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CITIZENSHIP TESTS AND CONFIRMATION OF PERMANENT RESIDENCE NOW ONLINE

By Atty. Henry Moyal

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed us all and has changed the way we interact. It seems like each day there are new procedures for every facet of our living – Citizenship & Immigration Canada processing is not immune to it. This week, IRCC announced new procedures for those becoming permanent residents and also for those seeking Canadian Citizenship.

CITIZENSHIP TESTS TO BE DONE ONLINE

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has launched a new platform for online citizenship tests. To become a Canadian citizen, all citizenship applicants aged 18 to 54 must successfully pass the citizenship test. Online testing allows clients to complete the test at a time convenient to them, within 21 days. It will also help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by limiting gatherings of individuals and protecting clients and IRCC staff as the department strives to limit in-person interactions.

This new platform is being tested over the next few months. During this time, a limited number of clients—those whose tests were cancelled due to the pandemic and those who are on the waiting list—will be invited to take the online citizenship test.

Clients do not need to reach out to IRCC, as the clients who will be invited to take the online test will receive an email.

If they prefer, clients may also wait until the in-person tests resume.

NEW PERMANENT RESIDENCE PORTAL

As in-person interviews have been cancelled due to Covid-19, applicants in Canada are being issued Confirmation of Permanent Residents virtually and via a new portal.

Through this portal:

• you can declare you’re in Canada
• you can confirm your address
• you can submit a recent photo we will use to make your PR card
• we can give you access to your proof of permanent resident (PR) status

Each family member must have their own username and password.

To start, applicants must first receive an invitation to confirm their email and address. Then after creating an account another email will be sent to upload a photo and obtain the eCOPR.

BIOMETRICS APPOINTMENTS TO BE SCHEDULED ONLINE

The Service Canada appointment system for scheduling biometrics appointments will reopen online on Monday, November 30, 2020.

This is good news for immigration applicants as they will now be able to book their own biometrics appointments online.

Since mid-September, Service Canada officers have been calling clients to schedule biometrics appointments. But as of November 30, clients who have not been contacted should use the online scheduling tool to schedule their own appointment, as stated in their biometrics instruction letter.

Clients should choose the closest Service Canada office to them for their appointment. Only clients with appointments will be able to use the service, as walk-in service is not available.

Permanent residence applicants who have not enrolled their biometrics within the past 10 years will require an appointment to fulfill the biometric requirement of their application.

Public policies exempting temporary residence applicants in Canada, and permanent residence applicants who have enrolled their biometrics in the last 10 years, continue to be in effect.

Attorney Henry Moyal is a certified and licensed immigration lawyer in Toronto, Ontario.
The above article is general advice only and is not intended to act as a legal document.
Send questions to Attorney Moyal by email canada@moyal.com or call 416 733 3193