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November - 2019 Citizenship Applications

FedPort

Full Member
Jan 14, 2020
20
24
Seems like virtual Oaths are being taken since mid June. I wonder if work on our applications can be done from home; I guess it may be a security issue.
 

ott-613

Hero Member
Dec 16, 2019
377
175
anyone has application updated yet ? we applied in December 2019 but looking to see in this group if there is any progress for november batch. and is it First come first serve ? or depends on how files are piled up ?
 

issteven

Hero Member
Jan 2, 2014
673
201
anyone has application updated yet ? we applied in December 2019 but looking to see in this group if there is any progress for november batch. and is it First come first serve ? or depends on how files are piled up ?
people in Aug/Sept/Oct are still stuck
 

FedPort

Full Member
Jan 14, 2020
20
24
I'd suggest to send your application if you can. Not to be pessimistic, but a world recession is looming; immigration laws may get revised soon and future immigrants may get the wrong end of the stick. Currently, the government of Alberta is cutting a lot of paths for residency for new graduates, planning for low number of job positions.
 
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EUK

Hero Member
Feb 22, 2015
639
216
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
I'd suggest to send your application if you can. Not to be pessimistic, but a world recession is looming; immigration laws may get revised soon and future immigrants may get the wrong end of the stick. Currently, the government of Alberta is cutting a lot of paths for residency for new graduates, planning for low number of job positions.
Students visa is best category for any country and if they curb the pathways then students would go somewhere else... Same happened in the UK and now Australia... In recession, students category is the best for any country...
 

FedPort

Full Member
Jan 14, 2020
20
24
We can make an argument on how valuable are student visas. We are immigrants, and we are not looking at student visas, but permanent residency visas. Currently, these are getting cut as part of an immigration reform triggered by the consequences of the pandemic. I insist, there are changes coming, you want to have your papers in the system as soon as possible.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-government-considering-immigration-changes-during-pandemic-1.5579695
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/kenney-toews-to-unveil-plan-for-albertas-economic-recovery
 
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EUK

Hero Member
Feb 22, 2015
639
216
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
We can make an argument on how valuable are student visas. We are immigrants, and we are not looking at student visas, but permanent residency visas. Currently, these are getting cut as part of an immigration reform triggered by the consequences of the pandemic. I insist, there are changes coming, you want to have your papers in the system as soon as possible.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-government-considering-immigration-changes-during-pandemic-1.5579695
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/kenney-toews-to-unveil-plan-for-albertas-economic-recovery
If I am not wrong, Immigration and citizenship is governed by federal government and not provincial and to make any changes would take some months, not weeks for sure...
 

v_i_r_u_s

Hero Member
May 9, 2013
716
78
Vancouver
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
Singapore
NOC Code......
1112
App. Filed.......
07-05-2014
Nomination.....
11-08-2014
AOR Received.
18-09-2014
File Transfer...
18-09-2014
Med's Request
02-03-2015
Med's Done....
05-03-2015
Interview........
WAIVED
Passport Req..
07-04-2015
VISA ISSUED...
06-05-2015
LANDED..........
25-10-2015
Hi
Family size: 3
Location: Burnaby, BC
Physical Presence: 1484
App. Sent: Nov 24, 2019
App. Delivered: Nov 27, 2019
AOR: Feb 11, 2020
In Process : February 22 2020


No correspondence since the February 11 Email of AOR.
 

Wash an

Hero Member
Oct 20, 2013
760
166
Monthly Comparison: New Citizens this year vs last year.

Mon = 2019 | 2020
------------------------
Jan = 22540 | 24788
Feb = 18774 | 26720
Mar = 22158 | 9438
Apr = 18930 | 2
May = 24502 | 53
------------------------
Tot = 106,904 | 61,001

2.5 months effectively lost plus counting and 46K applications shortfall from last year in 5 months.
 
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Wash an

Hero Member
Oct 20, 2013
760
166
June 22 – Government of Canada guidebook on easing restrictions on federal worksites
Hi everyone,

We are entering a new phase in our country’s efforts to fight the coronavirus. As recent data shows a flattening of the curve of new COVID-19 infections in multiple jurisdictions across Canada, provinces and territories are announcing plans to ease restrictions and gradually re-open economies.

As announced by the President of the Treasury Board earlier today, to guide federal government organizations’ plans in response to this easing of restrictions, the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Health Canada and Public Services and Procurement Canada have assembled a Guidebook for departments on easing of restrictions: A guide to support a gradual, safe and sustainable easing of COVID-19 restrictions at federal worksites. For your convenience, an executive summary is available here.

We are working hard on finalizing our playbook (tactical plan), which has been guided to date by the same principles outlined in this Guidebook:

  • putting the physical and psychological health of our employees first
  • being informed by the decisions of public health authorities, the direction of provinces and territories, and the local public health situation
  • preserving the delivery of services and programs
We will continue to engage with employees, union representatives and colleagues from other departments during phase 1 of our reintegration plan, to adapt our plans to the particular circumstances of our diverse workforce, our worksites, our partners’ and stakeholders’ needs, and to the nature of our work. IRCC’s playbook will be shared as soon as it is finalized, and more detailed guidance will soon be shared as we approach the next steps in reintegration.

Thank you for your ongoing efforts toward a successful and sustainable transition. We are one team, wherever we are.

Catrina Tapley
Deputy Minister

Caroline Xavier
Associate Deputy Minister
 

Wash an

Hero Member
Oct 20, 2013
760
166
June 12 - A preview of where we’re going: five phases of reintegration
Hi everyone,

Thanks again to all of you for sharing how you’re doing and what your concerns are through the IRCC survey. We are already using the results to inform our thinking about our next steps and the gradual return of some employees to the workplace.

As we have mentioned previously, Bob Lanouette is busy engaging with employees, union representatives, and colleagues from Treasury Board and other Departments as he is putting together a reintegration plan for IRCC. Exact plans and timelines will differ from office to office and team to team, but decisions will always prioritize your health, well-being and safety. And throughout this transition, most staff will continue to work remotely. We wanted to give you a sense of what the strategic plan looks like so far, so you are kept in the loop. Our early plan so far has five phases:

Phase 1: Planning and consultation
This is our current phase. Based on our employee consultations, public health guidance, and expertise in the Department and central agencies, we are developing a playbook (tactical plan) of mandatory operational protocols for worksites, determining which programs and services are the priorities for returning to IRCC offices, and how best to optimize remote work.

Phase 2: Workforce readiness and worksite preparedness
For this phase, we are looking at what we need to do to ensure that our worksites and our employees are ready for the next step. For those returning to the office, this includes looking at all the necessary protocols to allow for physical distancing, including in elevators and meeting rooms. Issues like cleaning and the requirement and availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) are all being thoroughly considered. And we will want to ensure all staff are aware of these measures and what is expected. For those who will continue to work remotely, we are also preparing the roll-out protocols of what may be necessary information and tools for employees to thrive at home.

Phase 3: Implementation
When we hit phase 3, some of you will be allowed to gradually return to workplaces. Looking at our departmental priorities and which staff need to be in the workplace to do their jobs is key, but we will be taking into account regional variations and different levels of readiness among staff and worksites as well. Occupancy levels for our buildings will remain low at the beginning of the implementation, around 15 to 20%, to allow us to carefully monitor how it is going. Information on physical distancing in the workplace and proper prevention measures will be a key components of this phase so we all know what we need to do and are on the same page.

Phase 4: Monitoring and assessment
This is an ongoing activity, in that as soon as phase 3 begins, we will carefully monitor and evaluate to determine what is working and what needs improvement or course-correction. We’ll adapt our protocols and measures as needed to stay aligned with public health guidance. Changes in the public health guidance will also determine reintegration levels in our worksites.

Phase 5: The next normal
We will arrive at the final phase once we are back to a more regular and predictable pace of work with IRCC programs and services having returned to pre-COVID-19 levels. Some of the temporary measures that we put into place may become permanent as we keep delivering services that meets the expectations of clients. On a more positive note, one of our hopes is that this experience with COVID-19 will inspire us to be a more mobile and agile workforce and re-imagine how we may be able to deliver our services. This will be linked to our transformation agenda.

An update on other Leave with Pay (Code 699)
As the summer approaches, many of you may be wondering what happens to leave code 699. We are still waiting on guidance from TBS, but as restrictions gradually ease across the country, we expect there will be an impact on the use of leave code 699. Even in normal times, coordinating summer vacations, child care, day camps, or caring for someone is a lot of work, so we are committed to getting you updates as quickly as possible to help you plan.

There are still many details that we need to confirm, and the only thing we are certain of is that the plan will change. What will stay constant is that our focus will be making sure you are well supported. If you have questions or concerns, we encourage you to speak with your manager or supervisor. Earlier this week at an EX townhall we said that no one should be afraid to ask the tough questions. We need your help to get this right because this is not just our plan, it is your plan too.

So thanks again to everyone for being so engaged in this process so far. You’re doing the right thing! In the meantime, keep up the great work.

Catrina Tapley
Deputy Minister

Caroline Xavier
Associate Deputy Minister
 

Wash an

Hero Member
Oct 20, 2013
760
166
July 13 – Early feedback on the reintegration pilots
Hi everyone,

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been a number of employees who continued to work in our offices to maintain our critical operations, and for this, we owe them a debt of gratitude. We want to thank all those who were involved in immediately implementing all the necessary safety measures to ensure their health and safety while in the workplace. Last week, they were joined by select employees from Sydney and Vancouver who resumed key business activities. Additional employees from the National Capital Region will return to their worksite this week.

In general, we heard that employees are happy to be back in the office and are comfortable and confident with the new temporary signage and measures put in place in their worksites. The machine is getting back into motion and paper applications are successfully being scanned and entered into our system, allowing for more and more applications to be processed remotely every day.

As would be expected, not everyone was equally keen to be back in the office, and this is completely understandable. Some were surprised at how much their worksites looked and felt different. The new measures have changed the social interactions that we are all used to having at work, and in some cases, employees found the new measures to be slightly stricter in comparison to provincial measures and restrictions. This is good feedback that will continue to be assessed and factored into the ongoing fine-tuning of our Playbook (i.e. tactical plan).

We acknowledge that things are different now than they were before. We appreciate that this adjustment period may not be easy and may be experienced differently by everyone. We will continue to ask for and listen to employees’ feedback through open dialogue and surveys, to adjust measures as required and to inform future worksite preparations. Much work and planning is underway to establish which other business operations will resume in our worksites next. More details to follow.

As more people gradually return to the workplace, we are also getting a sense that work is picking up on all fronts. Our regular operations in the department are also becoming busier, and are adapting. We have greatly increased the number of virtual citizenship ceremonies and virtual landings of permanent residents. We have started a new Transformation journey lab to look at improvements in the citizenship business line, and are ramping up efforts to modernize our digital platform and deliver more of our business online. We know that immigration will have an important role to play in the economic recovery.

Whether you continue to work remotely or are going to get back into the physical workplace, we imagine that your thoughts are already looking ahead toward fall and what reopening will look like both for work and in our communities. For our part, we are committed to supporting you and improving your work environment regardless of location. Even so, as we adjust to the “next normal” people will react differently; that is understandable, and we’d like to remind you of available mental health and well-being resources available to you, should you need them. We also encourage you to take summer holidays and find time to recharge.

We know that for many of you this is a really busy and intense period at work, and we cannot thank you enough for the doing the nearly impossible almost every day for the past four months. Taking a break in the summer is more important now than ever before, and although it may be difficult, we encourage you to take holidays and find time to recharge.

Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication.

Catrina Tapley
Deputy Minister

Caroline Xavier
Associate Deputy Minister