More than 16,000 immigrants with their Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) and their permanent residence in hand are still waiting for their “citizenship ceremony” to get their passport.
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“As of February 9, just over 16,000 people in Quebec [attendaient] to be called to their citizenship ceremony,” confirmed Rémi Larivière, media relations officer at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
In recent days, readers have pointed out that the deadlines for obtaining the Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) and permanent residence are far from the only ones and that it is also necessary to be patient for citizenship.
Expired permanent residence card
“I haven’t obtained citizenship yet, so I can’t leave the country,” said a woman working in a listed firm, preferring to remain anonymous to avoid aggravating the federal wait.
What shocks her is that her permanent residence card has just passed its expiration date due to federal deadlines. Today, she is afraid of being sent back to her country with her family.
“This would never have happened if I had had my citizenship to close the file. I feel neglected by the federal government. My boy who wants to participate in sports competitions outside the country is stuck here,” she laments.
- Listen to Yves Daoust, director of the Money section of the Journal de Montréal and the Journal de Québec, on QUB radio:
IRCC overwhelmed everywhere
For immigration lawyer Stéphane Minson, these additional delays with citizenship are the icing on the cake.
“There are delays everywhere. It’s mind-blowing,” he says.
“Citizenship adds the right to vote. It’s one more step. This is the last step,” he adds.
Even if he believes that those who are waiting for their citizenship are less badly taken than those who have not yet had their residence, he denounces these delays.
“What’s behind all this is that they are overwhelmed on all sides. It affects permanent residences, work permits and citizenship ”, summarizes the one who has Carole Villatreix and Christophe Perenne as clients, a couple of investors, who have been waiting for their permanent residence for three years.
Joined by The newspaperImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has indicated that it wants to speed up the citizenship process.
“We are looking at an option for people who wish to take their oath by signed attestation, and celebrate their citizenship at a later date. This would reduce the waiting time,” the ministry said.
“Over the past few months, we have organized approximately 350 virtual ceremonies per month and we invite approximately 3,500 to 5,000 candidates each week to take the oath virtually,” concluded its spokesperson Rémi Larivière.
From April 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021, IRCC conducted more than 12,000 virtual citizenship ceremonies and welcomed some 177,000 new citizens to the country, the ministry points out.
Thousands of people waiting at each step towards citizenship
1. Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ)
- People waiting: 20,988
2. Permanent Residence (PR)
- People waiting: 39,773 (economic immigration)
3. Oath of citizenship
- People waiting: 16,000
Source: Quebec Ministry of Immigration and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), December and February data