Citizenship test: Collective action required, or expect endless delays, years. Example of the effective lobbyng of people awaiting spousal sponsorship

[piotrqc]

This situation is really horrible and regrettable ... It is really sad that happen here in a developed country like Canada ...

I really wish this pandemic gives IRCC and similar organizations time to reflect how outdated, inflexible and noncommunicative their systems were.

A reasonable delay was understandable since humanity didn't face a pandemic of this scale in 100 years. But this beyond reasonable delay coupled with absolute lack of communication is affecting lives. You can spend an eternity but cant convince me otherwise!

If the next step, (A demonstration on Saturday November 28 in Ottawa, in front of the parliament at 2:00 pm), does not work, we will have to seriously start considering the legal solution, and consult one or more lawyers ...

My discussions lead me to think that the organizers of the demonstration are very much in agreement with this ... And that will be the next step if nothing changes on the IRCC side.

I put here the intervention of our friend, the excellent @andy10 , who goes in the same direction. The organizers have also read it and fully approve.

no lotto is needed....you're talking about at least 85,000-100,000 people...i am sure if just a handful of them chip in...it won't cost that much...it should be the last resort though...a friend of mine consulted a lawyer and he said a lawsuit can be filed easily, specially that people paid for a service and got nothing in return...there is no guarantee PRs will win, but it will put pressure on the government…it's a win win situation...

People in the forum have to realize that before COVID, they usually held exams for 4-7K people across the country in a typical month...if they start doing that let's say in Dec...it will take them at least 13 months to process the backlog...assuming they will maintain the same numbers. of tests done in a month....it appears most people will get vaccinated by next Spring, which means most of PRs will take the test in early 2022 assuming IRCC doesn't step up its game...

Obviously, the government priority now is to bring more people to Canada to help recover the economy...they don't give a s#@t about PRs...cause they're stuck in Canada and they pay taxes...

 

[Seym]

Since August, only 12k out of 60k employees continue to exploit the 699.

Is this enough to justify the lack of tests on understaffing?

It's 12k or less out of 295k federal employees. 60k is just roughly the maximum amount of employees who used a 699 leave at a given time.
The last snapshot being 8483 employees, or 3% of the federal force.

Unless IRCC and it's ~7000 employees account for a really disproportionate % of those still under leave compared to the other 83 organizations impacted by this (and why would it be?), doesn't look that significant tbh.

 

[deadbird]

Since we spoke yesterday about BQ's bill on the french language obligation for citizenship in Quebec...
Well, this (in french, sorry!) probably confirms that it will generate nothing but noise :
https://www.msn.com/fr-ca/actualites/quebec-canada/le-français-ne-deviendra-pas-une-exigence-pour-obtenir-la-citoyenneté-depuis-le-québec/ar-BB1baJ7D

What's eyebrow raising is that the conservative are supporting the Bloq. Their leadership clearly sucks at French - https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/this-is-painful-as-hell-conservative-leadership-debate-earns-candidates-mixed-reviews-for-french-skills

Just politics as usual I suppose. Enemy of my enemy is my friend. Join the Bloq to oppose the liberals and NDP.

Meanwhile lives of immigrants are being toyed with.

 

[Das67]

What's eyebrow raising is that the conservative are supporting the Bloq. Their leadership clearly sucks at French - https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/this-is-painful-as-hell-conservative-leadership-debate-earns-candidates-mixed-reviews-for-french-skills

Just politics as usual I suppose. Enemy of my enemy is my friend. Join the Bloq to oppose the liberals and NDP.

Meanwhile lives of immigrants are being toyed with.

Very funny that they want to force french to immigrants living in Quebec and applying for citizenship, meanwhile if you read the article even on top-level they can't speak good French or speak very limited french.

 

[Dana.D]

Hello All,

The below post was posted today in the "Advocates for Resumption of Canadian Citizenship test":

Once again we have been contacted by an immigration journalist from The Star who wants contact info of people who would like to share their compelling stories on how test cancellation is affecting them and their families. Please contact/inbox us or email (advocatescitizenshiptest@gmail.com) your number and email address if you are willing to share your story without anonymity. We will send it to the journalist who will get in touch if your story qualifies. It will be of great help to our cause. Thanks so much.

If anyone has a story they wanna share plz do. That's the best way for us to make our voices heard.

Thank you

 

[EUK]

https://parlvu.parl.gc.ca/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20201119/-1/34185?Language=English&Stream=Video

Listen from 17:54.

Good to know that they are working on it.

 

[Fawny43]

So great for those who want to live in Quebec if they speak French but listening to how they are still not doing testing or Interviews is the same old same old, nothing new even if this speaker did say they are working on online testing, but what about the interview portion, nothing about that and if you don't interview, well your still not any closer, you still have to interview before you get your citizenship. Nothing said about that. Just another backlog and not getting any further information.

 

[rafzy]

https://parlvu.parl.gc.ca/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20201119/-1/34185?Language=English&Stream=Video

Listen from 17:54.

Good to know that they are working on it.

I don't buy ircc fake speeches unless online tests are started for everyone

 

[deadbird]

https://parlvu.parl.gc.ca/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20201119/-1/34185?Language=English&Stream=Video

Listen from 17:54.

Good to know that they are working on it.

So I watched the entire video (it's extremely boring! spoiler alert). A liberal MP spoke on the topic of resumption of tests and said generally positive things, including the govt working towards online tests. But she did so totally unprompted i.e. no one asked her about it. The speech also seemed prepared and it seems like those talking points were not her own.

No one asked her. So why did she feel it was necessary to mention it?

To me this signals that the pressure campaign is working. Regardless of whether it's twitter, contacting MPs or protests, the government machinery is beginning to stir. It's certainly having an impact. The media wing of the govt or internal emails in the liberal government are certainly talking about it.

Let's keep it up. It's beginning to deliver results!

 

[piotrqc]

So I watched the entire video (it's extremely boring! spoiler alert). A liberal MP spoke on the topic of resumption of tests and said generally positive things, including the govt working towards online tests. But she did so totally unprompted i.e. no one asked her about it. The speech also seemed prepared and it seems like those talking points were not her own.

No one asked her. So why did she feel it was necessary to mention it?

To me this signals that the pressure campaign is working. Regardless of whether it's twitter, contacting MPs or protests, the government machinery is beginning to stir. It's certainly having an impact. The media wing of the govt or internal emails in the liberal government are certainly talking about it.

Let's keep it up. It's beginning to deliver results!

You are right, this intervention is a very good indicator for us that the pressures have worked ...

Especially since the deputy in question who spoke is not just any deputy, but it is Soraya Martinez Ferrada, who also has the title of '' Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Marco Mendicino '' *

This is an excellent indicator for us, and a sign that we must not let go of the pressure now along the way!

, Piotr.

* See here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soraya_Martinez_Ferrada#Career

She also here, for the '' Parliamentary Secretary function : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_secretary#Canada

 

[piotrqc]

What is happening is a real counter-argument against all the people who were trying to discourage us and tell us that we should just shut up and be happy to be here ... Their concern was surely not the health and the safety of the employees of IRCC ...
It was just hidden racism, I'm convinced of that.

I'm not naive, or fooled, or stupid: Nothing has changed with the speech of the deputy responsible for immigration, and we have no precise and clear date, or a precise plan with a clear timetable for resuming the tests of citizenship ...

We must therefore continue the pressure relentlessly, and by all legitimate means ... The spousal sponsors were lucid, and we did what was necessary very early (and moreover continue to organize demonstrations and put pressure on , even if all their requests seem to have been fulfilled!) ...

We also did the right thing ... I personally can't wait for this nightmare to end quickly, and to finally be able to feel fully a citizen of this beautiful country, to be able to contribute to the policies of my country by fulfilling my civic duty to vote , and finally be able to say that I am at home, de jure (by power of the law) ...

But I am and I already feel at home, de facto.

, Piotr.

 

[Dana.D]

Just a quick question to everyone.
While being granted citizenship is a privilege, having your application processed is a paid for service and getting paid for a service you won't provide is punishable by law. So do you think a lawsuit is the thing we need to do about this? Are there any lawyers here who can answer this question?

 

[piotrqc]

Interesting message in '' November - 2019 '' thread, thank to our friend @acerbico423 for the effort.

I have submitted a request under 'access to information' act to get more details on what is holding IRCC back and if they have any plans on citizenship test resumption. I would suggest everyone to file their own queries using this channel. it costs $5.

 

[anton1990]

Just a quick question to everyone.
While being granted citizenship is a privilege, having your application processed is a paid for service and getting paid for a service you won't provide is punishable by law. So do you think a lawsuit is the thing we need to do about this? Are there any lawyers here who can answer this question?

I think u need patience. Tomorrow CIC can change application proccessing to 24 or 36 months.

Here is example, i bought a ticket for a flight that leaves at 5am. The flight left 5pm
Now @Dana.D answer mathematical question, how often do you hear a passenger suing the airline?

Another example, the case will be weak. Are you trying to sue on behalf of all citizenship applicants? Or just youraelf? You see my point.

 

[Dana.D]

I think u need patience. Tomorrow CIC can change application proccessing to 24 or 36 months.

Here is example, i bought a ticket for a flight that leaves at 5am. The flight left 5pm
Now @Dana.D answer mathematical question, how often do you hear a passenger suing the airline?

Another example, the case will be weak. Are you trying to sue on behalf of all citizenship applicants? Or just youraelf? You see my point.

And that's all what we are looking for. Just a clear communication!
Airlines communicate their delays or cancelation and expected new timings. We don't want them to resume tests tomorrow but at least give us a time line so people would know what to expect. Let it be 2, 3 , 10 years whatever. But we paid for the service we deserve to know when they will provide it by law.