When to go to the ceremony

Find out information such as when you’ll get your invitation and how to reschedule the ceremony.

On this page

• Waiting for your invitation
• How we’ll invite you
• Information in the invitation
• Rescheduling the ceremony
• If you missed the ceremony
• Bringing guests to the ceremony

Waiting for your invitation

We’ll invite you to the citizenship ceremony after we approve your application.

• We’ll send the invitation at least 1 week before the ceremony date.
• The time and date of your ceremony will be in your invitation.

The wait time for invitations depends on

• our current processing time and
• your situation
  • For example, if you’re between 18 and 54 years old when you sign your citizenship application, you must pass the citizenship test.
  • You may wait longer if your application is non-routine.

Check your application status

You can check your application status in your citizenship tracker account.

If the “Citizenship ceremony” section of the citizenship status tracker has an “In progress” status, it means we

• are working on scheduling your ceremony
• will send you the invitation at least 1 week before the ceremony date

Check your application status

Important: If you contact us, we cannot give you more information than what’s available in your application status.

How we’ll invite you

Information in the invitation

The invitation will include

• the time and date of the ceremony
• the ceremony format (virtual or in person)
• either a
  • videoconference link (for a virtual ceremony), or
  • location (for an in-person ceremony)
• the language of your ceremony (mostly English, mostly French or bilingual)
  • Bilingual ceremonies are held in English and French (Canada’s 2 official languages).

Important: We may cancel the ceremony or change some details due to emergencies or situations outside our control (for example, severe weather or technical difficulties). If this happens, we’ll contact you as soon as possible to give you further instructions or reschedule the ceremony.

Rescheduling your ceremony

You can ask us to reschedule your ceremony if

• you want to change the format of the ceremony from virtual to in person, or vice versa
• you’re not available on the day of your ceremony
  • For example, you have an appointment or must travel.
• you’re outside of Canada
• you (or your guests) want to go to a bilingual ceremony instead of a ceremony that’s mostly English or mostly French
  • A bilingual ceremony uses both English and French languages (Canada’s 2 official languages)
• you can’t arrange child care for an in-person ceremony
• you want to attend an in-person ceremony that’s closer to your current location
• you’re sick
• you can’t attend for other reasons (to be reviewed case by case)

How to reschedule

1. In the subject line of your email, tell us the reason for your request, such as
   • Ceremony – Request for (virtual or in-person) ceremony
   • Ceremony – Request for new date or time
   • Ceremony – Request for bilingual ceremony
   • Ceremony – Request for rescheduling
2. In your message, tell us more details about why you want to reschedule your ceremony.
3. You must send your request within 30 days of the ceremony date in the invitation by
   • replying to the office that sent you the ceremony invitation (preferred) or
   • using the web form
4. We’ll review your request. Your next steps depend on
   • how many times you requested to reschedule, and
   • whether your explanation is reasonable or not

If this is your first request to reschedule

This means it’s the first time you’ve been invited to a ceremony, but you want to reschedule it.

In this situation, we’ll review your explanation and reschedule your ceremony.

• You’ll get a final invitation with the new time, date and link (for a virtual ceremony) or location (for an in-person ceremony).
• This is your last chance to attend the ceremony.

If this is your second request to reschedule

This means

• you previously asked to reschedule a ceremony and received a (new) final invitation, but
• you can’t go to the rescheduled ceremony

In this situation, we’ll check if your explanation is reasonable.

If your explanation is reasonable

We’ll send you another final invitation.

If your explanation is not reasonable

We'll start the process to abandon (cancel) and close your application.

• We’ll refund the right of citizenship fee if you’re an adult.
• Minor applicants won’t get a refund because they don’t pay the right of citizenship fee.
• If you still want to be a Canadian citizen, you must start again with a new application.

If you missed the ceremony

If you didn’t contact us to reschedule and missed your ceremony, your next steps depend on your situation.

If it’s your first time missing a ceremony

This means

• you received a ceremony invitation for the first time
• you didn’t go the ceremony and
• you didn’t contact us to provide an explanation

In this situation, we’ll automatically reschedule your ceremony.

• You’ll get a final invitation with the new time, date and link (for a virtual ceremony) or location (for an in-person ceremony).
• This is your last chance to attend the ceremony

If it’s your second time missing a ceremony

This means

• you received a second (final) ceremony invitation
• you didn’t go to the rescheduled ceremony and
• you didn’t contact us to provide an explanation

In this situation, we’ll start the process to abandon (cancel) and close your application.

• We’ll refund the right of citizenship fee if you’re an adult.
• Minor applicants won’t get a refund because they don’t pay the right of citizenship fee.
• If you still want to be a Canadian citizen, you must start again with a new application.

Bringing guests to the ceremony (children, family and friends)

You must stay on screen (for virtual ceremonies) or in the ceremony room (for in-person ceremonies) during the entire ceremony.

Virtual ceremony

Your guests can be in the same physical room with you to watch the ceremony, but they must not

• be disruptive
• join on a separate device

In-person ceremony

Depending on the size of the ceremony and the room set up, you may or may not be able to bring guests. Check your invitation to find out how many guests you can bring.

We recognize that sometimes children can become restless. If your child attends the ceremony, we recommend you bring a guest to help you with the child.

If you can’t arrange child care, contact us to reschedule your ceremony.