Pizzawheel

Got my invite to swear loyalty to the Queen of Canada in 2 weeks time!!!

I guess that's the completion of that particular adventure:

Applied 2004
Landed 2007
Moved 2010
Renewed PR 2014
Citizen 2015.

Lean101

Can I ask when you applied for your Citizenship? I've just applied in September 2015 and expecting a much faster processing time now CIC have improved their system!

Paul_Shepherd

Well done old chap!! or should I say atta boy bud!! now your Canadian of course.

Its not quite the completion....application for a Canadian passport will be the final piece of your Canadian adventure puzzle.

Paul_Shepherd

I think the new process is much quicker...it was for me anyway...I submitted my application in March 2014 and got my citizenship in September 2014.

Pizzawheel

I applied March 2014, passed the test September 2014 and normally the ceremony follows in a month or so but there were a few quirks with my situation which I thought had been dealt with when I renewed my PR.

So without quirks turnaround looks like 6 months-ish.

Paul- good point. I want to go to the states 2 weeks after the ceremony, I'm guessing I'm going to have to go through on my UK passport (at least I already have the ESTA) and take some documentation from the ceremony. I'll also ask there.

I imagine they take your PR card away at the ceremony?

Paul_Shepherd

Sounds like we could have sat the citizenship test together and didnt know it! as our applications and tests had the same time line! (March and Sept 2014) however i think they hold two citizenship test sessions per week.

Yes you surrender your PR card when you walk into the room to take your oath. You are given a certificate of citizenship, but its not valid as a travel document, so you will need additional paperwork (ive forgotten what its called now) with your British passport to get back into Canada after visiting the states.

JamesM

Depends where you are based.

In Toronto it is around 6 to 10 months.

JamesM

Congratulations Mate!

And yes they do. They take it as they hand you the certificate.

Twitcher1958

I've been through the system recently - got citizenship on the Monday in Oshawa at noon, and was flying to the UK at 5pm on the Friday. I was told in no uncertain terms by a CIC official at the ceremony that I needed to apply for a passport asap!
The problem is that you don't get into the system for up to 48 hours and you can't apply for a passport until that point. I was at the Whitby passport office at 9am on the Wednesday but wasn't in the system. Returned at 12 noon, was in the system, put in the form and paid $50 extra to have it processed speedily, then collected the passport at noon in Scarborough on the Friday - again it takes up to 48 hours. So - 5 hours to spare!
However on my second visit to the passport office on the Wednesday, one of the officers wondered why I was rushing the process and didn't just fly on the UK passport and my citizenship certificate - apparently people do it 'all the time'!
But everyone else said I should have done what I did - perhaps you should too? And not risk it😉

FlyingDutchman6666

Passport processing times (including urgent applications) here.

scrubbedexpat091

Congrats!

I go back and forth on applying, maybe one day I'll get around to it...lol

Pizzawheel

I can go into the states on my UK passport no prob- the issue will be getting back. Am I in trouble if I come back in without a PR card on my UK passport?

I've actually done this before, just had to detour to the immigration office where they checked that I was "in the system". So as long as apply for the passport the day after, I should be "in the system" and OK to come through? Though for $50 might be easier just to do expedited processing.

Pizzawheel

Cue for a beer?

Pizzawheel

Cheers- it says ten days for an application made in person, which should work for me!

FlyingDutchman6666

No probs. Careful, it says ten business days, not ten days.