Loulou79 said:
Hello,
I'm trying to figure out why does it take longer for some applications to be processed.
Is it really random?
Ex-UAE residents please share your experience with us. I used to live in the UAE and I only worked for a year here in Canada. I know that my processing time might seem short to some of u, but I noticed here that some ppl who applied in Mississauga had their Oath letter issued the say day and took the test!!
A friend of mine who also resides in Mississauga had her test on Nov 9 and the oath letter issued on No 10. The oath is on Dec 2nd!!family of 4 who originally applied under the Quebec Skilled Worker Program.
Does the lack of activities (work/Study) affect the process??
Being an ex-resident of the UAE, Do u think ur process was longer because of that? My officer immediately wrote "UAE resident" in my file and off course asked if I still had a valid visa there.
Trying to understand what raises the red flags in the citizenship application.
please share ur experience or ur friends experience with us. Thanks
No, it is
NOT Random, even if the factors are so many with variable effects, varying from individual to individual, from region to region, from one local office to another, from one time period to another, it may appear to be random or at least not readily correlated with an identifiable cause.
Regarding variable timelines for routine processing within the same local office:
Many of the reasons or circumstances leading to vagaries in processing times are not obvious and tend to have a variable impact depending, in turn, on other factors or circumstances, resulting in what appears to be unexplained differences in how long processing takes. Which is to recognize there are indeed factors, circumstances, or reasons why the timeline is different, but it is often very difficult if not impossible to identify those reasons, let alone forecast what will affect the timeline going forward or how the timeline will be affected or who in particular will be affected. (Well, we can readily identify some of the more obvious factors with a general idea about the impact; thus for example it was no surprise that processing would slow in the months leading up to the election last year, with the result that most applicants would likely face a longer timeline than the median had in the six to twelve previous months. Another slowdown can be anticipated when the new 3/5 rule is implemented, which is likely to result in a sudden surge of new applications.)
For an example of how timelines can vary from one time period to another, note that a huge percentage of applicants in 2011 and 2012 got bogged down in processing times
years longer than those who applied in other years. That is perhaps the most salient example, but even within the course of any given year, the routine processing timeline can be significantly different for those who applied in the spring versus those who applied in late summer.
Mississauga is one of those local offices which, in addition to a specific area around Mississauga, it also handles applications for many more distant places typically provided itinerant services, and it is apparent that timelines for applications processed in the Mississauga office can vary extensively. Even though I live more than a thousand km away from Mississauga, that is the office which processed my application. At a time when it appears that a large percentage of
routine applications being processed in Mississauga were taking well over a year, approaching two years, many others were nonetheless taking barely six to ten months, mine taking barely eight months (summer 2013 application; oath early 2014).
Variations specific to individual factors or circumstances are particularly difficult to identify except for the differences related to routine versus non-routine processing. For example, historically (at least for a period of years) residency or working (after becoming a PR) in certain countries or regions (including the ME, and for non-U.S. citizens, residing or working in the U.S.) appeared to significantly elevate the risk of RQ, which is non-routine processing of a sort tending to result in a much longer processing timeline. It is difficult to discern the impact of such circumstances these days since there are far fewer reports of RQ or even CIT 0520 requests.
My guess is that if the circumstance (work history in UAE for example) does not trigger non-routine processing (RQ or CIT 0520 request), it may be something which triggers somewhat elevated scrutiny and cross-checking, with some impact on the timeline but not a lot unless it triggers an inquiry to someone other than the Citizenship Officer assessing the application. Thus, my guess is that this is something which might, but not necessarily will, result in a longer timeline, ranging from a little longer to a number of months longer . . . unless, again, RQ or a CIT 0520 is issued, which tips the application into non-routine processing and potentially much longer delays.
And, yes, some aspects of the applicant's work or address history, for example, might invite more scrutiny even if it does not trigger non-routine processing. So some delay might result, for example, if the Citizenship Officer needs to do a little more cross-checking (they can and clearly sometimes do things like conduct internet queries seeking information about applicants, and for applications handled this way it seems likely they are separated from those more or less promptly cleared to take the oath and will thus take a little longer . . . potentially significantly longer if the reviewing Officer decides to make referrals or inquiries to others).
Of course there are some chance elements. Background clearances, for example, tend to be referred in batches (up to a hundred at a time last internal information I have seen about this, which is now information more than three years old), so perhaps there can be weeks or months differences depending on which batch referral the applicant was part of. And of course how long it takes for either the RCMP or CSIS to submit the clearance to IRCC can vary from time to time as well as from individual to individual. I do not know, but I suspect, for example, that for applicants with ties or history in the ME, CSIS might indeed take longer to return the background check referral to IRCC.
All of which, I realize, does not really provide any concrete let alone definitive answer to the question what triggers longer processing times. The most we know is that the timelines vary, and can actually vary by a lot. As I noted, three years ago when my application was in process, the timeline for routinely processed applications in Mississauga varied from six months to two years . . . my strong sense is that the range itself is now shorter, at least that it is not likely to be anywhere near two years (for a
routinely processed application), but probably still varies considerably.
