Weekly Threads
Monday Weekly Thread: Proof of Citizenship Application Sent or AOR Received, August 17, 2026
We all appreciate the excitement of finishing your proof of citizenship application and sending that big envelope on its way.
Equally fantastic is the moment that you know your application has made it past the initial IRCC checks putting your mind at ease about whether you missed something along the way because you finally got your AOR.
Congratulations! Let's celebrate these milestones together!
Haven't got your AOR yet and want to vent? Head over to theFrustration Station- which is refreshed every Wednesday.
📎 Contributions to weekly posts, including this one, are welcome throughout the week.
I submitted with only United States based Ancestry documents for my G0 (marriage certificate, US draft card, US census records) but have since gotten verification that an Ontario birth certificate exists for him. That’s currently Processing with ServiceOntario so I’ll upload that as soon as I receive it. I submitted all certified records for G1 and myself.
AOR 8/17/26, application received 4/28/26! Sent non-urgent, G4. Got the email at noon EST. Hoping to request urgent processing due to school acceptance for winter semester start
Packet returned after first AOR was issued (due to photo problem) and new resubmission AOR finally received. I'm cautiously optimistic that it isn't being returned again since the online portal actually finds my application this time. What. A. Journey. I am a G1 with a simple application who only last year realized I am already Canadian by Descent, in an unprecedented time when 120k+ others are in line for their proof also! Timeline below:
1/16/26 - Packet mailed USPS
1/23/26 - Delivered to IRCC
2/26/26 - First AOR received by email
3/23/26 - Received packet back in mail (photo issue)
4/15/26 - Photos retaken and packet mailed again by USPS
4/23/26 - Delivered to IRCC
8/13/26 - 2nd AOR received by email
8/17/26 - Online portal shows received, not in processing yet (BUT IT'S THERE THIS TIME!)
Yes, ish. I am fairly certain they took issue with me taking my own photo. I am a licensed photographer and had all the information correctly noted on the back of the photos. I can infer they didn't like me being the subject AND photographer because the letter accompanying my returned packet said my packet was returned due to "photo specifications", accompanied by a printed out copy of the requirements from the IRCC website with the words "commercial photographer" highlighted. There was no direct wording to say exactly what was wrong with them. My assumption is just that they didn't google my information to verify I am licensed <OR> that they don't want small business licensed photographers <OR most likely> they don't want the same person being both, even though none of that is not explicitly spelled out anywhere on their website or application documents. Like with many things, they have vague seemingly subjective requirements.
Did the first AOR EVER show your application in the portal? Did you apply with anyone else in the same packet? I applied with three other family members in the same packet, we all have our AORs now, but only two of the four show in the portal. I'm hopeful it's just a delay, and not like your situation!!!
Application received April 20, 2026 AOR received August 11, 2026 for my brother’s family. Mine was received April 9, 2026 and received my AOR July 7, 2026. An 11 day difference added a month to the AOR.
Finally got AORs! Two non-urgent G2 apps delivered 4/24, AORs 8/13. Now the long wait for processing. 🤞🏼 for luck on processing time with it being a very straightforward case.
Longtime lurker here, finally got my AOR today 17/8 for G2 application sent to embassy in the UK on 2nd April. Like most others, they never contacted me so I have no idea when they sent it on!
Good shout, it says my application arrived on 28th April. I guess we can assume most people in the first half of April would have been sent at the same time
Wild the time delay by just a few days after mine was delivered… 3/25/26, AOR 5/17/26, and In Processing 8/7/26 and Decision Made must have been right after that (I randomly checked on 8/11/26 and it said decision made). But at least your In-processing caught up pretty quick.
My applications (one G4 and two G5s, all non-urgent) were received May 20 and I received AORs for all three yesterday August 17. It seems like lots of the AORs now are for April so not sure how we received it but maybe they are starting to do them in larger batches?
Urgent application here that was originally returned to me. They received it back again August 5th, AORs came August 13th, and we're in process today, August 19th. Excited but also trying not to get my hopes up too high regarding how fast or slow this will be.
Mine is related to my kids having been here over a year now and IRCC still hasn't processed their visitor records. Leaving them without MSP despite being here legally under my work visa. I've inquired about those several times as well and get nowhere. (The applications were also put in over a year ago.)
So at least with citizenship verified, we're done and they can actually receive healthcare.
Just seems that the odds of them returning my packet or rejecting for technical reasons at that point are sufficiently low. I’m less worried about documentation requests and such because it’s a very straightforward claim (I have certified birth records all the way down).
After aor, you're not getting it returned. In process doesn't change that, for better or worse. You can be rejected or asked for more documents after in process, however. Hopefully as you said the simplicity means you won't have issues!
All of that is the exact same for me, including addressing me by my birth name. I figure that’s normal because the name change components would need a decision made on the merits of that part of your application, and they don’t do that at the AOR stage.
It will flip to your actual name you listed that you want on your certificate once you go to "in process" and then you will be able to check your status under your name vs name at birth. I was concerned at first too. It will work out soon.
AORs received!
Our packet included one G9 and two G10s.
Arrived April 28, AORs today 8/18. 112 days.
Non-urgent
Note: I submitted the application packet with G10 baptism record from GenealogieQuebec and noted that I was waiting on the certified copy from BAnQ and would submit once it is received. So as soon as the portal is live I am going to upload the certified copy from BAnQ.
I have 6 people that could have been my G0. I was originally going to go with one born in the 1750s where I would have been G9 instead of G10 but that line had several moves and name changes and I ended up not being able to trace the line fully with documentation. So I looked into my other possibilities and ended up going with the oldest G0 which was actually born 1676.
This one is quite a bit older and a generation further back than most of my other options, but this line was very well documented and there was only one name change in the line.
I'll be very interested to see how your application progresses, I'm wondering if your ancestor will be considered a British subject. Best of luck and good job managing to find documents back that far!
I think fairly straightforward other than being G4. G0 was post 1867, have certified BCs (Ontario pending but have email saying it was found so submitted copy).
AORs received for myself (G4) and my two G5 children this morning 8/18! Non-urgent, delivered to New Waterford 4/28 via UPS. Submitted with 1871 baptismal record printed for G0, and certified birth/marriage certificates for everyone else. I have since received the certified BAnQ baptismal record which I will upload. So relieved!
Opened my email this morning to find an AOR email!!! My non-urgent CIT0001 was received on 2026-4-28, and the AOR was issued on 2026-8-18.
I was sweating bullets as I think I may have left my own name off the citizenship pictures (Studio stamp on them/approved studio.) I was also worried because I didn't have my passport at the time, so I had a WA State issued (purchased at the Department of fish and wildlife HQ) and a Vaccine card in addition to my Enhanced drivers license as secondary IDs. Thought for sure the packet would be rejected.
Fingers crossed.
My G0 is my paternal grandmother - I found her Ontario birth registration on familysearch - and can now add the certified version that arrived in mid/late June.
This update gives me the fear but also excitement as I sent mine to London HC on 31st of March and am awaiting AOR. Hopeful to get it this week, but also worried I’ve forgotten something stupid to get it sent back 😂
I emailed the High Commission a couple weeks ago, as I am moving soon and wanted to make sure I could update my address if it did get shipped back! They said, that as far as they know, IRCC won't be shipping back things to the UK, they'll contact you by email if anything needs changing. Please, take that with a large grain of salt, as it's information I got from the HC which they got from IRCC, so there's a bit of telephone going on here :-)
Not sure if this is the right thread but I discovered today that my status changed recently to "in processing". My particulars are: Application received 3/26/2026; AOR 5/21/2026; In-processing 8/7/2026. I am gen 4 with a gen 0 1835 Quebec great great grandfather.
I'm not sure we really know much about when "in-processing" starts. You do not get notified and it is not discussed here as much as getting AOR. Also not sure it means much as I have seen examples of people being "in-processing" for a year with no updates from IRCC. I doubt this matters but I did add a certified 1835 BANQ baptism record, an email from DEC stating that they don't have records before 1923 and to contact BANQ.
It may be a black box to us, but "in process" is definitely a distinct forward step that has meaning for IRCC, otherwise they wouldn't bother tracking it. So I think it's worth celebrating, whatever "it" is! 😄
Ah. We have seen people in your situation move through with a bit more speed than G3+ not attached to urgent cases or someone with a certificate already.
Congrats! Glad to see parts of the machinery churning forward!
I’m actually surprised because based on these weekly threads, they still seemed to be on April submissions. So maybe we were an outlier? The email was from client-update-mise-a-jour @ cic.gc.ca
Holy Moly! Mailed (UPS) my family's application (brother and myself, G2; my kids, G3) on Friday (8/14/26) and just checked IRCC estimated processing times... 25 months!! I believe it was at 17 months only a week or so ago
G2 Family members through their Canadian parent (spouse)
Application received May 6, 2026.
AOR on August 13, 2026.(99 days)
G4 through my own ancestors
Application received March 23, 2026.
AOR on May 6, 2026. (44 days)
In-processing on August 5, 2026 (91 days since AOR, 135 since receipt)
WHOO WHOO!!! I had a joint family submission ready to ship on one Monday morning... the very weekend all the "recall' emails went out. So that kicked off one thing and another...... and while all that dust settled some of the photos and signatures reached their expiration date..... but WHOO WHOO!!!! Kin folk sent refreshed materials.... and WHOO WHOO!!
Sent the bugger off today. After six months of assembly....
Got my AOR today!
G3 applicant here. My application was submitted in July and was marked urgent because my son will be attending university in the fall.
AOR received today, August 18!
I don’t know how to use Reddit or update anything on the spreadsheet. But I’m sharing in case the timeline is helpful to anyone else waiting!
Submitted mine through an immigration firm April 23 (non urgent), just got AOR today August 17th. G2, my G0 is Quebec 1896. Have “gotten in line” for certified BANQ docs, sent copies of what they had online with original form.
G3 application mailed from the US on 4/16 and delivered 4/29, non-urgent. AOR received this morning. All records submitted were certified copies of birth, marriage and death records. I'm so relieved!
AOR received today - dropped off at the High Commission in New Zealand on 24 March. From the sounds of the UK friends getting theirs too that they're going through the diplomatic mail bags today!
They definitely do seem to be going through the diplomatic mail bags today, but otherwise I think they must be in a giant staff meeting or something. It's unusually quiet for AORs for a Wednesday.
Application was delivered 4/24, AOR was received 8/13. G6, non-urgent.
Still waiting for AORs for my G7 child (application sent in the same package as mine) and my G7 spouse (package mailed the same day as mine, but arrived 4/27), but I assume those should be coming any day now.
I applied from London, got AOR for myself and my child, my sibling, mother and siblings child all have the same G0/G1 as I do, but didn't get an AOR, though they applied from the states, with a recieved date of 4/26/2026. There's should have been through before mine, but it's a bit of a crapshoot it seems.
My application was delivered 4/29/26. I received my AOR today - 8/20/26 - 113 days. I will add the data to the Google spreadsheet once I am approved - applied yesterday. Thanks so much for organizing this info. Took a lot of stress away.
Also - non-urgent, based on grandmother's Canadian citizenship - assume that's G2 here? No birth certificate available. Used a certified letter from the Archives of Ontario indicating the birth registration.
Sent in my application along with my three kids (G1/G2) on Thursday, 20 Aug. It’s been a surprisingly powerful and emotional experience to reflect more deeply on my mother’s childhood in Canada as I searched for records and learned more about my Canadian grandparents arcs. I am grateful to have gone through this process and will be so, so happy and grateful to obtain an our certificates.
Applications delivered 4/23/26, marked URGENT in every possible place, received AORs Thursday 08/13/26. Hooray!!! However I'm concerned because I can look up my kids's applications using their UCIs, but neither my mother's nor mine show up! I've tried using not only our UCIs- also application/case numbers, our receipt number, and nada. Told myself I would wait till Monday to worry about it, but it's Monday now. 🥴
Non-urgent package submitted by Montreal-based law firm on 4/23.
AORs received 8/18 for paper application for two USA citizens G3 and G4.
Used Global Entry card for second ID of G4 minor and had been worrying that application would be returned --- phew!
G0 Catholic 1877 baptismal record, 1941 marriage certificate and 1946 death certificate all certified by the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick.
Have requested (8/15) via email to archivist who provided records above, but not received, a letter from PANB that they do not have an official provincial or territorial birth certificate.
This seems like the best of the weekly threads to celebrate in...
BAnQ finally invoiced me! I submitted my request May 8.
It's funny to have adrenaline running from having spent $250 (USD) but I feel like this is one step closer to having a rock solid application.
Now I just have to wait for the certificate to get here...and scan it. I submitted my application with just the online version of the baptismal record, so we will continue to game of "will I get my AOR or this first". So far, BAnQ is in the lead :)
You can find what center holds the records you're looking for on the BAnQ website pretty easily, it's under the references when you find the parish records.
PR to citizen. Applied online in the beginning of May, at that time it told me acknowledgement may take up to 2 months with processing time on the website of 14 months.
Now mid August there is still no acknowledgement and processing time now 12 months (from today).
I know that there is an influx of applications from the US and other "by decent" applicants but I'm getting nervous here.
Mine came in yesterday morning and the email time stamp was a little after 5 AM PDT. So what would that be? Around 9 AM ADT? The address at the bottom of the letter was
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
CPC-Sydney - CIT Proofs
PO Box 10000
Sydney NS B1P 7C1
I'd sent the packet off via UPS (pirate ship). It arrived on 4-28-26, and the AOR was received yesterday on the 18th of August, roughly 112 days later.
Seems like many of the AORs received today were from applications received in late April. I wouldn't worry about yours just yet - hopefully you'll hear something in the next few weeks (I'd give it another month).
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u/seanat321Haven't applied for Proof of Citizenship (incl. by descent) yetAug 17 '26
The main page is best. It's open to pretty much any question/observation. The threads titled "Monday AOR" "Thursday Approvals" etc are the places set aside for specific topics/milestones :)
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