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March - 2018 Citizenship Applicants

Fallen_Warrior

Hero Member
May 16, 2013
287
121
After 2 years and 6 months;
Passed the exam on April 2019 Still in process
What is the best method to officially follow up my application?
Should I go to my MP or talk with an agent (If they answer) ?
I appreciate your help in advance
File the Federal Court application through a lawyer. That's the only way out - quickly!
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,252
3,018
After 2 years and 6 months;
Passed the exam on April 2019 Still in process
What is the best method to officially follow up my application?
Should I go to my MP or talk with an agent (If they answer) ?
I appreciate your help in advance
In general, right now everything is in limbo. Some procedural progress is being made, but mostly the system is still bogged down by Covid-19 response measures and related delays. So for now, there is not much anyone with a long-pending, in process application can do . . . not other than what they have been doing . . . WAIT and SEE.

In respect to your application, more personally, you have posted similar queries before, going back a year or so, and it appears you have already done things like make inquiries with the IRCC telephone Help Centre. Obviously, applicants can check the status of their application in eCas, call the Help Centre and ask about the status of their application, or request the MP's office make inquiries. Sometimes, the anecdotal reports suggest, this appears to trigger action. Most times, all the applicant accomplishes is getting affirmation the application is "in process," with little or no additional detail. Checking eCas periodically helps to make sure the applicant has not missed some communication from IRCC. Making a Help Centre or webform inquiry after particularly lengthy delays is prudent, even if all it does is likewise affirm the application is still "in process." Except for right now, given that (again) everything is in limbo and the system is still largely bogged down by Covid-19 response measures and related delays.


EVENTUALLY . . . IF and WHEN IRCC has largely (even if not completely) resumed near-routine processing:

There is "official" recourse available if and when IRCC fails to do what the law requires. The law does require IRCC to reasonably process and take appropriate action on a PR's application for a grant of citizenship.

As @Fallen_Warrior suggests, an applicant can apply to the Federal Court for a Writ of Mandamus, seeking an order from the Federal Court compelling IRCC to proceed with the application, or in proper circumstances even an order compelling the Minister to grant citizenship. Both the formal and practical hurdles for this are HIGH. Making a successful application for Mandamus is DIFFICULT. The procedure is difficult enough that it is virtually impossible to do this without a lawyer. The substantive law governing grant citizenship applications also makes it very difficult to qualify for a Writ of Mandamus, making it doubly important to have a particularly reputable, competent, and experienced lawyer. (A lawyer acquaintance, who was then clerking for a judge, once told me that more than half the applications for Mandamus were rejected due to procedural defects in the applications, and these were writ applications made by lawyers [for various causes, most not even about the more difficult citizenship context] . . . to say the procedure is so difficult as to demand a particularly well-qualified lawyer is NO exaggeration.)

Among the procedural requirements for obtaining Mandamus is a proper demand on the Minister to take appropriate, legally required action. Even this technical, procedural step is tricky. Just making this demand practically necessitates the involvement of a qualified lawyer. That noted, if there is indeed real cause and such a demand is properly presented, historically it appears that IRCC will proceed and it will not be necessary to actually take the case to the Federal Court.

REAL CAUSE is a REAL HURDLE. Which leads this back to the current situation. Everything is in limbo, at least to some extent, mostly a rather significant extent. Right now it would be rather difficult, perhaps nearly impossible, to convince the Federal Court that ongoing delays in processing a grant citizenship application is unreasonable.

So I disagree with the @Fallen_Warrior "quickly" suggestion. No, the opposite. For now, for as long as things continue to be heavily bogged down due to Covid-19, and probably for some time beyond that as IRCC deals with the huge backlog there already is, let alone the backlog there will be by the time near-routine levels of processing can resume, for quite awhile to come, the name-of-the-game remains WAIT and SEE. Even for those who have already endured a very long processing time. Hard to see any Federal Court justice agreeing that processing delays in the current situation are so unreasonable as to warrant judicial intervention.

Would be OK to consult with a lawyer in the meantime. Given the timeline in your case BEFORE the Covid-19 slowdown, probably a good idea to see and CONSULT with a lawyer anyway.



I am sure @dpenabill can provide some advice.
I do not "provide advice."

Emphasizing the distinction between giving advice and offering information may seem overly formal, technical, perhaps even hyper-technical. It is, however, actually an important distinction. I have addressed this often. I make a concerted effort to frame my observations and comments so they stay on the information-with-some-analysis side of the line. Without revisiting the relevant caveats and cautions again, one aspect of this demands repetition with emphasis: no one should rely on "advice" offered in a forum like this, not from me and not from anyone else posting here . . . what is offered here may be useful, and hopefully often is useful, in terms of increasing the information-base someone has and can use to help them better understand their situation, figure out how to find and verify official and authoritative information relevant to their situation, and make better decisions for themselves, which may include the decision to seek and obtain PROFESSIONAL services from persons who are authorized and competent to provide "advice."
 
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mafshinfar

Star Member
Jul 11, 2015
109
27
In general, right now everything is in limbo. Some procedural progress is being made, but mostly the system is still bogged down by Covid-19 response measures and related delays. So for now, there is not much anyone with a long-pending, in process application can do . . . not other than what they have been doing . . . WAIT and SEE.

In respect to your application, more personally, you have posted similar queries before, going back a year or so, and it appears you have already done things like make inquiries with the IRCC telephone Help Centre. Obviously, applicants can check the status of their application in eCas, call the Help Centre and ask about the status of their application, or request the MP's office make inquiries. Sometimes, the anecdotal reports suggest, this appears to trigger action. Most times, all the applicant accomplishes is getting affirmation the application is "in process," with little or no additional detail. Checking eCas periodically helps to make sure the applicant has not missed some communication from IRCC. Making a Help Centre or webform inquiry after particularly lengthy delays is prudent, even if all it does is likewise affirm the application is still "in process." Except for right now, given that (again) everything is in limbo and the system is still largely bogged down by Covid-19 response measures and related delays.


EVENTUALLY . . . IF and WHEN IRCC has largely (even if not completely) resumed near-routine processing:

There is "official" recourse available if and when IRCC fails to do what the law requires. The law does require IRCC to reasonably process and take appropriate action on a PR's application for a grant of citizenship.

As @Fallen_Warrior suggests, an applicant can apply to the Federal Court for a Writ of Mandamus, seeking an order from the Federal Court compelling IRCC to proceed with the application, or in proper circumstances even an order compelling the Minister to grant citizenship. Both the formal and practical hurdles for this are HIGH. Making a successful application for Mandamus is DIFFICULT. The procedure is difficult enough that it is virtually impossible to do this without a lawyer. The substantive law governing grant citizenship applications also makes it very difficult to qualify for a Writ of Mandamus, making it doubly important to have a particularly reputable, competent, and experienced lawyer. (A lawyer acquaintance, who was then clerking for a judge, once told me that more than half the applications for Mandamus were rejected due to procedural defects in the applications, and these were writ applications made by lawyers [for various causes, most not even about the more difficult citizenship context] . . . to say the procedure is so difficult as to demand a particularly well-qualified lawyer is NO exaggeration.)

Among the procedural requirements for obtaining Mandamus is a proper demand on the Minister to take appropriate, legally required action. Even this technical, procedural step is tricky. Just making this demand practically necessitates the involvement of a qualified lawyer. That noted, if there is indeed real cause and such a demand is properly presented, historically it appears that IRCC will proceed and it will not be necessary to actually take the case to the Federal Court.

REAL CAUSE is a REAL HURDLE. Which leads this back to the current situation. Everything is in limbo, at least to some extent, mostly a rather significant extent. Right now it would be rather difficult, perhaps nearly impossible, to convince the Federal Court that ongoing delays in processing a grant citizenship application is unreasonable.

So I disagree with the @Fallen_Warrior "quickly" suggestion. No, the opposite. For now, for as long as things continue to be heavily bogged down due to Covid-19, and probably for some time beyond that as IRCC deals with the huge backlog there already is, let alone the backlog there will be by the time near-routine levels of processing can resume, for quite awhile to come, the name-of-the-game remains WAIT and SEE. Even for those who have already endured a very long processing time. Hard to see any Federal Court justice agreeing that processing delays in the current situation are so unreasonable as to warrant judicial intervention.

Would be OK to consult with a lawyer in the meantime. Given the timeline in your case BEFORE the Covid-19 slowdown, probably a good idea to see and CONSULT with a lawyer anyway.





I do not "provide advice."

Emphasizing the distinction between giving advice and offering information may seem overly formal, technical, perhaps even hyper-technical. It is, however, actually an important distinction. I have addressed this often. I make a concerted effort to frame my observations and comments so they stay on the information-with-some-analysis side of the line. Without revisiting the relevant caveats and cautions again, one aspect of this demands repetition with emphasis: no one should rely on "advice" offered in a forum like this, not from me and not from anyone else posting here . . . what is offered here may be useful, and hopefully often is useful, in terms of increasing the information-base someone has and can use to help them better understand their situation, figure out how to find and verify official and authoritative information relevant to their situation, and make better decisions for themselves, which may include the decision to seek and obtain PROFESSIONAL services from persons who are authorized and competent to provide "advice."
Thanks for your complete response.
I will take that as a very helpful information that will help me to make a decision for further steps.
 

mafshinfar

Star Member
Jul 11, 2015
109
27
I talked with IRCC and they said again, everything is normal just wait and wait and wait
2 years and 7 months waiting. It seem this is the only solution
 

BOYX

Hero Member
May 5, 2017
436
221
Toronto, ON
After 30 Months (2 Years and Half) I can see the change on my application progress. From In process to Decision Made without any additional information.
Do you guys know about the next step? What is a time frame for receiving email or how they invite to oath or any same experience here.

Thanks
Great news!

I suggest you create a separate post for this so your question receives more attention. Good luck!
 

mafshinfar

Star Member
Jul 11, 2015
109
27
After almost 3 Years I received oath invitation (Virtual) email (+ 3 Years to be eligible for sending citizenship application)
Very effective process IRCC , Good Job!!!! and this was before Covid, Think about applications after Covid Long Long Long Waiting time.
Application: March 2018
Test: April 2019
Oath: 27 November 2020
Thanks all in this forum
 

Fallen_Warrior

Hero Member
May 16, 2013
287
121
After almost 3 Years I received oath invitation (Virtual) email (+ 3 Years to be eligible for sending citizenship application)
Very effective process IRCC , Good Job!!!! and this was before Covid, Think about applications after Covid Long Long Long Waiting time.
Application: March 2018
Test: April 2019
Oath: 27 November 2020
Thanks all in this forum
Amazing bro, congratulations!
 
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