Canadian citizenship test now entirely self-administered and online
The majority of immigrants seeking Canadian citizenship will apply completely through a self-administered online citizenship test, which they will be permitted up to three attempts to pass.
The majority of immigrants seeking Canadian citizenship will apply completely through a self-administered online citizenship test, which they will be permitted up to three attempts to pass.
The virtual format for the Canadian citizenship test, popularized throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, is now the default, according to new instructions from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Before 2020, citizenship tests were written in person by default. Applicants were generally given 30 minutes to complete the test. If they failed, they had one opportunity to rewrite it before being referred to a knowledge or language hearing.
The IRCC released updated information on Monday, formalizing a 45-minute time allotment for the online, self-administered test. Applicants must answer 15 of the 20 questions correctly.
Meanwhile, most citizenship ceremonies have also gone virtual, with the Conservatives pushing Ottawa to reinstate in-person ceremonies.
In December, Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner called on the Liberals to return to in-person ceremonies, which she called a “sacred event” where new Canadians “swear an out to the country and take on the responsibilities and obligations that come with citizenship.”
During a press conference in Ottawa, Rempel Garner said it was time for the Carney government to “restore the value of Canadian citizenship.”
“Last year, over half of the people who became Canadian citizens did so by clicking a box online. That’s crazy. There is no way to justify this practice, and with support for immigration at an all-time low, returning to inclusive nation-building ceremonies is a no-brainer,” she said at the time. “In person, citizenship ceremonies are the essential unifying bedrock of Canada’s civic life.”
She called for an immediate end to “one-click citizenship” and to “restore the full dignity and communal significance” of the in-person ceremonies for new Canadians.
“Just as with marriage, these are sacred events, and the responsibilities and obligations taken on swearing the Oath of Citizenship in front of an official should be upheld as an integral part of committing to those responsibilities that come along with being Canadian,” Rempel-Garner said. “The Liberals rejected every opportunity to restore in-person ceremonies. Justice Minister Sean Fraser even defended virtual ceremonies, saying the practice could be easier for bureaucrats to manage.”
This comes after the president of the Customs and Immigration Union, which represents the Canada Border Services Agency, revealed to an immigration committee that the majority of asylum claims are being done through an app. He warned Canadians that removing person-to-person interviews could compromise Canada’s security.