Citizenship approved in December 2025 but no oath invite yet. Applied in July 2025 and approaching 9 months of mark (and 3+ months since LPP).

[RohanKumar007]

Hi All,

I am from Montreal with Vancouver primary office. My citizenship application was approved (LPP) complete in December 2025. I saw many people who applied in July 2025 and had Vancouver as primary office seeing delays post LPP (Calgary, Ottawa, Kitchner) months post LPP and spanning application to oath of 8 to 10 months.

I saw many Montreal applicants with Vancouver office from July 1st week to mid receive oath invite during Feb start and end, but none recently. Saw some Vancouver location people under Vancouver office who applied in July end and August 1st week receive invite last week. So was hoping I might get something this week (as there might be more ceremonies in citizenship week) but unfortunately dont seem to be the case.

I was reading sometimes due to system glitch files are not assigned to officers, and for months post LPP files are not touched till deadline is hit. But it appears highly unlikely so many files or batch would be under such glitch. So just wondering others experience on this. Any input would be helpful.

Thanks

 

[armoured]

Hi All,

I am from Montreal with Vancouver primary office. My citizenship application was approved (LPP) complete in December 2025. I saw many people who applied in July 2025 and had Vancouver as primary office seeing delays post LPP (Calgary, Ottawa, Kitchner) months post LPP and spanning application to oath of 8 to 10 months.

I saw many Montreal applicants with Vancouver office from July 1st week to mid receive oath invite during Feb start and end, but none recently. Saw some Vancouver location people under Vancouver office who applied in July end and August 1st week receive invite last week. So was hoping I might get something this week (as there might be more ceremonies in citizenship week) but unfortunately dont seem to be the case.

I was reading sometimes due to system glitch files are not assigned to officers, and for months post LPP files are not touched till deadline is hit. But it appears highly unlikely so many files or batch would be under such glitch. So just wondering others experience on this. Any input would be helpful.

Thanks

Personally I think the 'Vancouver office' thing is a complete red herring and nothing to do with it - just that Vancouver is or seems to be the office for security clearance/criminal clearances (most anyway), and most files seem to get 'assigned' there for a while.

 

[RohanKumar007]

Personally I think the 'Vancouver office' thing is a complete red herring and nothing to do with it - just that Vancouver is or seems to be the office for security clearance/criminal clearances (most anyway), and most files seem to get 'assigned' there for a while.

Do you think contacting MP would help? I know they cannot help with cases where background or criminal checks are pending. But this seems to be a case of office simply sitting on an approved file for months. I have heard Vancuover at times is notorious for holding files for month.

Someone even suggested requested GCMS notes might trigger activity leading to possibly oath invite?

 

[armoured]

Do you think contacting MP would help? I know they cannot help with cases where background or criminal checks are pending. But this seems to be a case of office simply sitting on an approved file for months. I have heard Vancuover at times is notorious for holding files for month.

Someone even suggested requested GCMS notes might trigger activity leading to possibly oath invite?

Bluntly, probably not. You applied in June. It's still well within normal timeframes, even from when they were shorter.

Again, "I have heard Vancuover at times is notorious for holding files for month." If all files that are delayed are at a stage where they go through Vancouver - because of function, not some random allocation thing - then they're held up because of the function.

But sure, try GCMS notes. And try your MP if you like. Probably won't find anything out or make any difference, but why not?

 

[RohanKumar007]

Bluntly, probably not. You applied in June. It's still well within normal timeframes, even from when they were shorter.

Again, "I have heard Vancuover at times is notorious for holding files for month." If all files that are delayed are at a stage where they go through Vancouver - because of function, not some random allocation thing - then they're held up because of the function.

But sure, try GCMS notes. And try your MP if you like. Probably won't find anything out or make any difference, but why not?

Did contact MP and she said processing time is 13 months. Even if you have to wait for 8 to 9 months post LPP/citizenship grant just for oath its reasonable.

I just asked her if it is scheduling issue then why October and November applicants are getting ceremonies while July applicants with LPP in December are awaiting ceremony at same location. Issue is Montreal prioritize their own files first.

Saw a case where husband and wife applied on same day, but wife applied with 2 kids. Both got LPP around Jan 2026. Husband file was in Montreal office and he got oath done in February and her wife is still waiting for oath invite as her file went to Vancouver office.

Montreal kind of treats its files as FIFO, and keep arranging files for oath. So most people end of oath within 4 weeks of LPP. While Vancouver seems to make batches for 2 to 3 months and then transfer files at once to Calgary/Montreal in one shot. Then those places take their own 3 to 5 weeks.

i saw lot of Calgary applicants with June and July applicantion, with LPP In Nov and Dec 2025 get oath invites 2 week back after waiting for 4 to 5 monyhs post LPP. That creates rhe backlog.

 

[armoured]

Did contact MP and she said processing time is 13 months. Even if you have to wait for 8 to 9 months post LPP/citizenship grant just for oath its reasonable.

This basically amounts to an agreement between MPs and IRCC that they won't overload the system with requests - and the way they do it as by not asking about ones that are (by construction) 'normal.' And the normal is defined as ... less than the processing time posted.

I just asked her if it is scheduling issue then why October and November applicants are getting ceremonies while July applicants with LPP in December are awaiting ceremony at same location. Issue is Montreal prioritize their own files first.

Saw a case where husband and wife applied on same day, but wife applied with 2 kids. Both got LPP around Jan 2026. Husband file was in Montreal office and he got oath done in February and her wife is still waiting for oath invite as her file went to Vancouver office.

Montreal kind of treats its files as FIFO, and keep arranging files for oath. So most people end of oath within 4 weeks of LPP. While Vancouver seems to make batches for 2 to 3 months and then transfer files at once to Calgary/Montreal in one shot. Then those places take their own 3 to 5 weeks.

i saw lot of Calgary applicants with June and July applicantion, with LPP In Nov and Dec 2025 get oath invites 2 week back after waiting for 4 to 5 monyhs post LPP. That creates rhe backlog.

Personally I find - and have repeatedly stated- that the speculation about what each office means/does and how it relates to the files' handling times is mostly noise. Esp re Vancouver, and mostly around the oath scheduling times, too. It doesn't seem productive to me.

But if you want to spend time on that, fine by me.

 

[RohanKumar007]

This basically amounts to an agreement between MPs and IRCC that they won't overload the system with requests - and the way they do it as by not asking about ones that are (by construction) 'normal.' And the normal is defined as ... less than the processing time posted.

Personally I find - and have repeatedly stated- that the speculation about what each office means/does and how it relates to the files' handling times is mostly noise. Esp re Vancouver, and mostly around the oath scheduling times, too. It doesn't seem productive to me.

But if you want to spend time on that, fine by me.

Well, you do try to make sense of things right. For 1 months post LPP I never cared. But waiting 4 to 6 months post LPP for oath is stupid as it puts life on hold. IRCC says re-scheduling if you are out of country or something, but there are horror stories of 1 to 2 years of wait for re-scheduling. And LPP and criminal checks expiring, they re-doing everything turning it into vicious cycle.

 

[Seym]

Well, you do try to make sense of things right. For 1 months post LPP I never cared. But waiting 4 to 6 months post LPP for oath is stupid as it puts life on hold. IRCC says re-scheduling if you are out of country or something, but there are horror stories of 1 to 2 years of wait for re-scheduling. And LPP and criminal checks expiring, they re-doing everything turning it into vicious cycle.

Well, here's the thing : your expectations are unreasonable. You're still significantly under the current average processing, and under the IRCC service standard for citizenship, 12 months : https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...service-declaration/service-standards.html#a5

Your frustration is understandable, and it's okay to vent, but no, IRCC isn't putting your life on hold. Anything earlier than a year of processing should be seen as a bonus. Yeah, it may affect some plans, vacations and all, but it's what it is. There are still daily posts in the 2023 applicants thread, that's what seeing IRCC put your life on hold actually is, and I know, a family member of mine went through 2.5 years of processing and got their citizenship very recently.

All of this to say : relax, it's coming soon. No need to look at others. Yeah, a significant percentage of applicants get the citizenship in 4 to 6 months or so, but focusing on them, or the minutae of how things go in each processing center, or even on when each step of the way got cleared for your own application, is not only noise, but stress inducing, and self-inflicted.

Hope you get your oath invitation very soon. Good luck.

 

[armoured]

Well, you do try to make sense of things right.

It's understandable, but the potential problem is that 'trying to make sense of things' means seeing patterns where they aren't. We are heuristic machines and really want to understand stuff, to find the key. (I do this myself).

But when it comes to the offices and what they do and what issues are happening - I see a lot more noise than signal - very little explanatory information from the office allocations, a lot of speculation and off-base stuff, and so very little utility.

Perhaps I'm wrong though. Feel free to continue. I just dont find it useful.

 

[RohanKumar007]

Well, here's the thing : your expectations are unreasonable. You're still significantly under the current average processing, and under the IRCC service standard for citizenship, 12 months : https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...service-declaration/service-standards.html#a5

Your frustration is understandable, and it's okay to vent, but no, IRCC isn't putting your life on hold. Anything earlier than a year of processing should be seen as a bonus. Yeah, it may affect some plans, vacations and all, but it's what it is. There are still daily posts in the 2023 applicants thread, that's what seeing IRCC put your life on hold actually is, and I know, a family member of mine went through 2.5 years of processing and got their citizenship very recently.

All of this to say : relax, it's coming soon. No need to look at others. Yeah, a significant percentage of applicants get the citizenship in 4 to 6 months or so, but focusing on them, or the minutae of how things go in each processing center, or even on when each step of the way got cleared for your own application, is not only noise, but stress inducing, and self-inflicted.

Hope you get your oath invitation very soon. Good luck.

Thanks. But I believe standard timeline is a conservative side as lot of external agencies are needed - CSIS, CRA, CBSA and also to protect IRCC from legal lawsuits. I know many people wait for years, but it is not hands of IRCC as they are flagged for advance BG checks. Advance BG checks take time, my last employer filed for my security clearance and since I had not lived long enough in Canada, they told me advance BG checks to be done. Took me 21 months to get clearance.

I am not being demanding or unreasonable, as if my application was stuck in BG/criminality checks, i knew even IRCC is helpless as they need CSIS clearence. I don't mind waiting 4 or 5 months just for oath if there is huge backlog and say I see in April 2026 people who applied in April 2025 are getting oath done. But from same location, if you see people who applied months after you, makes no sense. This gives impression there is no order and even after 12 months there is no guarantee no one even listens to you.

Maybe it is part of my education and job, to find answers or look or patterns which has gone in my collective thinking and the way my brain is wired. I do appreciate you took time and explain in elaborate detail.

 

[RohanKumar007]

It's understandable, but the potential problem is that 'trying to make sense of things' means seeing patterns where they aren't. We are heuristic machines and really want to understand stuff, to find the key. (I do this myself).
The is
But when it comes to the offices and what they do and what issues are happening - I see a lot more noise than signal - very little explanatory information from the office allocations, a lot of speculation and off-base stuff, and so very little utility.

Perhaps I'm wrong though. Feel free to continue. I just dont find it useful.

Well it's useless. The issue is if there is a pattern, you know system will come to you even if it takes time. There are horrible stories of IRCC and how things go wrong after files are approved but never get pushed. Yes, if you are undergoing advance BG checks, you know IRCC is also helpless and they need CSIS clearance. You are stuck at that point.

I honestly never cared about citizenship process till I got LPP done as I knew things were moving. To me it is more scary when everything is done, then there is a real chance of being forgotten and you cannot do anything. I know this happens to maybe 2% of cases or less. But based on my timeline (LPP to Oath wait), I think I am entering the tail (or 10% case where 90% of LPP to oath people are done). So anomaly to outlier aren't that far off. Maybe thinking in statistics and connecting dots has become part of me, due to my education and profession. I have stopped looking at tracker, I know it does not impact IRCC health but does impact mine, but I am unable to be at that stage where days pass without me thinking of application status.

And IRCC is a wall, even after 12 months you cannot do anything except waiting for 6 months and then going for mandamus.