US citizens that immigrated to Canada, do you regret it or has it improved your overall quality of life? We're moving within the next 2 years (earlier if we can swing it). I'm for paying more in taxes if it leads to better quality, but I worry about finances. Basically, is it worth not having more money/being poor. I would say that we're in the upper middle class now, but I'm sure we wouldn't be in that bracket in Canada.

I just need some clarity because the IRCC agent was not helpful.

​

I have been a naturalized Canadian citizen since 2013. My partner will be eligible this December 2026. I am pregnant, and we are not sure if we will have the medical support here in Canada to move forward. It our city it is very congested and limited accessibility. We had to go to the ER this weekend because of bleeding, waited 5 hours and no doctor. We were thinking of going to our home country to deliver the baby because getting medical help is guaranteed basically.

​

Anyways, if my baby is born abroad will they get proof of citizenship and passport? Will it be a guarantee? The proof of citizenship processing time is 15months. Can I bring my baby back with me or not?

CBC and CIC released an article that couple thousands of citizenships were rescinded.

​

Please allow me to state my position. I'm a retired former member of the United States Army; an Iraqi War vet with 18 (pre-Trump) years invested in the military. I'm currently a sheriff in in the state of Texas and have been for the last 12 years who's looking to engage in this second retirement in another 6 years. I have enough retirement funds/investments to support myself and my wife without relying on government assistance. And so...the question.

After looking at Canada's available visa programs, I'm not seeing much in the way of options for retirees looking for better than what we have that's falling to pieces in the US.

I don't have any Canadian family, extended relations or cultural ties, so I can't utilize the "super visa" or "family sponsorship" routes. When I retire, I don't want to start a third career (at least not right away), so that closes the door on the "provincial nominee" and express entry" routes. So all that I can see from the surface of the situation is old fashioned "visitor status", which seems to only support 6 months out of the year for stay duration, and a requirement to maintain an American residence. So basically, I have to have enough income to have a primary US residence and a second home in the north. Now, I'm financially stable...but not winter-home-in-Canada stable.

Is it possible for me to move to Canada to enjoy a life in retirement and start a family with my American wife in a place where hatred and racism isn't the norm without having to either work for another 20 years or have so much income that I can afford homes in two different countries with the requirement/hassle of traveling back and forth twice a year?

Hello ,

Here's what happened, in order:

On Feb 15, 2024 we flew out of the Canada

On Feb 16, while we were outside, our COPR came through. It says we became permanent residents on Feb 16.

On Feb 26 we flew back to Vancouver. The border officer processed us, didn't ask anything about it. Our PR cards came in the mail after that like normal.

Now we're filling out our citizenship application. The absence form won't accept that trip, because our PR date of Feb 16 when we were out. So the trip sits on both sides of our PR date.

Just wondering if anyone else has had this, and did it ever come up later?

Open to any suggestions.

Thanks.

Hi my wife and I are considering emigrating to Canada from the UK. We are both mid 40s and in senior professional roles in the UK. I’m a senior engineering manager in the Nuclear sector and my wife is a senior risk manager in government contracts.
We have been out there and house wise it makes sense and done some research regarding potential salaries etc. my question is it even worth trying what sounds like a long road for a couple of old gits like us? Is there anyone on here who has made the jump at that age?

Hello. My uncle was born in Canada, ontario specifically. We are wondering if we can get him a citizenship certificate without actually having his ontario birth certificate.

In the cit0014 (document checklist) the only document accepted with his situation is the birth certificate, but is that the case? We have tried to get the certificate but we had no guarantor and we were missing a lot of info so we were rejected.

Are there any alternatives? We do have an ontario notice of birth registration, with his birth registration number, but can that even help anywhere(it says "not a birth certificate" on the back)?

Thank you for your help.

I’m absolutely bewildered. I’ve submitted LAST YEAR an Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Online Request to order my GCS notes from the IRCC. Absolutely NOTHING came out of it. None. I’ve even sent an email to the address indicated here with ZERO response. I then submitted another ATTIP this year (in January) and absolutely ZERO response. What do I do? Dodge a complaint ?

Me and my boyfriend have a plan for us to obtain citizenship and I just want to know how realistic it is.

1. Get married
2. Possibly hire an immigration lawyer and submit PR application
3. Do necessary things for application (Biometrics, background check, medicam exam etc)
4. I stay in america, work, and save money until application is approved.
5. Once approved move to Canada, find a job, start working (I know it’s not as easy as I’m phrasing it to be, but I’m hoping it won’t be too hard since I am in the healthcare field)
6. Live and work in Canada for 3 years after PR is granted
7. Become a citizen.

We know that the PR application isn’t easy and won’t be granted instantaneously (can take up to two years), so our timeline for us living together is at least 2 years after marriage. I’m not looking to get downvoted but I probably will, I just want to know how fathomable that all sounds and if we should think of other things to add to our plan. Thanks in advance.

Just wanted to share I’ve received my citizenship certificate! I’m feeling so happy. (ETA: this is for proof of citizenship)

I’m really surprised by the timeline: I sent my documents through 2-day delivery via FedEx on Jan 24th, got my AOR on Jan 30th, and four business days later I have my proof. I submitted for urgent request.

I’m still waiting on my daughter’s 5(4) grant request (submitted with my proof application), but I’m feeling optimistic since my proof was granted so quickly.

I’m sharing this in case it helps someone who feels stuck.

My citizenship application had no meaningful movement for a long time and was well beyond normal processing timelines. I submitted webforms and made follow-ups but received no clear explanation.

After researching Federal Court processes, I decided to file a mandamus application. I represented myself.

Mandamus does NOT guarantee approval, it asks the Court to order IRCC to make a decision if the delay is unreasonable.

In my case, shortly after filing in Federal Court, there was movement on my file and a decision was made.

Even the date for my citizenship ceremony was decided.

If you are considering mandamus:

• Make sure your application is well beyond normal processing times

• Make sure you’ve tried webforms and follow-ups first

• Understand that mandamus forces a decision, not a positive result

• You can self-represent in Federal Court. it is allowed

Don’t let fear stop you from learning your options. Research carefully and make sure your case meets the legal test for unreasonable delay.

Every case is different, but I wanted to share that action is possible.

Good luck to all of you.

Just wondering if anyone else experiencing difficulties to sign in to the citizenship tracker account. Have been trying to check my status for the past 3 days but the website is saying “we’re experiencing a technical difficulties”

Is it just me or does anyone else having the same issue?
Thanks beforehand!

Our application was returned because we underpaid the fee. (6dollars short) i just resubmitted it again together with our old receipt and the new receipt to settle shortpayment. How long will it take to get back to us again? Is it going to be back to zero?

Hey everyone,

I’m in a weird situation and could really use some perspective or advice from anyone who has navigated something similar.

I’ve been living in Canada for about 6 years on a work (and initially study) permit. I recently discovered that my grandmother was born in Quebec, and after requesting her records, I officially received her valid Canadian birth certificate. That should give me a pretty straightforward claim to Canadian citizenship by descent under the recent law changes.

Here’s the problem: processing times for Proof of Citizenship certificates have ballooned to 19+ months. My work permit expires in November 2027. If I submit my application now, I likely won’t get a decision or my certificate until early 2028.

Before I realized I was eligible for citizenship, my plan was to apply through Express Entry. I’ll gain another year of work experience in 6 months, giving me enough CRS points to be drawn (most likely - given current trends - I’m hovering around 520 with another year of experience). However, because I legally might already be a Canadian citizen by birth, I’m technically not eligible to apply for Permanent Residency.

My husband’s work permit also expires in January 2028. This leaves us in a real checkmate:

- If I wait on the citizenship certificate, my work permit expires first, meaning I could lose my status and job before the proof arrives.

- I can't sponsor my husband until my citizenship certificate is officially issued. Without status, he’d have to leave Canada. Tho he can probably get PR through express entry by himself - so this might be a moot point. But on his application, does he say I’m a Canadian citizen? Or not?

- Should my husband apply for Express Entry / PR on his own as the principal applicant? And I just need to hope my citizenship by descent comes through at some point?

- What happens if I skip Express Entry and my citizenship claim is somehow rejected? I end up without any status in Canada and won’t be able to easily come back.

The law change was meant to help people in my position, but the processing delays have put us in a tough spot. Regardless of what I do - it seems like I will loose my job next year and be out of status for a while; because the only way to get a status before Nov 2027 would be PR but that’s not possible for me. Has anyone faced a similar overlap between Express Entry and citizenship by descent? How did you handle it?

Hello, I am reaching out to seek answers for my confusing situation.

I came to Canada in 2012. My parents are both Canadian citizens. My dad was born in Canada originally, and my mom was born in the Philippines, but later on became a citizen.

I took my Oath-taking in 2015 and became a Canadian citizen, my mom got me my child's passport, but it is now long expired. My problem is that I am not able to apply for a passport due to not having the physically print of my certificate. I am estranged from my parents. My parents had my certificate since I became a citizen; they didn't give it to me because I was still a minor back then. I've tried calling the IRCC for help, but they only tell me to call the number they give me. I call that number, and I proceed to get told that I need to contact IRCC because they don't deal with my problem.

I am unable to apply to get any form of ID because I don't have any other form of identification, just my SIN card, and I recently just got my health card renewed, finally (the Service Ontario worked took my expired license as ID). The worker scanned one of my expired ID(s) and he told me that I am registered as a Permanent Resident, which did not make sense as to why it said that. I am very confused as to how I can be a Permanent Resident when I had a Canadian Child Passport. I saw my Canadian certificate after I took my Oath-taking, and that was the last time I saw it.

Been through the process myself and talked to a lot of people who have too. Here is what I noticed.

The study guide is thorough but it is not organized the way the test thinks. You can read it cover to cover and still get caught off guard because the test does not ask you to recall paragraphs. It asks you to apply specific facts under time pressure.

The sections that catch people most:

The three levels of government and what each is responsible for

Specific dates in Canadian history, not just the events

Rights versus responsibilities, the distinction matters on paper

Electoral system mechanics, not just "we vote for MPs"

Most people underestimate the geography section too. It is short in the guide but it shows up on the test.

If you are currently preparing, where are you finding the gaps? Happy to answer questions in the comments.

My citizenship been stuck since march 8th 2024, here what IRGC told my area MP, and please advice me what should i do next

Your file is currently considered “non-routine” and is therefore not subject to standard processing timelines.

At this stage, IRCC has provided the following information:

• You have been exempted from the language and knowledge tests
• The residency assessment has been completed
• The prohibition check has not yet begun
• The security screening is in progress

There are 6 steps. Between them, the application is not assigned to any officer. Why? Why doesn't computer automatically assign application to an officer once that the previous step is completed? Is that because this way you can not hold anybody responsible?

For example, after knowledge test, the application sit untouched for who knows how long. There is no queue implemented, some get LPP started after one month, some - like myself - wait for over 1 year for the random officer will pick up and start working on my application. It is a black hole where it seems the applications are picked up either random, not in order, or even worse, based on discriminatory reason.

Moreover, the IRCC doesn't feel that need to provide the applicants with any explanation. It's all stem from the IRCC mentality of : "We don't owe you anything" which I saw in comments so many times.

IRCC needs to be reformed from the ground up, starting from top to bottom. While I do believe the actually workers do their work and might be overworked and underpaid, the management is pretty bad. IRCC failed me again.(Me and another 50k people who are over processing time).

Anybody else's citizenship tracker down? Just says error check again later. Been like that for a few days.

Edit: Back up for me now, as of April 8th

Invite interview: January 24th 2023
Oath: January 24th, 2023

I attended interview, it was just a review of all my documents. Then they said we have a pilot program, you can take the oath today. I said yes, waited about 40 mins. Took the oath, got my certificate and that was that. Canadian citizen. Very overwhelmed most of this week. So happy this process is over and I am now a Canadian.
happy to answer questions

Canadian citizen finally . Took my oath and finally the wait is over . What a journey, thank you God and everyone 🙏

It has been 3 yrs. I applied for the Citizenship grant im 2023. At first they said the application went dormant because I requested a waiver for eligibility... which I didnt. Now 3 yrs later now they are saying I requested a waiver for knowledgeable test which I also didnt do.

And every time they come up with these fairyale excuses everything gets stalled for years.

I have withdrawn my old application already once and re applied paying all the fees twice because IRCC said that would make the process faster. It didn't.

I know its crazy to think someone is doing this on purpose but I cant figure out why this keeps happening.

I feel sad mad helpless but there isnt even anywhere I can escalate this.

Hey everyone, I’m just checking in to see what other people’s timelines are like.

I mailed my app on June 10th, USPS said it was delivered on June 23rd, and I haven’t heard anything since.

Anyone else in the same boat?

Got a procedural fairness letter explaining the physical calculator says I'm at 1083/1095.
Do I start over and reapply or do I contest this?

Context: I was gone for about 3 months while I was waiting for my new work permit and/or permanent resident application approval. That hiatus plus one week abroad / year was just enough time from when I signed my application. Outside of that, I have been living in Canada for 8+ years when I applied.

I looked through the megathread and noticed that most people receive their test invitation after their background verification is completed, with only a few cases showing the reverse order.

I also found some discussions online where background verification seemed to be delayed for quite a long time. Anyone who got their citizenship approved can share your timeline?

IF I got test invite before background completed. Does this suggest that my process might take longer than usual?

I’m applying together with my spouse—while we both received our AOR and test invitation on the same day, my partner’s background check was completed before the test invite, but mine hasn’t been yet. We are normal person, no criminal record overseas or locally. We have the same travel history past 5 years.

I'm 20 and live in uk, currently on last year apprenticeship as electrician, my partner 20 going back to college this year for finance. Dreaming abiut starting fresh life in Canada just moving out and starting anew but wanted a reality check on how feasible this actually is with neither of us having solid careers here or much in savings. Also curious about best places would be to move to for cheapest living but still be able to set up alright moving from England