Canadian Citizenship Applicants – How is Covid-19 Affecting Your Application?

Canadian Citizenship Applicants – How is Covid-19 Affecting Your Application?


Online Citizenship Test

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced on November 26, 2020 the launch of a new platform for online citizenship tests. This is IRCC’s response to the challenges posed by the global pandemic.
You must wait for an invitation from IRCC to be able to take the citizenship test online. You don’t need to reach out to IRCC, you must wait for the email from IRCC inviting you to take the online citizenship test. If the applicant used an authorized third-party representative, IRCC will contact the representative by email. If you are not comfortable taking the online test, you have the option to wait until the in-person tests resume (date to be determined). The online citizenship test is in English or French. It is 30 minutes long, has 20 questions that are either multiple choice, or true or false. You need to get at least 15 out of 20 questions right to pass the test. Before you take the test you will need a piece of identification with your photo and signature, such as your permanent resident card (you can use it even if it is expired) or a valid (not expired) ID such as your Driver’s License or Health Card. You also need your application number, a valid email address, a reliable Internet connection, a desktop computer, laptop or tablet with a webcam. You cannot use a mobile phone and a Chrome or Safari web browser.

Video Oath Ceremony
To be able to participate in the Video Oath ceremony (virtual citizenship ceremony), you must wait for the invitation from IRCC. They will contact the email address or phone number that you provided in your application. If you used an authorized representative, IRCC will contact the authorized representative. You will attend the video oath ceremony via a Zoom video-conference call. Information on how to set up Zoom in your ceremony invitation will be provided by IRCC.

The following events have been cancelled by IRCC until further notice:
– In-person citizenship ceremonies
– In-person citizenship tests and retests
– Most retests, interviews and hearings
– Citizenship events in our temporary office (itinerant service trips)

Canadian citizenship applications
Due to COVD-19, IRCC is prioritizing Canadians who are trying to return to Canada and thus, unable to provide accurate processing times. If you submitted an application and there are missing documents due to COVID-19, for example, police certificates, passports, medical exam results or medical opinion forms, IRCC will not close or refuse an application in progress. They will automatically give you an extra 90 days to submit your documents from the deadline in the request letter, and they will keep extending the deadline by 90 days until you can get the documents. There is NO NEED to contact IRCC to get any of these extensions and as soon as you obtain the required / missing document, submit them to IRCC as soon as possible to avoid further delays.

Urgent processing of applications
You can request an urgent processing of your citizenship application in special cases, if your request meets the conditions for urgent processing.

If you have questions regarding the above article you may contact Marjorie at info@mcncanadaimmigration.com
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

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