Is it ok to leave Canada after citizenship application but before AOR?

[Maruchan]

My wife just applied for Canada citizenship. We are waiting for AOR but the application got returned asking for a new photo (even though the photo satisfied all requirements). She has to travel to home country and stay there for 6 months. I understand its ok to leave Canada after citizenship application but is it ok to leave before getting AOR? She has plenty of physical presence days.

 

[Miss bee]

My wife just applied for Canada citizenship. We are waiting for AOR but the application got returned asking for a new photo (even though the photo satisfied all requirements). She has to travel to home country and stay there for 6 months. I understand its ok to leave Canada after citizenship application but is it ok to leave before getting AOR? She has plenty of physical presence days.

Yes you can however for test , you can't give it outside unless it's approved by IRCC . You have to let them know if you got citizenship test in these 6 months.

 

[m34]

My wife just applied for Canada citizenship. We are waiting for AOR but the application got returned asking for a new photo (even though the photo satisfied all requirements). She has to travel to home country and stay there for 6 months. I understand its ok to leave Canada after citizenship application but is it ok to leave before getting AOR? She has plenty of physical presence days.

Yes she can leave and yes she can take the test outside Canada, but she has to inform IRCC (this will be indicated in the test invitation letter). Keep in mind she may still be asked for interview or provide fingerprints at some point, which require her to be physicaly present in Canada.

 

[sodapop123]

Yes she can leave and yes she can take the test outside Canada, but she has to inform IRCC (this will be indicated in the test invitation letter). Keep in mind she may still be asked for interview or provide fingerprints at some point, which require her to be physicaly present in Canada.

Yes you can however for test , you can't give it outside unless it's approved by IRCC . You have to let them know if you got citizenship test in these 6 months.

Adding to OP's original question....


What are the chances that the citizenship test invite will be in person (for the first attempt/invite) ?

• After reading through folks experiences the past year, my understanding is : it's essentially almost always an online invite nowadays and if there's a failed attempt/'test not accepted', then one gets called in for an in-person test + possible interview.
• Is my understanding correct ?

Does anyone have an idea about what stage fingerprints are usually requested, if at all (most likely scenario - i get that every case is different and things change) ?

• My understanding is the process kinda sorta goes in this order : Submit citizenship application > receive AOR > Background check gets initiated soon after > then one gets a Fingerprints request (if at all) > then one gets Invited to take the test (which can be done abroad)
• We can't be 100 % sure of anything, but does it seem about right ?

Reason for asking :

• Just trying to forecast approximately when i might need to be in Canada, with whatever information i have available, so i can plan a couple of vacations in early & mid 2026 with the least disruption to plans (as far as possible).
• My current plan is to book my flights/visas/hotels etc., roughly 3.5 to 4 months after when i actually submitted my application and if things go smooth, I'd have completed the fingerprints process while in Canada and maybe even my online test before i travel (but that's a secondary concern, since we know it can be done abroad)

 

[m34]

For your second question, it can happen a few days to a few weeks after AOR. In our case, the request was sent 6 weeks after AOR.

Nowadays, AOR takes about 2 months.

For your first question, while I don’t have a specific answer, the test invitation is almost always online. An attempt that is invalidated by IRCC is then administered by an agent over MS teams. Look at IRCC information page about the test, they always refer to an online test.

 

[sodapop123]

For your second question, it can happen a few days to a few weeks after AOR. In our case, the request was sent 6 weeks after AOR.

Thanks for sharing your experience/thoughts, that helps !

Would you happen to know how much time after getting your fingerprints taken, did it take to show up as 'completed' on your tracker/IRCCs end ?

Nowadays, AOR takes about 2 months.

Agreed. I assumed the same in my rough estimate 3.5 to 4 months, before any travel.

• 2 to 2.5 months for AOR +
• 1 to 1.5 months to receive & complete fingerprints stuff (and possibly the online test as well)

I'm obviously open to changing my plans (if the situation demands, since this process takes priority), but hoping to avoid that whole mess as best as i can. Hopefully after 4 months i would only need to be back in person for the oath ceremony.

 

[m34]

My wife gave her fingerprints back in June and her background check isn’t completed yet.

 

[sodapop123]

My wife gave her fingerprints back in June and her background check isn’t completed yet.

Ah gotcha ! Guess there's no separate updates for the fingerprints stage itself (once submitted to RCMP, I just consider it good and travel as needed). It's all within the overall background check stage in the tracker.

Thanks & Good luck !

 

[m34]

There is normally a ghost update a few days later after fp submission which likely marks receipt of fp by ircc fro rcmp

 

[bond7890]

My wife just applied for Canada citizenship. We are waiting for AOR but the application got returned asking for a new photo (even though the photo satisfied all requirements). She has to travel to home country and stay there for 6 months. I understand its ok to leave Canada after citizenship application but is it ok to leave before getting AOR? She has plenty of physical presence days.

out of curiosity, was the application returned same day or after few days?