Reducing citizenship processing times and backlogs

Citizenship application processing times

Recent changes to the Citizenship Act mean citizenship applications will take less time to process and the application backlog will be eliminated by 2015/16. The chart and information box below illustrate the reduction to the citizenship application backlog throughout 2014.

By spring 2016, the backlog of grant applications will be eliminated.

This table shows the trend toward eliminating the citizenship applicant backlog in 2015-2016.

YearGrant Application Inventory (Actual)Grant Application Inventory with no EAP funding or legislative change

2012/13324,662n/a

2013/14301,758387,600

2014/15246,702Footnote 1454,700

2015/16n/a515,100

2016/17n/a579,200

2017/18n/a646,100

Footnotes

As the chart and information below indicates, CIC is working through its inventory of older cases. These older cases have an impact on the average processing times posted on our website. We are making efforts to reduce the backlog, including older cases, and we are closing cases where applicants have failed to respond to CIC requests for additional information. These efforts will help to improve average processing times. Many people with routine cases who submit a complete application already have their cases processed faster than the average posted processing time. CIC has finalized more cases within 12 months this year, than we have in the past two years. By 2016, CIC projects that 12 months will be the average processing time.

end of November 2013

Age (in months)Number of applicationsPercent of application

0-12 months88,40827%

13-18 months89,23027%

19-24 months65,07520%

25+ months87,89227%

TOTAL330,605100%

end of November 2014

Age (in months)Number of applicationsPercent of application

0-12 months124,22950%

13-18 months27,05811%

19-24 months13,0935%

25+ months82,32233%

TOTAL246,702100%