Frustrated applicants clamor for resumption of Canadian citizenship tests

When she received a date for her citizenship test after five years living with her family in Canada, Amal Naser did not know that COVID-19 would eliminate her joy and that her test would be postponed indefinitely.
Naser is one of thousands of Canadian residents whose path to Canadian citizenship has been blocked by the pandemic. Eight months after the federal government canceled citizenship tests due to COVID-19, many immigrants say they fear a build-up on the citizenship waiting list will delay their goal of becoming Canadian.
“I do all my duties as a Canadian citizen, studying, working and paying my taxes but I feel that I am less than others because I do not hold Canadian citizenship,” Naser said.
“I could not move because I am waiting for the date of the citizenship test, and therefore my mother passed away and I could not travel to see her because I do not have a passport in the first place.”
“Forgotten Canadians” they call themselves. After the suspension of the Canadian citizenship test due to the Corona pandemic, more 85,000 Canadian residents are in limbo. they are gathering to demand the resumption of Canadian citizenship tests and demand that the government consider their condition.
In addition to demonstrations, the claimants have been active on social media, and thousands of tweets have been sent to the IRCC Ministry of Immigration and to the members of parliament, but they have not received any satisfactory answers.
The feelings of many who work, study and contribute to Canada as permanent residents and yearn to become part of the Canadian family have fallen into oblivion, which affects their psychological state, relationships, ability to travel, work prospects and their future, they say.
“I lost a very important job opportunity;, they waited for me because I thought that I will get the Citizenship soon but I didn’t,” said one man named Edward.
It’s not jus COVID-19 that has applicants frustrated. One man said “we submitted our file one year and three months even before (COVID-19), and nobody called us for the test.”
Omni News managed to convey the voice of those calling for the resumption of citizenship tests to the Canadian Minister of Immigration and Citizenship, who promised us in turn to find close technological solutions to the issue of citizenship testing and was very sympathetic by saying that granting citizenship to Canadian residents is a cause for pride.