Citizenship Oath
#1
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Joined: Jan 2018
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Citizenship Oath
Happy new year All,
Can one do citizenship oath abroad since oath ceremony is now completed online. My friend received an invitation for citizenship oath for February but he is abroad due a family member health issues. Is it possible to do it online while currently abroad or does he have to be in Canada on the day of oath ceremony.
If he does the oath online while outside Canada will CIC know.
Can one do citizenship oath abroad since oath ceremony is now completed online. My friend received an invitation for citizenship oath for February but he is abroad due a family member health issues. Is it possible to do it online while currently abroad or does he have to be in Canada on the day of oath ceremony.
If he does the oath online while outside Canada will CIC know.
#2
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Joined: Dec 2010
Location: Whitby, Ontario
Posts: 729
Re: Citizenship Oath
Happy new year All,
Can one do citizenship oath abroad since oath ceremony is now completed online. My friend received an invitation for citizenship oath for February but he is abroad due a family member health issues. Is it possible to do it online while currently abroad or does he have to be in Canada on the day of oath ceremony.
If he does the oath online while outside Canada will CIC know.
Can one do citizenship oath abroad since oath ceremony is now completed online. My friend received an invitation for citizenship oath for February but he is abroad due a family member health issues. Is it possible to do it online while currently abroad or does he have to be in Canada on the day of oath ceremony.
If he does the oath online while outside Canada will CIC know.
#3
Re: Citizenship Oath
Hi
1. No, you have to be in Canada to take the Oath of Citizenship. There are exceptions, but abroad it has to be in front of a Foreign Service officers, the only persons receiving the oath abroad, as far as I know, are Canadian Military Personnel
#4
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Re: Citizenship Oath
thank you. I thought as much.
#5
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Location: Montréal, Canada
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Re: Citizenship Oath
That said, they /have/ now opened taking the Citizenship test abroad, but I really don't see the Oath part changing anytime soon.
#6
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Re: Citizenship Oath
I /think/ it's a tiny bit more broad - you just have to be in the service to the government and working abroad - the Military is an obvious example of this, but I think diplomatic folks are similarly covered.
That said, they /have/ now opened taking the Citizenship test abroad, but I really don't see the Oath part changing anytime soon.
That said, they /have/ now opened taking the Citizenship test abroad, but I really don't see the Oath part changing anytime soon.
#7
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Re: Citizenship Oath
#8
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Re: Citizenship Oath
Unpopular opinion: Set your VPN to Canada if you're doing it online from anywhere in the world.
#9
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Location: Montréal, Canada
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Re: Citizenship Oath
My advice - suck up the dollars and fly; it's an inconvenience, yes, but it ensures that you're not going to be given a hard time later on down the road (at least from that.)
#10
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Re: Citizenship Oath
Quite unpopular. I have heard tell that IRCC has a fairly good list of VPN provider IP subnets, so can tell where people are connecting from and may cross-reference it. More importantly, you're actively lying to an immigration official when they ask you where you are located during the process (Which they will absolutely ask you); never a good start towards wanting a life in Canada, not to mention that IRCC can retroactively strip you of said citizenship if they ever determine that you obtained it fraudulently, which could include lying about your location during Oath. That's not a gamble I would advise anyone to make, ever.
My advice - suck up the dollars and fly; it's an inconvenience, yes, but it ensures that you're not going to be given a hard time later on down the road (at least from that.)
My advice - suck up the dollars and fly; it's an inconvenience, yes, but it ensures that you're not going to be given a hard time later on down the road (at least from that.)
#11
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Location: Montréal, Canada
Posts: 16
Re: Citizenship Oath
That's not to say don't do it outside of Canada - if (and a BIG "if") IRCC approves it. It never hurts to ask, especially if you're in one of the rare corner cases, but just be prepared to fly in, do it from a hotel room and then fly back.
#12
Re: Citizenship Oath
One thought that just popped into my head is this: If by obtaining Canadian Citizenship you become a dual citizen, you're required to enter Canada using a Canadian passport. If you were to take your oath outside of Canada, then you would be a citizen at that point. If you previously had PR, that is no longer valid as you're now a citizen. Therefore, how would you get back into Canada without having a Canadian passport?
#13
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Re: Citizenship Oath
One thought that just popped into my head is this: If by obtaining Canadian Citizenship you become a dual citizen, you're required to enter Canada using a Canadian passport. If you were to take your oath outside of Canada, then you would be a citizen at that point. If you previously had PR, that is no longer valid as you're now a citizen. Therefore, how would you get back into Canada without having a Canadian passport?
Short version: Get the Certificate mailed to a contact in Canada and they can mail it to you, then apply outside the country for the passport.
#14
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Re: Citizenship Oath
One thought that just popped into my head is this: If by obtaining Canadian Citizenship you become a dual citizen, you're required to enter Canada using a Canadian passport. If you were to take your oath outside of Canada, then you would be a citizen at that point. If you previously had PR, that is no longer valid as you're now a citizen. Therefore, how would you get back into Canada without having a Canadian passport?
#15
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Re: Citizenship Oath
Once you have taken the Oath, you're a citizen, you are correct. HOWEVER, you have to get the Certificate of Citizenship before you can get the passport. I was reading on another forum how a guy took the Oath and then immediately decamped for New York and had the certificate mailed to a friend in Canada, who then FedExed it to him in NY, where he applied for the passport at the local consulate/embassy/whatever - he said it took about a month, but it's totally doable. There is some anecdotal evidence on the IRCC website that you can enter with a Certificate of Citizenship only, but it's very iffy and seems subject to the whims of the immigration officer processing you.
Short version: Get the Certificate mailed to a contact in Canada and they can mail it to you, then apply outside the country for the passport.
Short version: Get the Certificate mailed to a contact in Canada and they can mail it to you, then apply outside the country for the passport.