Hello everyone,
I am sure there a lot of folks like me who are preparing to submit their citizenship application in June. With that being said, I did some readings and decided to open this thread a bit ahead of time so we can start exchanging information and support each other throughout this long process/journey as it seems to be taking at least 18 to 24 months for most of us.
Here is the link that has the timelines of the applicants ahead of us in 2021:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...LDmHK1tgK7yqAgQ5Jfyxv7BEI/edit#gid=1316748968
2020 applicants':
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...7DvqoXSkyqxgbA31eEJ_TKO6Y/edit#gid=2093304809
You may submit your application either:
- by paper: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio.../application-canadian-citizenship-adults.html (submitted either by regular mail or expedited courier) or
- by online: https://citapply-citdemande.apps.cic.gc.ca/en/landing
On the timelines provided above, you can see that paper applicants have been getting their AOR (Acknowledgment of Receipt - the very 1st step of the application process confirming that IRCC has your application) at least 3 to 5 months ahead of the online applicants, which is quite contrary to popular belief considering the COVID-19 protocols are in place. I too used to think that online was much faster and convenient but after reading the timelines, I am now convinced to submit mine by paper. Apparently there is a huge backlog with the online applications, and as far as I can see on the 2020 timelines, there are only 2 online applicants from early January who just received their AORs after 4 and a half months, while average paper applicants are getting theirs after 2 months or less.
So moving forward, please feel free to share your thoughts and exchange information, and good luck to you all!