Canada to soon hold online citizenship ceremonies
New Canadians who have had their swearing-in postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis may soon have the opportunity to take the oath in online ceremonies.
Newcomers to Canada who were about to officially become Canadian citizens and whose ceremonies have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic may soon be able to take the oath of citizenship virtually.
In a statement sent to CBC News, Canada’s federal government said it will start “to implement virtual citizenship ceremonies […] as quickly as possible.”
The first online ceremonies will be available to those who “have a pressing need for Canadian citizenship” as well as those who had previously been scheduled to take the oath in person and whose events were canceled due to special measures that were implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) temporarily canceled all citizenship ceremonies and tests more than two months ago as part of a myriad of special measures introduced in response to the global pandemic. At that time, the government stated that these events would be rescheduled “in the near future” and did not provide a date for their reoccurrence. It also stated that those affected by the cancellations would be given a new date and time in the coming weeks.
This announcement by IRCC is yet another positive development for prospective immigrants as well those already in Canada and whose lives have been in limbo since mid-March.
IRCC said in the statement the virtual citizenship events would be designed to “protect the integrity of the legal process and reflect the importance of the occasion” and would soon be scheduled. No further details have been made public yet and no timetable has been set.