CIMM - Impact on Operations: Citizenship Processing - Dec 2, 2020

Key messages

On March 14, 2020, in response to the evolving COVID-19 situation, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada cancelled all citizenship ceremonies, tests and re-tests, until further notice.
The Department implemented a new approach to continue processing applications during COVID-19 restrictions, such as the use of virtual processing to respond to urgent cases.
IRCC began holding virtual citizenship ceremonies in April 2020, beginning with individuals and families who had contacted the Department noting an urgent need, due to employment requirements, for example.
As of October 31, 2020, IRCC has sworn in or affirmed 42,000 new Canadian citizens in 8,775 ceremonies.
IRCC also administered the knowledge test for clients who have an urgent need, using videoconferencing tools. This is done on a one-on-one basis. On November 26, the online test was announced, and invitations to do the test online have started to be sent to clients.
By the end of November 2020, the Department will launch a pilot initial phase of the citizenship grant e-application.
In December, we will also be launching a new Online Citizenship Grant Application that will be made available to a small percentage (10%) of individual adult applicants visiting IRCC’s website. This process will be thoroughly tested before making it available in a phased manner to a larger percentage of applicants.

Before the pandemic, citizenship tests and ceremonies were held as in-person group events in offices throughout the country.
The Department recognizes the impact COVID-19 has had on operations.
Since the beginning of COVID-19, the Department has been working on innovative ways of processing citizenship grant applications to limit the number of in-person events and has moved towards virtual processing to the extent possible.
42,000 clients have become new citizens as of October 31, 2020.
The Department has also started administering the knowledge test for clients requesting urgent processing, by using videoconferencing technology. Clients who have signaled an urgent need are prioritized based on the following criteria:
- need for citizenship status for employment purposes or education purposes
- essential travel
- compassionate grounds (e.g. health reasons)
On November 26, the Department announced the launch of an online platform for the citizenship test. The platform will be tested over the next few months. During this time, a limited number of clients—those whose tests were cancelled due to the pandemic and those who are on the waiting list—will be invited to take the online citizenship test.
The cancellation of citizenship events is having a considerable impact on overall processing times, which has increased to 16 months, despite our ministerial commitment to process applications in 12 months.

While the Department scaled down its operations due to COVID‑19, urgent proofs (certificates) of citizenship continue to be processed for repatriation efforts within two business hours.
Between April 1, 2020 and October 31, 2020, almost 14,000 proofs of citizenship were issued. This is possible due to there being no requirement to appear in person for this process.

Number of new citizens in fiscal year 2019-2020 – 247,700.
As of October 31, 2020, there were over 243,000 applications in the citizenship grant inventory.

The Department has developed a Business Resumption Plan for the Citizenship Program. The plan includes a list of measures for the strategic resumption of service during and post physical distancing.
The Department has implemented new approaches to continue processing clients during COVID-19 restrictions, such as the use of videoconferencing technology to conduct virtual oath ceremonies. This approach has enabled IRCC to successfully deplete the ceremony ready inventory, and resume other citizenship services in order to continue processing activities.

This week, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will put in place an online platform for taking citizenship tests. Over the next few months, as the system is tested, IRCC will invite a limited number of clients who are eligible to take the online citizenship test. IRCC will contact clients on a first-in, first-served basis.
An important aspect of holding online tests is the verification of applicants’ identities, which is important to the integrity of the Program, especially in an online environment. Measures will be in place to confirm each applicant’s identity by capturing a photo of their ID, their face and by taking static photos (non-biometric) during the test.

In December, we will also be launching a new Online Citizenship Grant Application that will be made available to a small percentage (10%) of individual adult applicants visiting IRCC’s website. This process will be thoroughly tested before making it available in a phased manner to a larger percentage of applicants.
Early in 2021, clients aged 18 to 54 years old will be able to apply online through this e-application system, which will create more flexibility to process files virtually.