill and said I could have just given them a solemn oath if I had indeed lost it.

Good to know. I might consider doing what you did (if I only had reduced my PR card just once... sigh. Aside from time, the one good thing about doing it over zoom is that I only have to cut the card, but I get to keep the pieces, so I can just glue it back together. (It'll be a rough job and no one will ever confuse it with a valid PR card ever again - but I'm just keeping it for the memories.)

My interview was tough, she grilled me on everything. Example questions from memory:

When was your first time in Canada? (2012)
Why did you come to Canada for the first time?
Did you overstay in Canada?
Can you prove to me you never overstayed in Canada (I printed out all pages of 2 x passports to walk through this with her).
Do you remember applying for a work permit before you first came to Canada?
What did you do with that work permit?
When was the second time you applied for a work permit?
When did you land and activate your next work permit?
Did you come alone?
Where did you live?
What did you do?
What do you do now?
What is your marital status?
Have you filed taxes in the last three years?
Have you ever been in trouble with the police?

Wow. Thanks for this, this is really good to know.

My friend, I think there’s been a bit of a mix-up. I personally prefer to go to "In-person" oath ceremony. And I actually opted for it.

That said, I respect that everyone has different circumstances, and it’s not my place to judge anyone’s choice.

Agreed. I think the consensus though is that nearly everyone would do it in person if there was no delay (or only a trivial delay), but in practice folks are mainly opting for zoom to get to the finish line that much faster on citizenship.

 

[armoured]

I think the consensus though is that nearly everyone would do it in person if there was no delay (or only a trivial delay), but in practice folks are mainly opting for zoom to get to the finish line that much faster on citizenship.

I think the thing to remember is that it is the GOVERNMENT that came up with the zoom ceremonies, and then KEPT them, because of very large backlogs and difficultly of providing timely service for those awaiting citizenship. It is the GOVERNMENT that has decided it is more cost-efficient and effective to provide this service this way.

If they provide the option, it's up to applicants to decide for themselves. Period. Everything else is just prescriptive moralizing.

Now, personally, I would PREFER if they made in-person oaths easier and far lower waits. I also understand it may not be top priority when there are other, more important tasks outstanding on the immigration file.