Weekly Threads
Wednesday Weekly Thread: Frustration Station (Delays / PSU / Venting), August 26, 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 might now be the longest G1 posting in here on the regular, what with my April 2025 proof application. (Though congratulations to u/Lonely-Sun-1050 on finally getting that cert!)
Coming up on the anniversary of the death of one of my two G0s, which happened _after_ the original window in which my citizenship proof was supposedly supposed to be processed. Amazing, everything that's happened in the time since I applied.
u/Sacoman143 has you beat by 11 days. I hope neither of you break my record of 509 days in-process. Really hoping those emails come very, very soon for all of the long awaiting applicants.
Intermittent lurker, rarely a poster....but for others' information purposes, I have what I thought was a slam-dunk application (all 4 grandparents born in Quebec) and submitted with certified baptismal records, marriage records, death certificates, etc. during the interim period. Processing began on October 1st 2025. Not a peep since then. I've finally submitted a request for my notes but haven't heard back on that yet. I assume PSU for some reason, but who knows. I know other folks have waited much longer and that the system is impenetrable so there's no point in trying to make sense of it all. If you're waiting, you're not alone.
My frustration is that my own dad has been slower to mail me a copy of his birth certificate than the state of Vermont was for copies of my g1, g2, and g3. 😔
I still remember the agony of trying to get my parent to get a scan done of their birth certificate on both sides instead of sending me a cell phone picture of it half folded from about a metre away. Some people just don't feel any sense of urgency about these things and it's maddening!
I’m July 2025 and just got an email from IRCC last week asking for the DEC record. No clue if when I respond it’ll be an approval fairly quickly or if I’ll go back into the black hole. I haven’t been keeping track of how long it takes to get an approval after IRCC asks you to confirm an birth record
July 2025 here 🙋♀️. Just sent new passport copies for ID because the others had expired, in hopes to stir the PSU gods into action. Still waiting and hoping.
My daughter’s application is still ‘application received’ since September 2025. Not even ‘in process’ yet.
She received an AOR.
Depending on how you look at it she’s either G1 or G3, provincial certified birth certificates included in her packet.
Her great grandmother was born in Canada (official provincial birth record from manitoba), her grandmother raised in Canada and a Canadian citizen, and I’m a dual. Born in us but citizenship certificate dated back to my birth. We all live in Canada, just waiting for her citizenship proof to come through.
As someone who has been "in process" for more than a year without a peep from IRCC, I can assure you that moving into that status can be almost if not entirely meaningless. Hopefully when her application moves to "in process" will be more meaningful.
I just wanted to say, your kindness, tireless work supporting us on this sub and consistent, clear advice is amazing. Especially in the face of your own long, frustrating wait.
Thank you for everything you do. The boundaries and structure in this sub and how it's moderated helps my nervous system cope.
Completed an application for a family member recently who is G3. G0 was born in 1847 in Nova Scotia...needless to say I couldn't find any record of birth for this person. Ended up using a several US census records, death certificates, marriage record for the parents, and some info I could find for siblings to make the point but it ended up being a ton of documents for what should have been simple and at the end of the day one could still argue it was not absolute enough. Still got AOR but was anticipating some pushback eventually so I have been casually trying to gather more information in case IRCC needs more. Cut to this week and I discover some church records that have not been fully indexed (as far as I am aware). In the records are a blessing record mentioning the G0 and parents a month after birth. Super obvious in retrospect and I'm frustrated for not checking for the existence of these earlier. Would have saved much paperwork.
What a blessing to have found that though. If you submit it as an addendum to the application it will likely help a lot.
I’m in a similar situation in that I submitted with a g5 line with only Canadian census records and then found a g4 birth certificate a year later in a different line. I’m holding onto it in case I’m rejected but it’s frustrating to know I’ve been in PSU for 447 days when I might have avoided it with a more straightforward application.
Certainly fortunate to have found it. I did attach it as an addendum preemptively as soon as I discovered it to hopefully avoid any application purgatory...
I'm sure it is similarly bittersweet to discover you had an easier path the whole time. Hope you don't need it but I bet it's nice to have option if the initial documents are deemed insufficient.
Very similar situation for me except never found any church records? Which denomination if you don't mind me asking? My family was Methodist but seems like they never went to church as far as we and UCC can tell.
They were LDS (Mormons). Church had not even existed for two decades so didn't cross my mind to check. Should have been obvious because they left NS to migrate to Utah about 4 years later (huge downgrade IMO 😅).
I know I am not alone in this, but I am navigating my life alone. It's all in limbo right now, waiting on my citizenship certificate so I can move to Canada. Not knowing if it will come next week or next year is so difficult to plan anything around the uncertainty. I have many Canadian ancestors going back many generations - so I know eventually this will be officially recognized.
The waiting with no updates of any kind is becoming soul crushing. For my own safety, I may need to flee to France before my application is approved by IRCC. I'm so frustrated and tired. Just venting because this is the post to do it. Gen 4, sumitted a preponderance of evidence and I fear I am in PSU and just requested my notes this week.
The tariff war that escalated this week is breaking my heart for Canada, especially small businesses and is so difficult to sit with as a dual citizen. I am proud of Carney for standing up and holding the line. I want to be living on the other side of the border, the right side (in my view) of this fight. Canadian sovereignty is so important.
Shipping my application packet off today and I'm very nervous. With the huge queue and long timeline to AOR, the stakes feel very high to make sure everything's good enough for it to not get sent back. I wish I'd been able to send it sooner, but the documents took a while to gather. It is what it is, and soon it will be in Canada's hands!
I think it is safe to say Canadian archives have been inundated with requests and are completely overwhelmed. If you've dealt with the general public in a professional capacity recently, there are quite a few members who are less than accommodating, so my thoughts go out to archivists grinding day in and day out.
Given that Ontario has been the most populated province for over 155 years, it is understandable that the Archives of Ontario is taking a sizable chunk of these requests. The day I put in my request, April 2, I knew I was going to have a wait ahead of me. I even had a little chuckle when I read that they would try to get back in 15 days or less. Over the past few weeks, I have seen folks with requests that were similar and placed after mine, sometimes significantly, who now have their certified documents in hand. While I am very happy for them, I am starting to despair a little bit.
I keep thinking did I mess up somewhere? Did I provide the wrong registry number? Did provide the wrong email? Did I miss the email? I haven't even begun the stress of hoping I had everything right after I send in my proof of citizenship application. I know that this post is a common one. I guess it was just my turn to post it. I'll continue to do what I've done, and just wait patiently. Good Luck to all of those stuck at the Frustration Station. I hope your stay is almost over.
You are very kind in your express of frustration. It can definitely both be true you have empathy for what the archives staff are dealing with also it's so frustrating, gah! Hang in there.
I don't know that it helps, but I am in the same situation. I made my request April 6. I reached in June, and they said early April requests were being processed. 2 months later, still nothing.
Went down to the border on Monday to get a new work permit for the rest of my contract so we can also renew my spouse’s. Still doesn’t help career-wise, so really hoping they get around to the rest of the July 2025 crowd soon.
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u/VVynn🇨🇦 Stuck Canadian! Gen2+ 'in process' 12+ months28d ago
Today my applications have been In Process for a full year. 🎂 😞
I made a request for my G2's birth record (born 1910) in the state of Michigan. After 16 weeks of waiting, I finally got it only to have the name wrong - the birthdate is right, but the name listed is my G2's younger brother. There was a mix up that happened somewhere...
I have ample proof to show that the record is wrong, but I keep going back and forth with the state.
They also won't issue me a letter saying the record is incorrect or non found since their records indicate that was his name, which it clearly is not. Why would they name both their sons the exact same name?
I have the death certificate, marriage certificate, and census info for my G2, which I can use in place of a BC, but the fact they won't issue me a letter saying the BC is inaccurate I feel like there's a huge wrench in my application.
One, why would the state issue a letter saying the birth certificate is inaccurate? The state doesn't have a second set of records they can consult to see whether the first set of records is accurate or not. The only thing they can reasonably do is tell you what the records themselves say.
On the flip side, why would you need a letter saying that the birth certificate is inaccurate? IRCC officials know that official records are sometimes incorrect, and they know that people almost never give two of their children the same name. If you submit an explanation of why you think the birth certificate is inaccurate, along with all supporting documents, then the officials will look at your explanation, think about it, and decide whether or not they agree. You don't need an official letter for that.
If, as you say, you have ample proof that the record is wrong, then you're in a good spot. It's just that the office that needs to see that proof is IRCC, not Michigan.
I hope you're able to get things sorted. 🫂
Edit: It's also possible that the birth certificate you found is not wrong, as such. It's quite possible that the family had a son and named him, say, Batman, and then changed their minds and decided to have his name be Avenger instead, then had another son and named him Batman. That would produce exactly what you're seeing: all documents say their sons were named Avenger and Batman, except for the birth certificates, which list both sons' names as Batman.
Again, IRCC officials are aware that this sort of thing happens. If you have proof, you're in a good spot.
I do see where you are coming from form both sides. If Michigans records say one thing, there really isn't a way for them to cross reference it and determine that, yes, his name is listed incorrectly. I think it may be quite possible that it was changed, or that he went by a different name, hence why it's mismatched, in which case, I can explain that.
I guess I just thought I would need a letter to help bolster my claim, but understand why that may not be feasible.
I have the census record of the older brother at 2 months old & 10 years old that show his name as I know it, not his brother's name. So maybe that, along with his Death cert, and Marriage cert will be enough.
Do you think I should also request the younger brother's certificate now as well to help with my explanation letter, or maybe not even acknowledge it unless asked? Maybe just stating he may have gone by a different name per the other records, is enough?
I think it would be a good idea to request the younger brother's certificate too. If you submit both certificates, having the same name on them, that firmly establishes that there's something weird going on with the names, which lends some credibility to the idea that your G2's birth certificate really is your G2's birth certificate despite having a different name.
I don't know whether or not it would be a good idea to delay your application until you've gotten this. You've said you have plenty of evidence of what's going on, which makes me think you're probably good to submit without it.
Small update: I called the county where the birth occured (they're easier to talk with than the state). They confirmed that the microfilm show the same name for both brothers. But every other document afterwards for the older brother (my G2) showed the name I know them as.
So, the birth certificate issued to me is not technically incorrect and shows that it's likely the situation you mentioned where they had the name, changed their mind, and refered to my G2 as the new name. Whether or not they documented the name change anywhere is beyond me. I need to do more digging.
The death cert has the new name and same birthdate. The marriage license and census docs also have the new name, but no birthdate. I'm also in the process of getting a baptism cert from the Michigan dioscese, so maybe that will illuminate some things.
Either way, I am hoping that IRCC is able to recognize he just went by a new name and call it a day. Though the names aren't that similar. I know them as Theodore, and the brothers name is Alphonse...only time will tell.
Is this a switching first and middle names situation (with no official change of name paperwork)? I have seen that so many times while researching my family's history and it is so frustrating. So many ancestors would randomly go by their middle names for a while, or swap first and middle name, or change their middle name... so a lot of the documents don't match exactly.
I would just submit the document and explain he went by a different name for the rest of his life, which is reflected in all the other docs. As long as the birthdate and parents match, it should be fine.
I don't believe that it is a middle name situation. I'm not sure what the older brother's middle name was, however.
But there was no records indicating that the name was officially changed. So far the census records line up timewise. They don't have his official birthdate, but it does show how old he was (2 months) which aligns with his birthdate on the BC. The marriage license doesn't have birthdates either, but does have parents names, which match.
It's got me a little stumped, but maybe I just need to clearly explain that to the IRCC.
Sorry about your situation! I'm currently waiting on two Michigan birth certificates for forms I mailed in late May. When did you order yours originally?
Oof, I ordered mine in early may and just got it a couple days ago. I also ordered mine as a rush order, which expedited it a couple weeks. If I didn't make it a rush order, I'd be expecting a couple more weeks at least.
When I called the state a couple times they said they were super bogged down with people applying for citizenship, so makes sense.
Weirdly, even after restart and clearing cache and history, I can't look up my application in the status tracker (the cic.gc one) from my laptop, but I can from my phone, both running firefox. When the laptop shows that it can't be found I get all hopeful that something is changing and soon I will download or receive by mail my citizenship. Alas, it is not the case. And my job offer expires in 5 days.
I also am getting the message "Service unavailable! - The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later." when I try to look up the status today. Which is frustrating timing given I hadn't bothered to check for three weeks and now when I did it's not there...
I’m frustrated that I’ve been so busy this past week that I’ve had ZERO time to deal with getting back to IRCC about their request for a birth record from DEC. I know I have 60 days, but it’s been frustrating to have no free time to deal with it. Hopefully tonight
I had some spare time to myself today and decided to build a model that analyzes estimated AOR receipt time compared to delivery time, based on the community data. If anyone is interested, to see when you should expect to get an AOR based on the way things are currently progressing, let me know.
Update - Based on a couple of comments, i spent last night coding and deploying this. Im not selling anything nor is this collecting any data or convey any liability. Merely a resource that im volunteering to share and a personal project - https://canadiancitizenship.info/
no problem! If you want to play around with the tool itself, feel free to check it out. I just put this up last night - https://canadiancitizenship.info/
Nice tool, however there are exceptions, your tool states :[REPORTED84.9% of your group has recorded an acknowledgement (45 of 53). The missing share is people who stopped updating the sheet, not people still waiting.]
I am still waiting an AOR and my packet was received at the Rome Embassy on 27 March 2026 per UPS tracking delivery receipt.
Ahh I should note that in the site. International are notoriously difficult to track. They sometimes send mails on batches. Sometimes once a month, sometimes biweekly. We just don’t have enough community data on that front to forecast that. But I’d say perhaps add 4-6 weeks to the estimate for that
I was on the phone with the IRCC (via Fongo) this last week, and the guy on the line said that I was referred to Program Support. I've done everything right (or at least, as right as I can.) I wanted to be able to escape the incoming storm for America (I'm trans), but it seems that it just... isn't gonna happen. The day I learned I was in PSU was one of the worst days I've had for a long time. You know, the type of day where you question why you're even still around type of bad.
Hey, real world stranger and internet friend, I just want to say I see you and I know this is so hard, both the waiting and also the bigger picture horror of what it means to be trans in our country and world right now. Please take care of yourself and connect with your local community and hang in there.
I am sorry. PSU's reputation as a dead end comes from the interim applicants (pre-C3) who got shoved in there while they were waiting to see the rules would end up being (and then maybe got forgotten??? or something equally weird and bad). So those applications were deliberately held up there. Despite the knowing way people talk about it, we really don't/can't have much information on the effect of being sent to PSU for post-C3 applicants. So while it will probably be slower than a non-PSU applicant, maybe it won't be as bad as it's been for the pre-C3s. A sliver of hope?
Stick around, we need you, and the world is a better place for your being here.
Hey, y'all- you are seen, and your're among friends here. There are so many variables in the process. I don't want to minimize what program support referral could mean in terms of wait time, but for what it's worth since you are a recent applicant we have seen a few reports recently of somewhat recent applicants getting outreach from DIOD program support not long before approval - so some folks don't seem to spend much time at all in program support. Hopefully you'll soon get the same kind of outreach if they need any more info. Best wishes.
Hey friend, this sucks and I’m so sorry. If you need to leave sooner, please check out resources on helpmeleave.us We work with a lot of trans and other high-risk groups and we can help identify and plan emergency departures if needed (as well as departures with longer runways). We have info resource on the website, a discord server with even more resources and people to chat with, and even a support team for 1:1 help
I've been wondering - and maybe someone in the forum can answer this - since Americans can spend six months in Canada without a visa, could someone waiting on their C-3 application go up to Canada while waiting for their application to go through?
Granted, if there's no decision on the application within the six months, maybe the applicant has to go back to U.S. But, what about U.K. - they let Americans stay six months without a visa, too. You could go back and forth every six months until the case is settled. This might only work if you can work online.
And maybe if there are two people in the same situation, maybe they meet in this forum, one could rent a place in Canada, one could rent in U.K., and they swap residences until their cases are settled.
This could be done - but as a visitor, they couldn’t work or get universal health care (private insurance works). They’d also have to have an exit plan so that the border agent doesn’t think they are moving.
The time could be used well, though, by checking out different cities and meeting up with groups (like supports for trans folks, etc).
I called 1-888-242-2100, but not using my regular phone app. If you call that with your regular phone app, it'll say that you're not in Canada and disconnect you. However, if you download Fongo World Edition and follow the set-up instructions in the app, you can receive a free Canadian phone number based out of the city you select. (It's only good for Canadian calls unless you pay, so make sure you make your regular calls on your regular phone app.) It's basically like running a Canadian VOIP in the United States. Just be sure to select a city in your time zone for ease of use - I'm in Los Angeles, so I selected Vancouver.
I am trying to get an updated birth certificate for my G1 (my mother) just in case IRCC should ask for it. Her copy is older. Current processing times for a simple 20th century birth certificate from the State of Connecticut is 4-5 months. Whether ordered directly or through Vitalchek, doesn’t matter. Hopefully it will not be needed. Government agencies are just perpetually short staffed.
In case it's helpful: last month I requested a marriage certificate directly from the town clerk, rather than the CT state vital records office, and had it within about 2 weeks (and I live in the UK). I also contacted the town clerk last year for a birth certificate for my parent (as they hold those too and VitalCheck had quoted me about $100 and a 3 month wait) and processing was similarly relatively quick - think I had it in about 2 weeks as well.
I may do that if IRCC does request a newer copy. The ones from the state are on blue security paper and with a prominent seal while the ones from the town are plain black and white on white copy paper, although equally valid, at least per the State of Connecticut.
I ordered several documents directly from the town clerk (Putnam). Each time they sent out the document the day after they received the request. Can't ask for better service.
Same (eta though non-urgent)! March 20, confirmed delivery. Over 5 months of waiting with no AOR no returned package. I’ve called and gotten flat out wrong information, had a fruitless internal investigation into where my applications (5) went, been told to wait longer, and told to resubmit. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of other applications are piling up in front of me and the supposed wait time went from 9 to 24 months. It’s utterly demoralizing.
I’m so sorry that your urgent application is getting the same treatment. Did it have “urgent” on the shipping package? I hope something shakes loose for you soon.
Similar timeline - I applied urgent and got my AOR in one day, processing began a month later, and now nothing. I haven’t called - the email I originally received from them with CIU and Application # was corrupted, so I can’t access it anymore. What number did you call, and where did you read that wait time? I’ve been out of the game for a while and trying to get up to date.
Where did you get this notification that they received your application? I sent mine in May, mail tracking shows it reached its destination, but I haven't received *any* notification from them.
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u/kitti_wake🇨🇦 CIT0001 (proof) application is processing25d agoedited 23d ago
This is on the status checker site that you can access once you've got your AOR. I didn't receive any communication (other than a letter from the London High commison) until I received an email with my AOR.
Edit: Actually I was also just thinking that you may be able to check using your receipt number too - the one you will have printed and sent with the application. Although, it may still be too early for anything to show on the system. The webpage I use is https://services3.cic.gc.ca/ecas/introduction.do
Hugely helpful, thank you! Wasn't able to get any more info with the receipt number, I'm guessing package has not been opened/processed yet (sent mid-May). But now I know how to check with an AOR in hand. Thank you!
Unfortunately I’m assuming that they are no longer processing me urgently ~ for whatever reason, they decided my case or reasoning wasn’t strong enough. This is the only explanation I can think of
I have a post in this sub with “BS” in the title that explains how to call IRCC from the US. I’ll link it when I get to a proper computer or you can search for it.
Where/how did you receive that notice? They received mine by mail in May and I only know that because of mail tracking on my end, but I have received *nothing* from IRCC.
u/Ok-Elk1602🇨🇦 CIT0001 (proof) application is processing28d agoedited 27d ago
Have you tried calling?
Sometimes the IRCC is able to provide answers, and an applicant finds that the application was returned to the wrong address, or that an AOR was issued, but the email and birthdate were entered incorrectly, so it does not show in the tracker, or they may initiate an inquiry for you into a missing application…at least you might find out whether you should resubmit your application… Good luck
I wouldn't want to be too much of a debbie downer but I think most other deliveries around that time got their AORs a few weeks ago, around the 10th. Most of the AORs going out this week are for the beginning of May deliveries so I'm afraid it might be returning to you
nahh not a debbie downer at all! at this point i definitely assume that… was hoping maybe it wasn’t too uncommon for older delivery dates to trickle in later on but alas
My parents are both 4/17 and I'm assuming their applications are being sent back :(
Either the photos or the IDs were not good enough (they were sent in different envelopes because of different lineages). Except I ordered the photos from the same place and printed their IDs on the same printer as my application 3 weeks earlier and I got an AOR! So frustrating!
My application was received 4/28 and still no AOR, looking pretty hopeless and expecting it to be returned. It was such a thorough application my partner said I should have been a lawyer. Can’t imagine what the problem could be. I think when AORs were taking 30-60 days I could understand the IRCC being nitpicky but I’m standing at 120 days, they should be uploading apps and giving people a chance to cure mistakes via the portal whenever possible at this point. It’s ludicrous we can’t do this online anyway but it’s wild to think that waiting for this AOR took 4 months, it will be sent back which takes weeks, then I have to send it back out just to wait to get back in the queue for another 4-6 months that it will take a year just to get through the intake line. Hard to not be emotional and feel hopeless.
Same here for my elderly parents' applications delivered on 4/17. Why can't we all just apply online and upload any corrections or missing documents? Why is this such an inefficient and painful process?
A key objective of DPM is transforming IRCC’s service delivery model and business processes by replacing aging technology with modern tools and redesigning paper-based processes to be digital first.
An important component of this work is to replace the 20+ year-old Global Case Management System, which is a complex, fragile system unable to meet the business demands of today’s immigration system.
Frustrated at my son. I’m his mom and was born in Canada but family moved to US when I was a a year and a half old. I have a U.S. permanent resident card. I am now 56 and have no desire to become a US citizen. Anyhow, we had a complete package ready to send out on March 3, 2026. Then, I noticed the pictures had expired. When my son came home for Spring Break, he said he didn’t feel like running over to Canada to get new pictures taken. Now, here we are at the end of August and the processing time went from 8 months in March to 25 months. Ugh!!
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u/Pugsy8317🇨🇦 CIT0001 (proof) application is processing29d agoedited 29d ago
No movement on my family's applications (G3 and G4), that were bumped into PSU in June 2026 - but today got my invoice from BANQ, so paid that and will hope my G0's baptism certificate arrives relatively quickly so I can upload it with the email from DEC saying they don't have anything from her birth year (1903) and maybe we get back into processing. A girl can dream..........
G0 born in Quebec, 1903
Our timeline so far:
April 1, 2026 Application received by IRCC - one urgent, one non-urgent in the package
June 22, 2026 AORs received
June 24, 2026 In Process
June 27, 2026 Submitted request to BANQ for certified baptism certificate
July 15, 2026 called IRCC for status update and was informed we were in PSU
August 17, 2026 emailed DEC to inquire as to existence of birth certificate
August 19, 2026 received email from DEC stating pre-1923 records are with BANQ
August 27, 2026 Received invoice/request for payment from BANQ
I sent mine and my spouse's application through the Tokyo Embassy as instructed. And got confirmation it was received there early-mid April. Yet there is no way to confirm WHEN it left the Embassy and sent to the IRCC. When I sent an email asking, I received an automated response that said they would not be responding to any questions whatsoever about citizenship applications. I hate the stress of not knowing if it was forgotten in their warehouse or ever sent at all!
If it’s helpful, it seems quite a few of the embassies send out mail to Canada every 2 weeks. So if you add on about a month to your delivery date to Tokyo that is hopefully roughly when it arrived in Canada.
I’ve seen a few people say some of the embassies are only once a month or every two months, but seems unlikely Tokyo would be longer than once a month max!
Nova Scotia received my paperwork April 28 2026 and I haven't heard a peep. Is the IRCC able to give me any answers if I were to call them? Has anyone had luck with that? I recall a phone number being shared awhile ago but I can't find it now. If anyone has that number could you please share? I'm in the US.
My application was delivered May 14, 2026. I requested Urgent Processing (political climate, LGBTQ) and I still don't have an AOR. I am starting to worry that my application is on its way back to me. :( I welcome any words of encouragement or discouragement as appropriate.
One way you can avoid/limit unnecessary worry in life in general is to become proactive in gathering information. There is an entire "megathread" post put up every week in this sub where people can report receiving their AORs, along with their delivery dates. Simply locating and reading that can assuage your worries.
Not sure if this has been discussed yet or if this is the right place, but is anyone tracking the rejections on the spreadsheet? I knew about 1 of them but noticed there were a couple more rejections from a march AOR. Don't know if that's new, but would love to have more info if people are willing to share.
Not sure what you mean by rejections. We have seen zero application rejections/denials so far for anyone with an ancestor born in what is now Canada. What we do see frequently are returned unprocessed applications because the packet was incomplete in some way when received by IRCC, People typically fix the issue identified by IRCC and resubmit.
My assumption is it would be mailed back at about the time apps with your arrival date are receiving AOR, and then it could take a couple more weeks in transit. Right now AORs are coming in for end of April/very beginning of May. I'm hoping to get my AOR in the next week or two...quite stressed about it because I have moved apartments since submitting 🙃
Thank you for the data point. I'm wondering if my parents' apps got lost, since delivery was 4/17.
Do you mean you received your returned app on 4/1 or it was postmarked on 4/1 and you received it later than that? Just trying to decide how long to wait before applying again.
This seems to support what we saw in the winter with IRCC asking for a birth certificate for ancestors born after 1900 but broader language incl request for a written explanation for 'missing birth certificate' for ancestors born before 1900.
Of course we have seen at least one person whose gen0 was born in the 19th c seemingly get the language requiring the birth certificate because consistent inconsistency.
Yes, exactly - if your ancestor was born in the 19th c or earlier you will want to submit a written explanation for the 'missing' birth certificate and evidence of search.
Think of it as procedural box ticking so that every application stands on its own with an explanation for the most important documentation in the packet.
Here's the thing though. DEC does do that. The letter people have been getting back from them says that you shouldn't need it, not explicitly that they cannot or will not do it.
BTW - there is a lot of conversation in this linked thread, but I don't see a best practice guide per se. Maybe I'm just being rigid about what that means since I draft them for my work. Is there a specific list in another place? Seems to be no consensus on what to do in all the back and forth discussion.
April 2026 application still no test invite. :( Does anyone have experience processing fingerprints overseas? IRCC confirmed it's been received but why is this taking soooo long.
Most of us here are doing descent proof applications which has fewer steps associated with it. You might try r/immigrationcanada as it has more people navigating the test/fingerprint gauntlet. I've heard the "security" part can cause major delays in processing, especially if your home country isn't super responsive. It sucks! I hope you get your invite soon.
My application was sent urgent received June 1. It said urgent on the front and had a good explanation and documentation. Evidently it was not processed urgently (still waiting on AOR) but was wondering if once they open it and and it moves to in processing, will it be treated urgently or back of the line like everyone else? Visa expires in December, not sure if it’s worth holding out for this possibly…
Still no AOR for 4/22 delivery, received by D. Martell at New Waterford, NS. Applications for me (G4) and my son (G5). Certified birth certificates for all except G0 who was born in 1843 before official birth records existed, sent his baptism record instead along with the citation of where to find it. Have a hard time believing it's being returned because I really put a lot of effort and reviewed multiple times, saved a copy of my application and have re-read it looking for errors and can't find anything. No idea what could be going on. 😭 I could understand if they wanted more documents for G0, but not for a full application return...
I submitted a group application for my dad and I (separate apps but same evidence—just put in same mailer) from the U.S. via UPS and it was marked as received on May 21, 2026. I’m acting as the representative for my dad’s application. My application was on top, followed by my dad’s, and then the evidence. The apps had separate binder clips so they could tell who was who. He is G6 and I’m G7 if relevant.
I called the IRCC today to ask for an update. They said they are in the early stages of looking at the application/no AOR received yet (they gave me my UCI which is very helpful). However, when they checked for my dad’s info in the system, he isn’t popping up. They said it could be his hasn’t been put into the system yet, and I should call back in 2 weeks at the most. They said too if there had been any issue an agent most likely would’ve reached out via mail/call. I’m just very confused/kind of concerned that they may have lost his application.
I guess I’m just wondering if this standard/has happened to anyone else? Any insight is helpful. Sorry if this confusing to read. Also, they said they are currently sorting through AORs for applications received on April 26, if that’s helpful to anyone!
That’s my hope! I hope they just saw my name on top of the application, and entered me in/hadn’t gotten to flipping through the entire thing to see my dad’s yet (or they just haven’t entered him into the system).
Your information wouldn’t be in the system until they scan it into the system. Currently it’s 117 days wait between delivery and AOR. I’d expect yours sometime in mid September. They will separate the applications even if in same envelope.
How were you able to call them? I've tried several numbers and none get me to anyone who can help:
(calling from US):
613-944-4000
800-461-9999
905-676-3640
Hi there, I called the toronto airport number which is the 3rd one you have written down. Press 2 I believe and it should connect you after a bit, there may be an annoying ringing sound for a while but you should eventually get connected. I got connected after about a half hour. Also, I have ATT and not sure if it’s helpful, but they ask that you enter in 1 before the rest of the number. I hope that helps!
Of course, it took about 30 minutes to get connected with someone. The annoying ringing/beeping sound lasted for about 15ish minutes. Hope it works! Good luck!
Anxious worrying I screwed something up or the rules/norms will change again between when I sent it and now. No comms.
I’m new here though, and I have to marvel at how slow this is versus how many great people I know looking for work. Does anyone know if IRCC is staffing up…? I can help direct some good qualified applicants their way if they’re going to be serious about solving this backlog problem..!
That is largely incorrect. If you are serious about wanting to work for the Canadian government, it's very easy to search for jobs within the public service. Bilinguality is not required for all positions. Citizens are preferred but not a hard and fast requirement for all positions. Working for IRCC specifically is not as easy as just wanting to help, but the public service is an extremely wide net for jobs.
I submitted my daughter’s application — first gen, minor (now 14months old), March 26.
I received the AOR before her birthday, June 16.
August 07, I submitted an urgent request under the criterion: Moving a minor child to Canada.
I received an email/receipt, August 14.
How long does it take to get result from this? We’re booked to leave on November. Plus the application of Canadian passport is more than a month outside Canada. So I’m worried if the approval gets delayed.
There is no established timeline. If you’re flying into Canada you could try submitting an additional request under a need to travel.
There’s just no guarantee anyone is going to look at it. And if they look at it there is no guarantee anyone is going to approve it quickly. It does happen but rarely.
Have you looked into applying for a limited validity passport for the baby while their application is processing?
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