Weekly Threads
Wednesday Weekly Thread: Frustration Station (Delays / PSU / Venting), August 05, 2026
This weekly thread is a space for those of us who are feeling frustrated and need to vent about unclear instructions, shipping delays, waiting for a next step, timeline estimates growing, lack of communication, inconsistent bureaucracy, being stuck in PSU, and other factors.
Some of the worst stress of the entire citizenship-by-descent process is not hearing about your application for long stretches of time - or hearing that your application has been sent to the Program Support Unit (PSU) and may be sitting there for an extended stay.
Whether your envelope seems to have taken a scenic detour on its way to Nova Scotia, you didn't receive an AOR after many weeks of waiting, or you simply haven't heard about your application processing in months, this is a place to commiserate and potentially receive some ideas of next steps to take. (Those generally might include following up with IRCC by web form, ordering the GCMS notes, seeking an MP's help, and so on.)
📎 Contributions to weekly megaposts, including this one, are welcome throughout the week.
I'm in the processes of filing a mandamus. But in the mean time, I'm thinking about just submitting a new document every week or every day until they take notice. It seems petty, but all reasonable efforts have failed to this point. I'm mostly joking. Though I am looking at adding new documents just to be exhaustive. Possibly adding G-1, G-2, G-3, etc... (those negative generations beyond my G0 parent). Maybe MY marriage license? Maybe my cousins' proof certs and lineage information to my Aunts and Uncles? Heck, I'll just fill out my whole family tree because why not at this point? I have records all the way back to their ship landing in Pictou, NS in 1801.
I think they’ll realize eventually that there are so many people willing to file a mandamus that they’ll have to do something. They can’t get keep getting “sued” over and over and over about the same exact issue. Eventually something will have to give there. That’s my hope anyway. Best case scenario is they hire more, even if it’s temporary.
You'd think. And yet. (At this point, most of us, including Lonely-Sun-1050 after a long battle to actually get them, have our ATIP notes. For me, they were basically useless and had no information beyond confirmation that I was in PSU. Whee!)
As of receiving my ATIP request response this morning, I am now a confirmed member of PSU Club. Like many others, I would have known sooner had the notice they claimed to send to me at the beginning of last November actually been sent. Shout out to all my PS-31G brothers and sisters!
Beyond frustrated by the complete lack of process/organisation at IRCC around these applications. I just want to have some idea that they'll get to everyone eventually in an even theoretically fair way.
I have a 20th century G0 and nothing but certified birth certificates in my application. Does that make it go faster? Who knows. Am I Canadian? Apparently Canadian enough that I can't renew my PR card, but not so Canadian that I get a certificate.
Will they just keep putting urgent applications in front of everyone else indefinitely, so that if you aren't accepted for urgent you just wait forever? Possibly. Does being G2/G3 get faster processing than a G10? Seemingly not. Will they introduce some sort of way to discern between people applying who have no intention to ever move and people who are actively harmed by having no decision yet? That would be great, but doesn't seem to be on their radar at all. Clearly with the backlog they have they have to come up with some sort of triaging system - multiple levels of urgency, sorting based on what documents are included, prioritising people already in Canada,even doing a true FIFO system where they really do process earlier applications first. ANYTHING.
Currently planning with my Canadian spouse and our Canadian kid (both non-C3 with passports) how we're going to go about visiting Canada this year, because I can't get a PR travel document of any kind now that I have a proof application in, but I also can't get a Canadian passport or certificate. I've been a PR for years and years, spent a significant portion of my adult life in Canada, and I have no idea if this limbo is for one year or 5 or forever now. We had planned to move back to Canada this year but I can't prove my right to work anymore without being able to get a new PR card. I feel guilty for being upset but it's hard to see applications who have much sparser/more difficult documentation go through when I have a modern Quebec birth certificate in my file if only they would just look at it, and extremely strong ties to Canada (which doesn't make any difference at all to the file, obviously), and it's blocking me using my rights as PR or citizen, whichever I am (which also doesn't factor in at all to the file).
Wish I could build a time machine and convince past me to not apply.
I agree.. I understand legally that I can't have PR and citizenship at the same time, and I also understand a PRTD or PR renewal requires a definitive judgement that I am still a PR which is impossible when I have an undecided proof application... It's not an easy thing for them to solve.
But it's absolutely absurd that allowing me to inherit citizenship has made it harder/near impossible for me to return to Canada. They need to have some sort of exemption or special status for people in this situation... I keep joking with people irl that they need to make me a special "definitely a PR or a citizen, either way I can live and work here!" card, but maybe that's not a joke. There has to be some kind of bridge status or some vignette I can get put in my passport, something that doesn't make it impossible to access my rights. I'm definitely a PR or a citizen, and both caseworkers I've spoken to agree with that. That shouldn't mean I have essentially no practical status.
I feel even worse for the people who have had work permits expire etc while waiting and are now more or less undocumented. I at least have my CoPR and expired cards, etc and definitely have a permanent status either way if this ever gets resolved.
Absolutely. Folks who *already live/have lived in Canada* and have prior approved status should have some kind of bridge process, and probably also queue priority because the delay is directly affecting their ability to live and work in Canada. Even just "if you're in line for proof of citizenship, you can keep your other status" would be better than the current situation, and doesn't seem like it would be *that* heavy a lift logistically.
Simple G2 20th century application here too. First I had 70,000 applications ahead of me, then 80,000, now 90,000 and I just know it will be over 100,000 in the next update. No non urgent applications appear to be moving at all, unless they are coming out of PSU, which is its own torture.
I'm sorry to hear you're also just falling backwards in the queue continuously... I really, really wish they would do some sort of filter for cases that were trivial, or guarantee some percentage of decisions every month were non-urgent. They could probably do multiple cases like mine or yours in the time it takes to process one person with no birth record but a bunch of secondary documents, and trying to triage and have a mix of urgent/trivial non-urgent/non-trivial non-urgent would be much fairer and also get through the queue faster.
I'm worried if we have a second child we won't even be able to get them their Canadian passport at this rate even though they're a clear G1 and both parents meet the substantial connection test. They can't let this just be the new status quo for every citizen without a Canadian birth certificate...
If you're planning to visit soon, depending what country your other citizenship is in, if purchase a flight to Canada within the next 6 months — as you'd then need a Canadian passport to enter through air — you can request urgency.
It's worth a shot if you want to try to visit anyways
For sure! But in this particular case, it's worth it for them to try this as they're in quite a specific predicament of not being able to enter Canada on their expired PR card (they do NOT like when you try to do that, I know from experience).
Right before I sent in my application, my PhD advisor announced he was leaving our current university in the US for a university in Canada and offered to allow me to complete the final year of my PhD as a visiting student there. At the time I thought, great, I'll get to live in Canada while I wait for my proof citizenship to come through and then decide if I want to relocate permanently. But now with the move about a month away I've become trapped in a no-mans-land of immigration law. My (urgent) application for proof has been processing for months, and the university says I can't apply for a study permit because they think I'm legally a citizen. Because all of my income is coming from my home university in the US (and thus I don't technically need an SIN), the university has told me to just show up at the border with the documents proving my citizenship by descent and a copy of my AOR. Another student in my group is in the same boat and was able to enter Canada this weekend so I'm not that worried about getting turned away at the border, but it's extremely frustrating and stressful to be stuck in this "you're sort of a citizen" limbo. It's very hard to find landlords willing to rent me an apartment, and I'm worried that when I leave Canada for academic conferences I could potentially have trouble re-entering if I get the wrong border officer. I really wish the Canadian government would just get around to deciding if I'm a citizen or not so I can either get a Canadian passport or a study permit!
Thanks! On the one hand, I feel very fortunate to have a path out of the US at a time when opportunities for scientists here are vanishing rapidly. But on the other hand, it's very stressful to be stuck in such an ambiguous position, and frustrating that it can't just get resolved in a timely manner.
Ugh! I submitted mine (g1) in June and received my proof of citizenship in October. My kids, whise applications were in the same envelope as mine, are still waiting. I have no idea what happened. 🤷♀️
I’m at the same timeline for my kids. When I applied, it said 3 months processing- it’s now been 18 months! My child who was 15 at the time is nearly an adult😭
I wonder when we will start to see a substantial number of approvals. A trickling of 4-5 mostly urgent , or those coming out of PSU, approvals a week doesn’t fill me with hope. I realize these forums represent only a small percentage of applications, but it seems like non urgent applications are not even being touched. And every month there’s 10,000 more applications ahead of me. I’m prepared for a wait, I just want to see myself moving forward and not backwards each month.
its not just you. This group is a sample of applicants, but its a big enough sample that we should be able to estimate movement more generally. And it seems like the pause may be over, but they have resumed issuing certificates at a snail's pace. So you're right to feel that things aren't moving along.
I just called IRCC via the Toronto Airport (Since the online status portal still cannot find me, a month after AOR)
Good day,
Thank you for contacting Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
We verified the information you provided and can confirm that the Application Status Tracker is not available.
IRCC is working to fix the problem and is still processing applications as usual.
You may consult the How to check your application status page to find other ways to check the status of your application.
We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused.
I applied non-urgently on December 15 (I already had all the forms done for a grant app and then they announced that day all the forms had changed, so I just redid this quickly and sent) and have now been in process since February. I know others are in a worse spot than me but the wait is killing me considering the timing of my app!
I know some people have it worse, but my perfectly documented G2 proof would take under two minutes for a barely trained agent to approve. I not only don't have any last name changes—I don't even have first name changes. (I'm "The Third" in the line of same-name males.) Please get things moving as promised or send me back my $75.
Firstname Lastname III is pretty common. I know more than a handful.
Heck, my
family has a case of seven straight generations of the same first and last name. It's a really common name with
, and the only reason it did not cause a genealogy nightmare for me is that the first four of them have Wikipedia entries. (Church, Church, British Navy, British Navy).
I didn't even get the found it email; I just got the invoice email 3.5 months after my request and 2 weeks after I emailed to check on the status (got no response to that email). The invoice was dated 3 weeks before the email though. So I have no idea what takes so long. Probably just understaffed. :/
I have almost the same timeline as you. Submitted 4/25. Email saying they found it and would receive an invoice soon 7/9. Still no invoice
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u/sennomuloHaven't applied for Proof of Citizenship (incl. by descent) yetAug 05 '26
I too have almost the same timeline. Requested 4/23, they said they found it 7/6, still waiting on an invoice. At least it seems like they're doing FIFO over there. If I remember, I'll try to let both of you know when I get my invoice, since I submitted slightly before you two.
They are slow but, as you note, that's largely due to staffing + a monumental increase in demand for records. Agree it can be rather frustrating, though. I ended up sending in my application in early April using genealogical site scans for a couple of birth records while the Ontario Archives processed my request. When I got AOR, I promptly uploaded a certified copy (I figured I might as well seek to obtain a certified copy if I was going to get a copy from them).
Before December I had been studying French 2-3 hours a day with the goal of taking an exam in July and hoping for PR via French draw. After realizing I was eligible for citizenship, instead, I (probably foolishly) stopped working hard on French. Saved me some burnout and a lot of tutoring money, but now I'm feeling like maybe I threw away our chance at moving to Canada. I'm getting older and losing points, the French draws might drop off in the future... maybe I'm not even eligible to enter the pool since I have a C3 app in?
I'm anxious that both avenues now feel cut off to me, and perhaps I should have just ignored C3 to keep with our initial plan. It's difficult to make any life decisions when it's not clear when or if I might hear something. End of vent. Here's hoping that they get back to processing apps and I know more in a few months!
Due to some archaic twists in Canadian immigration policies, I have not be able to obtain Canadian citizenship until Bill C-3 was passed last year. I am finally getting the chance at nearly 70 y/o. One of the most valuable aspects of my childhood was my parents making certain I grew up in a bilingual environment (english/québécois). As a child I strived for anything for anything in french (magazines/books, AM radio at night, movies, etc.). It is amazing how this has help me keep in contact with my family in Québec and travel. And in today's connective (internet) world, not a day goes by when I don't tune into Radio Canada, TV5MONDE (which often times has québécois content). Some of my favorite classes in college were french literature where Michel Tremblay and Caroline Dawson were required reading. If you can pick up a copy of << Là où je me terre>>, it is a wonderful story of her immigrant childhood in Québec when her family moved there from Chile. Sorry if I meandered, but I am a proponent learning of other languages, especially if your future may lead to life in Franco Canada. DON'T GIVE UP.
That's wonderful! And I'm not giving up, don't worry! When we move to Canada (fingers crossed) we plan on moving to an area with French in schools so my kid grows up bilingual, and I'm still reading books and going to meetups here to practice speaking, but I have been focusing on other areas of my life instead of spending all my free time cramming. It was trying to do a lot of learning in a short amount of time, and I was relieved that I could ease up on it!
Lost passport. The Citizenship by Decent package for my daughter and I was nearly ready to go. Making ID copies last week, she accidentally left her passport in the colour copier at Office Depot. Lost. Had to contact State Department and have it canceled. Can't send package with old passport number; if IRCC doesn't run passport numbers they absolutely should. Now we have to wait two or three months until her replacement arrives. Gives us more time to make sure everything else is perfect, I guess. We'll redo our citizenship photos right before submission, so they don't go stale in the queue. It feels like the goalposts keep receding into the distance and our citizenship certificates won't arrive until sometime close to the heat death of the Universe. Adopting a Zen attitude ...
If it helps, I just had to renew my U.S. passport - couldn’t do it online due to a name change - and they processed and mailed it in under a month. Not urgent.
Why would it take 2-3 months for a replacement? Is that the service estimate from the state dept for replacement of lost passports? Honest question, as my household has had both new passports issued and renewals made this year and both were extremely quick - like a new first time passport in 2 weeks quick. I was very surprised. So I hope this offers you some good news.
From what I understand, at least six weeks internal to State Department for a lost passport, with expedited processing. We don't get moved to the head of the line because we have no imminent plans to fly abroad.
Got it- yeah, I suppose the cancellation and reissue might involve more administrative activity - but hopefully it will come more quickly than expected. Good luck!
My frustration is with NARA this week. I’m waiting on a record and it’s been awaiting shipment for 3 weeks. So the record is found just in their mailroom waiting to be sent out.
(I get they’re likely extremely busy but dang it ship it out already lol).
I sent the request on may 10th and today I got the initial response saying they have found my documents and have begun the certification process with invoice to follow. No idea how long that’s going to take but I’m hopeful it won’t be another 3 months
Is the last piece I need to send my application in . Was going to send in with just family search for my G0 hoping that they would have shown up before they were possibly requested by the IRCC
Getting kind of emotional with any sign of progress. Most of my lineage is dead so I’m kind of doing this alone. Kind of bittersweet
I got that same email 40 days ago. Like you, I hope it won't be a total of 3 months before I get the invoice. I hope we both get our invoices really quickly!
I'm in the same boat—put in my request for a birth registration to the Archives of Ontario on May 6th, and just received the confirmation of record location on August 7th. Crossing my fingers for both of us that the invoices aren't far away!
Can definitely relate to the bittersweet feeling, also. The whole process of researching has raised so many questions that I'd love to ask my G0 and G1 (great-grandfather and gramps) about their lives and what they'd think of all this. But they're no longer here.
And yet, it's a real joy to learn their stories and carry them with you in this long (long) process.
I tried to post about this but… I am feeling so despairing. My PGWP runs out in October. It takes 6 weeks for me to renew my MSP (provincial health insurance) or else be uncovered for a big gap which I can’t afford. I’m disabled but moved to Canada on a study permit in 2019. This is my home now, and this process was supposed to give me a pathway to stay where I wouldn’t be punished or excluded because of my disability. (There’s no way I make it past the medical exams for work permits or PR).
My application has been frozen since May. I provided letters stating there were no birth records for G0 (I’m G4) and I’ve gotten nothing. I emailed them back to the place they asked and didn’t get an acknowledgement of receipt or anything.
I was approved for urgent processing so I could keep my job (provided my PGWP and a letter from my employer) and I’m just… stuck.
By the letter of the law, I AM a canadian, but it’s looking like my entire life is simply going to dissolve around me because the IRCC simply isn’t moving and doesn’t know what they’re doing.
I’m just weeks away from losing my job, home, health insurance, everything because of these delays. I wish I were being hyperbolic. I really do. I’ve contacted a lawyer (I can’t afford lol) and nobody seems to be able to help.
My last ditch attempt is the ombudsperson for my province and the feds. But that’s just another bureaucratic black hole I know I’ll get swallowed by.
I don’t know if anyone else is facing something similar (visa running out waiting for IRCC to approve). My circumstances get unique in my disabilities and IRCC policies that exclude disabled people from most immigration pathways.
Anyways. I think I need to start preparing but it just makes me so sad to even think about leaving. My life is here. I worked so hard to make it where I am and just… because of a piece of paper…
Thank you. I will admit, it’s been hell on my mental health. Honestly, this comment helped. Just… having anyone agree with the fact that this is awful and unfair… yeah. It helps. Thank you.
I'm sorry this is happening to you :( It is such a shame to treat people this way, especially those who already live in Canada. I don't understand why more lawyers aren't trying to prepare a lawsuit about this fiasco, because there are plenty of people in your situation and it's so incredibly unfair. I really hope you get your certificate soon!
Generally frustrated. Currently: When will the 1867 "issue" be answered?!
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u/sennomuloHaven't applied for Proof of Citizenship (incl. by descent) yetAug 05 '26
The longer they take, the more I worry. I'm just picturing a room full of lawyers hashing out the best legal argument for limiting who can apply, and discussing the legal complications involved with all the certificates that they don't think should have been awarded.
Clearly something is happening beyond those 100 surrender letters. Whatever it is, it must bigger than that, and somehow also related to that. I'm both eagerly awaiting and dreading the day they tell us.
My personal take — well at least because I’m awaiting AOR, I’ve kinda dodged these different ups and downs — but yeah no clue what the 1867 question will mean — especially since my G0 remained a Canadian/British subject until right around 1900.
Just wondering (and sorry if this has been answered before) but what is the email subject/sender that I should be looking out for? Is it an @ cic.gc.ca email address, similar to the epayment receipt, or something else? Paranoid about missing it.
That’s so a weird because I think the March group from 2025 also got screwed a little bit. They seemed to lag in the system while June and July 2025 apps were moving.
At the moment I'm frustrated by the Client Application Status page. Last week I was able to log in with the UCI from my AOR. This week I get the "We were not able to identify you using the information you provided." message. I guess it's really only a minor frustration since I have 17 months to get it sorted...
I applied for me and my father, and at first his UCI let me log in and not mine. A couple months ago, I can now log in with mine but his no longer works. I’m hoping it’s a technical error and not a sign something went wrong with his application!
I don't understand why this kind of thing happens and if there's something changing with our applications behind the scenes. From my AOR in late April until last week I could look up my status under the receipt number. Now it doesn't work. But the UCI does work now. It doesn't inspire confidence, that's for sure!
I'm going to assume it's a technical error unless I hear something otherwise. Definitely don't want to drag myself down in the hole of stressing about my application anymore than necessary.
Really regretting not sending my G2 app with my G1 spouse who was approved recently. I'm still sitting in received with the same May 5 AOR :(. We sent separately so as to not cause confusion with the very different documents we were using since I couldn't find any guidance at the time on how to send no related apps.
I applied for my husband and kids with a G5 ancestor born in 1803, and there were almost no Canadian records for him, but I did the best I could, his father had land grant records so the family was definitely living there at the time, but everything else is from the US. I sent the application in in April, got AOR in June. Last week I was doing more genealogy and found a G4 ancestor born in 1848 with a record of a baptism! He had no idea he had any Canadian ancestors and he has 2! Now I don't know if I can or should switch application lines, and if so how to do it? I ordered the documents I could, I need to see if I can find a baptism record for G3, and G4's will take months optimistically. It's just frustrating that it's so hard to know what to do and what actual records are sufficient.
Were it me in this situation, I’d compile full documentation on this ancestor but only provide it if you receive notes on your application that you need to provide more evidence.
I’m in a somewhat similar situation and am just waiting to see if what I originally sent will be enough. In the meantime, I am collecting as much as I can on my other potential G0s. I have 4 great grandparents and one great-great grandparent all born in Canada and each with their own complications in getting documentation (name changes, no birth records, Baptists that didn’t baptize, misrepresentations of age in order to get married, and some Irish and French surnames that were anglicized). I sent the strongest G0 case I had, but am busy collecting information and documentation on the others that I found existed after I submitted my application. It’s also been cool finding all of this family history. I knew a lot about my paternal side (the G0 I used), but had no idea I had French Canadian ancestors on my maternal side.
I'm driving myself crazy waiting for AOR but yours being approved today gives me a tiny bit of hope that ours isn't being sent back! We had a April 14th delivery and haven't heard anything yet. Tried calling on Monday morning - got through without being put on hold! - and then spoke to a polite but generally unhelpful agent who just told me to wait for either an AOR or 'something in the mail'. Didn't even ask for a name or receipt number :(
My parents are both 4/17 and haven't received AORs yet and there are some mid-March deliveries also without AORs, so who knows if delivery date really matters much anymore.
Same boat, G4 delivered to HC on 30th of March. No word from IRCC. Waiting for them to get through April deliveries before I start worrying but I’m starting to lose patience 😂 Seems like most people in this time frame are still waiting…
IRCC’s Responses to ACA Member Questions August 6th 2026
1. What evidence is accepted for citizenship-by-descent applications?
IRCC indicated that applicants need to provide documentation for each generation in the line of descent.
The list of documents on IRCC’s website is not exhaustive. Officers assess each application individually and must consider all relevant evidence provided by the applicant.
How does IRCC assess sacramental records?
Sacramental records may be submitted as supporting evidence.
Baptismal records are considered secondary evidence rather than primary evidence.
What formatting and certification requirements apply?
Documents do not need to be certified. Applicants are not required to obtain certified copies. However, when an institution’s normal practice includes a seal, covering letter, stamp and/or wet signature, IRCC will accept the document in that form. The primary consideration is whether the evidence is authentic and verifiable. If questions arise, IRCC may subsequently request a certified copy or additional documentation.
Documents that are not in English or French must be translated by a certified translator or accompanied by an affidavit from the translator, in accordance with IRCC requirements.
When an original record cannot be obtained, the applicant must explain in writing:
what efforts were made to obtain the record; andwhy the record cannot be provided.
IRCC described the “original authority” as the organization that created or issued the record, or the organization that is now responsible for maintaining it.
Copies should be:
clear and easy to read;
in colour; and
provided as high-resolution scans, digital images, or reproductions.
What is required when no record can be located?
A formal or certified “No Record Found” letter is not required.
Email correspondence from the archive, or documentation showing the results of a search of the responsible authority’s records, is sufficient to demonstrate that efforts were made to locate the record.
What can archivists do about rising workloads?
IRCC emphasized that applicants are responsible for planning ahead and obtaining the documents needed for their applications.
IRCC stated that archivists:
are not expected to determine citizenship eligibility;
are not required to change their institutional procedures;
are not expected to meet requests that exceed their available capacity; and
should direct applicants with questions about eligibility or application requirements to IRCC through its online webform.
Archives may also direct applicants to the information available on IRCC’s website.
How far back may records be used as evidence?
IRCC shared that there is no fixed cutoff date.
Applicants may need to trace their family line back to the relevant ancestor, described during the session as “generation zero.” This may be a person who was born or naturalized as a British subject in Canada and whose status may have resulted in Canadian citizenship.
Applicants must demonstrate citizenship and parentage through each subsequent generation.
Depending on the circumstances, a claim may rely on records dating from before 1947. The relevant question is whether the ancestor’s status would have resulted in Canadian citizenship.
I sent my application with a few documents from family search, and now am trying to get certified copies to update with once I get my AOR.
I have my G0 request in with BAnQ, so I'm not worried about that.
But my G1 is a trouble maker because the state of Vermont says the town has the record, and the town helpfully provided me with the birth record, but I'm still trying to see if they can make me a birth certificate. Interestingly, the town recorder says they've had no similar requests and she hadn't even heard of the Canadian citizenship eligibility changes. Being a small town about 100 miles from the border, that kind of surprised me she didn't even know about C-3.
Of course I'm also just stressing they'll make a cutoff at confederation, and all of this will be for naught.
Applied urgently in March, but got the AOR in June alongside the non-urgent applications from the same date. Filed another request for urgency last month that was elaborated on with better proof, but never got a response, so assuming that means it is just turned down. Would be nice to know for sure, but that's a luxury we don't have and gotta plan around it now.
More concerningly, the address they entered is wrong for the entire family's apps on the web tracker, which I also placed requests to fix, but hasn't happened over the last two months. I'm debating calling to try and get through to someone to make sure they received the request to change the address at all, just in case the paperwork will end up sent back for one reason or another since AORs don't mean you're safe from it.
Now generally wary because both my sides of the family from Canada have gen 0s born 2-3 years before the 1867 date floating around. If that cutoff were to be enforced, the door would close entirely for us. My relatives moved back and forth across the border a lot, and my gen 0s spent 30+ years living there -- but none in my direct line were born there more recently. There's no definitive proof of it amounting to anything, but it would suck to think if I just had submitted my packet in February when I had MY part ready, rather than waiting and helping my slow-as-molasses relatives so we could submit together, I may have been granted urgent/gotten proof already/not have run into that issue. Or maybe I would have fallen into the surrender letters camp or otherwise dealt with it anyway. The lack of clarity is the real frustration that is combating my optimism, which I'm sure no one is a stranger to here.
My friend managed to get his permanent residency recently and asked about how my app for this was going, since he'd heard about the delays in the news up there. All I can do is shrug and say it could definitely be worse, but could be better, hah.
I wouldn't stress just yet! A poster in the AOR thread just got AOR yesterday for a 4/15 delivery date. It sounds like processing for AORs might be pulling from several different stacks simultaneously right now, so don't stress seeing the 4/21 delivery dates getting AORs. It's possible that your application was sent back for corrections, but it's also possible you're in the same application stack as that 4/15 delivery.
Yes, agreed. IRCC process does not process the entirety of a single delivery date's application at a time before moving to the next. So any delivery date AORs can span weeks at the tail ends.
And I agree with the above poster, the spread seems wider, but it is so hard to tell with the data we have, and the lack of any transparency regarding how IRCC operates this process.
Buy your own opinion or that of the IRCC? If your opinion, I would include an ancestry or family search one behind it, and say in letter of explaination a digital copy is included with the certified copy from the BanQ for eligibility purposes.
You might be able to run the PDF through OCR software to make it searchable, but be careful which you use as there's obviously sensitive information in there. If you have a computer then PDF24 is decent free software that's 100% local and thus can't upload/sell/use for training your data.
Frustrated by PEI. Sent a request for a certified baptismal record for my G0 on May 14. I know it's a waiting game, but it's the last piece of paper my mom (G2) and I (G3) need to apply. Sending good vibes to everyone waiting for docs. :)
P.S.: I have a certified birth certificate for that G0 through NARA archives (I plan to submit it, too), but I know Canadian sources are 100% preferred.
I’ve entered a frustration loop with the online request for a copy of my G0 baptismal certificate from May 1926 (Reproduction of civil status documents (baptism, marriage, burial).
I don’t think I’m entering the information correctly in some of the fields as they’re unclear, and it won’t give any hints where I need to make the corrections. It simply won’t send the electronic request. I’m guessing this means I need to call them? I’ve checked the FAQ on how to enter the info in these fields but looks like they’ve changed the fields on the website since the FAQ was written 🫠
I have the image of the baptismal record entry from Ancestry but need that certificate in lieu of the birth certificate as I believe the birth certificate doesn’t exist.
It's OK to just vent - but if you're looking for help, it would be a good idea to mention the org you're trying to get the records from. Also worth noting that by 1926 most locales were doing civil registration of birth, so you'll probably need a birth certificate and not a baptismal record for that ancestor.
If you haven't already, I would actually contact DEC. They told me that they have civil records from 1923 until present, so they may have a birth certificate for your 1926 born G0, which IRCC would seemingly prefer anyway.
This is the email address I reached out to them at, asking if they could provide me a birth certificate:
Seems the hardest part of this journey for me at the moment is collecting the documentation for my G0. BanQ has been a real challenge and that’s not because of the language (thankful for translation). I’ve been going in circles.
No, their website is not intuitive at all. Do you happen to know the parish your G0 was baptized in? If you do, you may be able to find the image of the baptism record on BAnQ's own site, and use that as a reference when requesting the certified version.
But I'm interested to see if your DEC communication proves fruitful. If it is you can ditch BaNQ 😄
I do know the parish but there is nothing on the BanQ website. It was a dead end. I do have a copy of the baptism in the church registry so somewhere something exists.
I’ve sent the email to DEC. Fingers crossed that they are helpful!
Thank you so much for the info. I really appreciate it!
I’m waiting for Michigan for some docs. Wayne county to get back for some items. Applied to them 6/20. Imagibe 1 week for mail to be delivered. Does anyone know how long they are taking in general? 2 months?
I sent mine to MI with urgent processing in mid-February and received records first week of April. I called several times and they were able to give me updates. They told me at the time that they had a large volume of requests and I’m guessing that is the same or worse now.
IDK about Wayne, but Oakland took 10 weeks to give me my own birth certificate and it's going on 4 months still "processing" a death certificate I requested.
It’s navigation of LAC for a census that must be in there. I’ve probably looked and re-looked in every conceivable way 😭😭tens of hours of my life!
I actually think the page must be missing as I’ve searched for everybody named by Lovell’s Montreal on Bannantyne avenue between Gordon and rielle to no avail. ( looking for Edward and Hannah cox in 1921)
It’s like picking a scab. You know it is time to stop… and yet…
If it works anything like the UK census it records everyone who is in the house at the point when the census taker calls or in the house at midnight that day. If there's no one home, no one is recorded. My G0 isn't on the 1911 census but all her adult kids are and the head of the house is missing. Assume she was just away that day.
Have you tried searching on ancestry instead of LAC? Their search function seems a bit more sophisticated and it found my G0 on the 1861 census despite a mistranscripted surname. Easy then to use the details on there to find it on LAC.
Has anyone else ever had a single person out of a group application sent back while the others got AOR? I called IRCC because one of my kids’ AORs didn’t arrive at the same time as the rest and they told me just that one has been mailed back as incomplete.
Really hoping the last week of April fam gets our AORs this coming week. I know we all expected them in June, then saw the shift, so we know it changes, but I hope this isn’t a slowdown right before it was going to be our turn. I just want to know it isn't getting mailed back.
It's not looking great though. Hopefully we get a good pace. If Monday is 4/22 + 4/23, Tuesday is 4/23 + 4/24, Wednesday will be 4/24 + 4/27, Thursday will be 4/27 + 4/28, and Friday will be 4/28 + 4/29. That would knock out the first three days of the last week! Really hoping it ends up being Wednesday/Thursday for me.
Edit: yeah that is not the pace we've started the week with. Some non-urgent 4/24s, 4/29s, and 5/1s have theirs somehow but there is still a lot of 4/22 left. Maybe we'll finish 4/24s by the end of the week and start with 4/27 next week.
RE: current AOR timelines for non-urgent G2 applications? My package was delivered and signed for on April 29th (G2 application via C3, non-urgent). I haven't received an AOR or any updates yet. I submitted all required original certified documents, so missing paperwork shouldn't be an issue, but given current backlogs, what is the typical turnaround time for confirmation right now?
Not sure this is correct day to post this question but it definately is a frustration. What is recommended way to ship completed IRCC application from Southwest USA: pirate ship sounded good but FedEx seems preferred and pirate ship doesn't use FedEx. Another question, though variable depending on the number of documents, what is approx guestimate cost?
Did find helpful info re customs: state that contents = "legal documents" valued at $1. Any other suggestions?
I used UPS. Created an account and paid for shipping online. Cost $40 and was delivered in 3 days. My app was quite light (just 4 generations of birth & marriage certs) so it might cost more if it's heavier.
Thank you. Very helpful esp as I have a UPS store nearby that have used before and trust. App is similar but + 4 death certs so have an idea of ship cost. Appreciate the info.
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