CIMM – Question Period Note - In-Person and Video Oath Ceremonies – November 29, 2022
Date: November 23, 2022
Classification:
Department: IRCC
Issue:
Status update on in-person and video oath ceremonies.
Proposed Response:
- Since April 2020, IRCC has been conducting video oath ceremonies as a means of adapting to the global pandemic while continuing to offer services to IRCC clients.
- Video oath ceremonies have helped improve client service by allowing citizenship processing to continue despite in-person service disruptions, and by providing flexibility to clients as they no longer need to travel to their citizenship ceremony.
- Between April 2022 and October 2022, on average close to 31,000 applicants took the oath of citizenship each month, exceeding by far pre-COVID-19 volumes.
- In the month of October 2022 alone, over 32,000 applicants became new citizens, which includes adoptions, resumptions and grant applicants who may not require a ceremony.
- While in-person ceremonies are now taking place, video oath ceremonies will continue to be the primary method of service delivery to ensure efficient, timely and flexible client service.
- Between April 2022 and October 2022, 72 in-person ceremonies have taken place.
Contact:
Maxine Ifill
Director General
Citizenship and Passport Program Guidance
Tel. No.: (613) 437-4534
Approved by:
Daniel Mills
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister
Operations Sector
Tel. No.: 613-437-6396
Background
IRCC launched virtual ceremonies in April 2020, with proper safeguards in place to maintain clients’ privacy and ensure security.
In line with its modernization agenda, IRCC continues to conduct ceremonies virtually, bringing the Citizenship Program closer to a complete digital processing model; some limited in-person events continue to be scheduled in certain offices, for example for clients requiring accommodation and for selected special events.
Some in-person citizenship ceremonies are now taking place.
| Citizenship Year/Month | Number of New Citizens |
|---|---|
| 2022/04 | 29,017 |
| 2022/05 | 31,133 |
| 2022/06 | 30,934 |
| 2022/07 | 29,221 |
| 2022/08 | 35,540 |
| 2022/09 | 30,950 |
| 2022/10 (Oct. 1st – 12th) | 31,520 |
| Montly Average (April – October) | 31,188 |
| Fiscal Year Total (April 1st – October 31th) | 218,315 |
|
Notes:
|
|
| Month/2022 | # of In-Person Ceremonies | # of Virtual Ceremonies |
|---|---|---|
| April | 0 | 309 |
| May | 0 | 319 |
| June | 0 | 318 |
| July | 5 | 276 |
| August | 11 | 296 |
| September | 14 | 245 |
| October | 42 | 229 |
| Total | 72 | 1,992 |
| Average # of ceremonies per month in 2022 (total \ 7 (# of months) |
10 | 285 |
|
Notes:
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Source: IRCC CPPB Branch, Manually Tracked data as of November 7, 2022
Please note:
DPU is relying on the quality assurance of CPPB for data accuracy.
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