Maple News reports that while the average processing time for a Canadian citizenship application is around 13 months, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) offers urgent processing in exceptional cases where time-sensitive and serious consequences are at stake.
Urgent processing is not standard practice and is only granted when there is compelling evidence to show that a person’s livelihood, health, or legal status may be affected without citizenship. Applicants must provide clear, documented proof to support their request. IRCC assesses each request on a case-by-case basis and may approve or deny it at their discretion.
You may qualify for urgent processing if you need Canadian citizenship to accept a job that requires it by law, avoid losing your current job, travel due to a family emergency and cannot access your other nationality’s passport, or act on a favourable decision from the Federal Court involving a citizenship matter. Simply wanting to travel, attend a social event, or avoid wait times does not count as urgency.
If you’re applying for citizenship and wish to request urgent processing, you should submit a full application along with a written explanation and supporting documents demonstrating the urgency. The envelope should be clearly marked “Request Urgent Processing – Grant of Citizenship.”
If you’ve already applied and your circumstances have changed, you can still request urgent processing through IRCC’s web form. Include your personal information, application details, a clear explanation of your urgent need, and attach supporting documentation in accepted file formats not exceeding size limits.
Supporting documents that strengthen your case include job offer letters, employer notices about job termination risks, medical reports or death certificates, legal verdicts, or travel documents with time constraints. The more official and specific your proof, the more persuasive your request.
Even if approved, urgent processing does not skip the mandatory steps of citizenship such as the test, interview, and oath ceremony. However, it may accelerate the scheduling of these components to fit your timeline.
Additionally, Canada has changed its citizenship rules with the enactment of Bill C-3, which eliminates the first-generation limit for citizenship by descent. This means people born abroad to Canadian parents who were also born or adopted outside Canada may now automatically be recognized as Canadian citizens. Such individuals can immediately apply for a citizenship certificate. If proof of citizenship is required urgently under these situations, they may also request fast-tracked processing.
If IRCC does not approve your urgent request, your application will continue to be processed under normal timelines. An urgent processing denial does not affect the outcome of your citizenship application itself — only the speed at which it’s handled.
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