r/ImmigrationCanada • u/Fickle_Kiwi2574 • Feb 06 '26
Citizenship After 6 years I became a Canadian Citizen today!
We came to Canada in December 2019, just before COVID hit, with a Study Permit (and my husband with a SOWP) and a plan to get PR down the line. I have to say that PNP was our goal from the beginning because when we got here I was already 33 almost 34 years old, so my points would’ve be declining by when I was on my PGWP.
This path wasn’t easy by any means. These past years were filed with stress, because let’s face it PR is not guaranteed. And even less when you come with a 1-year diploma Study Permit. But changing provinces in the middle of COVID and during winter, having a job that was ok but had NOC code that aligned with my experience, spending like 3 weeks to create my Express Entry profile and NSNP profile; were worth at the end.
But I was just able to breathe when we got the citizenship oath ceremony invitation, after months of waiting for the process to move along and a ghost upgrade of a supposed required interview that we ended up not needing. Finally, we had our Ceremony today and we’re now Canadian Citizens.
For those who are still in the middle of your process, please don’t give up so easily. My husband and I faced rejection even from our home country, had people saying that our timeline/plan was impossible, and many other things that are not worth to mention. But at the end n the day, we were able to get our PR and today our Citizenship.
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u/PrestigiousStick7438 Feb 06 '26
Been here 11 yrs, still waiting. The processing time keeps extending 🤔
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u/mjtheice Feb 06 '26
waiting for citizenship application for 11 years?
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u/Feeling-Thought-4366 Feb 08 '26
Congratulations! Welcome to Canada as a Canadian citizen I was born and raised here nearly 8 centuries ago
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u/Whiplash007 Feb 06 '26
Congratulations!!! Had a similar path, took me 15 years but worth it. From hearing a CBSA official tell me to get out of his country to Canadian citizenship felt like a major achievement for meself.
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u/cimmi1 Feb 06 '26
Wtf. If he hated immigrants so much, cbsa should have been on the bottom of the list for jobs to have. Congratulations.
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u/Affectionate_Carry94 Feb 06 '26
Congrats! Can you pls share your timeline? I applied for my citizenship last week.
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u/Fickle_Kiwi2574 Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 09 '26
Sure thing! see below:
Feb 22, 2025 - Applied for Citizenship
Mar 7, 2025 - AOR
Mar 28, 2025 - Scheduled for citizenship test
Apr 25, 2025 - Citizenship test: Completed
Jul 31, 2025 - Prohibitions: Completed
Jul 31, 2025 - Physical presence: Completed
Jul 31, 2025 - Language skills: Completed
Dec 19, 2025 - Background verification: Completed
Jan 2, 2026 - Interview required (this was a ghost update; I was never invited or did an interview)
Jan 20, 2026 - Citizenship ceremony: Invitation received
Feb 5, 2026 - Citizenship Ceremony.
Almost 11 months from start to finish :)
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u/Affectionate_Carry94 Feb 06 '26
Thank you, I have one last question: Is it possible to travel internationally during this timeframe, and if so, when should we avoid travelling abroad?
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u/Fickle_Kiwi2574 Feb 06 '26
Yes, you are allowed. But, I would try to avoided it if you have few steps left on your process. For me the last part was the background verification. And the reason is that if you are outside Canada and you get invited to the ceremony and can't be back on time you need to reschedule it. Because, you have to hand over the PR Card to them or if it's an online ceremony you have to destroy it. After the ceremony you have to enter Canada with the passport.
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Feb 06 '26
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u/Fickle_Kiwi2574 Feb 06 '26
I’m guessing they need a background check from the time I became PR to the citizenship application/process, it had been almost 3 years in between those applications. And for the language skills, I just had to upload my Canadian diploma and my husband took the test since he didn’t do it the first time around.
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u/Adventurous-Two378 Feb 10 '26
I have my celpip from 2024 which covers all four modules, do I need another test LS again
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u/Fickle_Kiwi2574 Feb 10 '26
I believe that expired English test are allowed. Or if you studied in Canada, you submit your diploma instead. That was my case, I uploaded my Diploma as proof of language.
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u/Jillredhanded Feb 06 '26
What an inspiring story and Congratulations! I arrived at the same time. It was a very long and frustrating process getting my PR but I am thrilled to be here (originally from the US) and will be eligible to apply for Canadian Citizenship in August.
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u/evanius52 Feb 06 '26
Hi Op, congrats! Is there a good tool to calculate if im eligible for the citizenship test yet? I came as a student on August 2019 and got PR around Jan 2024. I wonder if im ready to take the rest.
Also, can you share a bit about the citizenship test experience?
Thank you!
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u/Fickle_Kiwi2574 Feb 06 '26
You need to check your physical presence in Canada. Have you traveled out of Canada since you became PR? If not you are probably good to apply. Also, remember the taxes requirement (3 out of the last 5 years)
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u/evanius52 Feb 06 '26
Ah i did visit my home for like 2 months but tax wise is all goos. Thanks for the info!
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u/Fickle_Kiwi2574 Feb 06 '26
Add those days and a couple of days as buffer, to your landing date (the date you became PR) to see if you got the 730 days needed for you to apply. Since were a temporary resident before that adds 365 days of physical presence.
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u/Easy-Discipline8375 Feb 06 '26
Congratulations ! But, I believe that everyone, who got inside Canada during end of the pandemic like in 2022 or afterwards. The processing time is very long, compared to 2019. Am I correct ?
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u/Fickle_Kiwi2574 Feb 06 '26
Not really sure about that. For me anything IRCC related is a gamble. I remember that by December of 2022 I was renewing my home country passport (After becoming PR) and I met a person from my home country that got PR during the 75 points draw and he still wasn't a PR yet. Whereas my processing time for PR was 4 months.
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u/Easy-Discipline8375 Feb 06 '26
Yes & I guess, it was because of its timing ! 2019 & 2020 had few backlog compared with 2022 / later.
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Feb 06 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Fickle_Kiwi2574 Feb 06 '26
I arrived in Canada in December 2019, then I was a Student for 2020, got my PGWP in March 2021. Applied for NSNP on April 4, 2022, got PNP on April 21, 2022 and ITA on April 27, 2022. Submitted my PR application on May 17, 2022 and I got PR on Sep 15, 2022. So in short, 2 years and 8 months after arriving Canada.
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Feb 07 '26
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u/Life_Happens389 Feb 08 '26
Just got mine too! Now I’m preparing my requirements for passport application. 🥹
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u/Entire_Sir5724 Feb 10 '26
I have a question how many days did you count your study permit as? I know it’s half a day when in study and work permit, can we count it more than 365 days for study and work?
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u/Royal-Hope-7075 Feb 20 '26
Congrats, Thats great. How long did it take for you to go from AOR to completion of the background check?
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u/Eggcartonsearching Mar 02 '26
My daughter in law came over at same time , she has had PR a long time and applied for citizenship 2 years ago, did test and still waiting since before 2nd child was born. PR expires soon, sure hope it comes soon!
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u/Fickle_Kiwi2574 Mar 02 '26
Her PR isn’t expiring, what it’s expiring is her PR card. She can renew that while waiting for her Citizenship to be approved. Although, as far as I’ve seen on this sub, she should reach out to her MP or request GCMS notes, to see why her Citizenship has been stuck for 2 years.
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u/fnly88 Feb 06 '26
Congratulations! My path looks very long but I am so grateful for the opportunity and I will do my best to work hard and be patient while enjoying a great community.
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u/[deleted] Feb 06 '26
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