The Canadian government recently launched an online portal to allow applicants to apply for Canadian citizenship online. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) opened this tool for single applicants, over the age of 18 on August 11, 2021. Currently, this tool is not available for family applicants or representatives. This tool is also not available for employees of the crown living outside Canada.
The IRCC intends to make this tool available for families and minors under the age of 18, later this year. By 2022, the IRCC intends to add a feature to allow representatives to apply on behalf of the applicants. It will also be eventually made available to employees of the crown living outside Canada.
The IRCC also stated that those who have already submitted paper-based applications must not try to apply online again. The new portal will allow the applicants to save their partially completed applications to resume at a later time. The portal will also allow applicants to upload their scanned documents, fee payment receipt, print a PDF, and get a confirmation receipt.
Why Was the Online Citizenship Portal Launched?
Canadian immigration minister Marco Mendicino said his vision is to see the Canadian immigration system go completely paperless. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the process as it became impossible for applicants to submit paper-based applications due to social and travel restrictions.