As of September 3, a new application for proof of Canadian citizenship takes 33 months to process. That’s an eight-month jump from the August estimate.
With more than 136,000 people in the queue, new Canadians by descent face close to three years before they can prove their status and access the rights that come with it.
Canada’s citizenship department will move some files ahead of the rest. It gives nine examples of situations that can qualify for urgent processing.
Get a Lawyer Consultation to Find Out Whether You Qualify for Urgent Processing
This article covers who qualifies and how to make the request—and includes a free tool through which you can assess if your situation meets urgent processing eligibility.
What can urgent processing do for my application?
You attach an urgent processing request to a complete application for a certificate.
An approved request moves your file ahead of others in the 33-month-long queue. The same standard of evidence applies, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will return an incomplete file rather than process it.
The department is direct about the limits. A qualifying request carries no guarantee, and IRCC may finish your file too late to help your situation.
How fast is urgent processing, and what will I hear?
IRCC publishes no timeline. Even where an applicant has a valid basis for the request, both the decision and the speed of it rest with the officer reviewing the file.
The turnaround can be short. Cohen Immigration Law filed a proof of citizenship application in May with an urgent processing request, based on the applicant starting school in Canada. IRCC approved the application by the end of August.
This case should not be taken as a service standard—an application with similar facts could take shorter or longer, depending on the officer’s discretion and the complexity of each case.
Expect silence in the meantime. IRCC sends no message confirming that a request has been granted, so the next thing most applicants hear is the decision itself. The one exception comes when the department asks for confirmation documents, and it gives a short deadline when it does. Keep an eye on the email address you put on your application.
What situations will IRCC consider for urgent processing of a citizenship certificate?
Most of the reasons IRCC accepts require a pressing date, along with paperwork supporting the urgency attached to that date. Our free tool below can help you assess whether your situation meets any of those deemed eligible by Canada’s citizenship department:
How do I request urgent processing with a new application?
Attach a letter and supporting documents to your application for proof of citizenship.
Your letter needs to name the consequence, give the date, and point to the document that proves the date. Without a dated document behind it, your letter gives the officer nothing to act on.
On paper, the letter and supporting documents go in the application package. IRCC instructs applicants to write “Urgent – Citizenship Certificate (Proof)” in large, dark letters on the envelope.
Not everyone can apply online. IRCC runs a short eligibility check first, and applicants who don’t pass it apply on paper. If you do qualify, the online application asks whether you need urgent processing. Answer yes, explain why, and upload your evidence to IRCC’s client portal.
IRCC charges no separate fee for an urgent request.
Make sure your application is complete. Urgent processing speeds the review of a file, so gaps in your evidence of descent will sink the request anyway.
Can I request urgent processing if I have already applied for proof of citizenship?
Applicants who have already submitted a complete application for proof of Canadian citizenship can request urgent processing after the fact. The route runs differently.
Applicants in Canada or the United States use IRCC’s web form. The department instructs applicants to begin the message with “Request for urgent processing,” and to include your full name, date of birth, email address, phone number, and application details.
Applicants outside Canada and the US should contact the embassy, consulate, or high commission where they filed.
Include your Unique Client Identifier (UCI) or application number. Without one, IRCC can’t find your file.
IRCC specifically asks applicants to avoid sending a second application to speed things up. The department won’t process the duplicate.
What happens if IRCC refuses my urgent processing request?
Your application continues at the standard pace, and you lose nothing by asking.
The usual factors still apply. A clean file that documents its gaps and explains them plainly moves faster than one that leaves an officer guessing.
Missing records and name mismatches across generations send applications back for more documentation, and each round trip adds to your wait.
The consequences of being dishonest on an urgent processing request
A long wait and a narrow route tempt applicants to stretch the facts. An employer letter that overstates a deadline. An itinerary for a trip nobody plans to take.
Stretching the facts means giving false information to IRCC, which counts as misrepresentation.
Misrepresentation is a form of fraud, and the Government of Canada lists the consequences: refusal, a five-year ban on applying for citizenship, a permanent fraud record with IRCC, and in some cases the loss of status granted on false information.
IRCC suspended some approved citizenship by descent certificates over documentation concerns in June.
Before you apply
If your situation carries a date, the request costs you a letter and some paperwork. Canada is already expediting certificates for people planning to study in the country, and the same reasoning runs through the rest of the list.
If you’re unsure whether you’re already Canadian, check with CanadaVisa’s citizenship by descent eligibility checker.
Get a Lawyer Consultation to Find Out Whether You Qualify for Urgent Processing