r/stuckcanadians

After a year of languishing in PSU I finally initiated this annoying process. I know it probably isn't necessary but after the BS this month I decided I'd feel better if I had it.

What are the chances I get my proof before I get the birth certificate? I can't decide if IRCC or NY slower. Any bets? It might be a close race. Especially if I screwed up the filing!

Anyone else shoring up their docs while we wait for ircc to do... something?

(Unlikely that a bunch of certs will be released to us tomorrow, but one can dream...)

Happy Canada Day Eve!

I’m a journalist researching about Lost Canadians. I am looking for people who received proof of Canadian citizenship after Bill C-3 came into force, but were later contacted by IRCC and asked to surrender their citizenship certificates while their files were reviewed, but from non Americans.

Much of the public discussion so far has involved Americans. I’m trying to establish whether similar notices were sent to applicants of other nationalities.

I would like to hear from you if:

• IRCC issued you a citizenship certificate under Bill C-3;
• you later received a subsection 26(1) surrender, suspension or review notice;
• your certificate was later reverified, cancelled or remains under review; or
• you received communication saying a Canadian passport was no longer valid.

Please comment below or send me a private message. An initial conversation can be off the record, and I will not publish your name or personal details without your clear consent.

For clarity, I am looking specifically at the review of citizenship certificates issued after Bill C-3—not general citizenship delays or files referred to IRCC’s Program Support Unit.

For context, I have written about Bill C3 issues: https://newcanadianmedia.ca/american-families-stuck-in-limbo-citizenship-applicants-caught-in-irccs-black-hole/

I’m curious as to whether anyone here either has been, or is considering being, a test case and just submitting a second application for certification under C-3.

For those who applied under IM and whose applications either are confirmed or presumed to have been stuck in PSU for > a year, I wonder what would really happen with a second request for certification?

I know there have been concerns/worries that a second application would be rejected or restart the clock on the pending IM application, but honestly IRCC seems so dysfunctional and PSU case seem to have been completely ignored, so maybe they’d not even notice and just go ahead and process the C-3 application quickly as they seem to be doing. What’s the worst that could really happen versus sitting in PSU black hole limbo forever?

Anyway, just curious if anyone has done this and, if so, with what outcome.

There was a Canadian broadcast that was rather brief earlier today.

A couple of notable points are they confirmed they are pausing issuing new certificates for C-3 applications. They didn’t clarify what that means for non-c-3 applications mislabeled or otherwise stuck in PSU.

They are reviewing all issued certificates. To me that implies there was a systemic issue found and not just one employee that caused an issue.

I recently contacted journalist Shilpashree Jagannathan, u/shilpa_jn, about my proof-of-citizenship application, which has now been sitting in IRCC’s Program Support Unit for more than a year with basically no explanation or visible activity.

I’m speaking with her today, and she is interested in looking at PSU as a potential separate story for New Canadian Media. She has asked whether other people affected by PSU would be willing to speak with her.

She is particularly interested in hearing from:

• Canadian-born applicants whose files were sent to PSU
• anyone who has been stuck in PSU for a year or longer
• applicants whose children’s or relatives’ applications are tied to theirs
• anyone with GCMS/ATIP notes showing the referral reason, an internal due date, or any activity inside PSU

I know of at least two Canadian-born applicants who have been stuck in PSU as long as I have or longer, so this clearly isn’t limited to complicated citizenship-by-descent cases.

If you’re comfortable speaking with her, you can contact her directly through Reddit at u/shilpa_jn or by email at shilpashree.pds@gmail.com. Please don’t send me anyone else’s personal information. She has specifically asked that people contact her themselves and only share what they are comfortable sharing.

If you send documents, make sure you redact application numbers, UCIs, passport information, addresses, dates of birth, and anything sensitive involving children.

I can’t promise where the reporting will go or whether a story will ultimately be published. But if PSU has become an internal black hole where normal processing times no longer apply, the best way to demonstrate that is through multiple applicants with timelines and documents showing the same pattern.

An update to my continuing series on my attempts to escape the bureaucratic black hole that is the Program Support Unit (PSU).

See part 1 here: https://www.reddit.com/r/stuckcanadians/s/R3lY7j1Kth

And part 2 here: https://www.reddit.com/r/stuckcanadians/comments/1u0b2eh/update_to_gloves_off_elbows_up_a_psu_tale/

I received a response to my Formal Escalation Letter from Minister Lena Diab's office...

https://preview.redd.it/tldii9cq939h1.png?width=1060&format=png&auto=webp&s=4627df7b8facbf831124712c3c7c22bcc3c08373

Please make it make sense.

I was just on the phone with DÉC for 45 minutes. The agent gave me a breakdown of what is possibly a lawyer or advocate does. I started with an initial email in French and English for inquiry last week. I was told this specific request I had to call about. I received misinformation on the phone this past Friday that BAnQ only handles people born before 1900. I called today, asked for this in writing for IRCC and I spent an unexpected almost hour phone conversation with the representative. This person checked everything and told me it is possible but it requires a LOT of leg work with road blocks only lawyers are able to overcome. I am in process of doing this and will post my story as it goes along. I do not want to post final things until I especially confirm the costs (not as expensive as others think or have said).

The process: BY REGISTERED MAIL ONLY (in the USA it is called certified mail): everything we submitted to IRCC both official and unofficial documents, certified and uncertified, emails and letters from IRCC including the initial applicants acknowledgement of receipt (AoR), screenshots of phone logs, IRCC newly guideline printouts (in English and French), copy of surrender letters applicable, everything we give to DÉC. The DÉC agent told me photocopies is fine and stressed DO NOT send my original government issued photo IDs (yes I went there I’m not assuming anything. I sent my original photo ID passport card and driver’s license to IRCC because I was not playing games over it and I was okay losing the ID card as I also have a passport book and I have a backup driver’s license: yes I got them both back). The agent stated DÉC can get around the issue of only a certain person can obtain a birth certificate, but it must be presented the line of descent asking for the document is related to the person. You MUST include your birth certificates to your Gen 0 BAnQ baptismal document, marriage certificates to show any name changes of you to your Gen 0, and a death certificate of the Gen 0. Any missing documents or discrepancies you need to include in a cover letter explaining as such. I am submitting originals of everything because when I went through this process something told me to get 2x of everything. I’m glad I listened to my gut.

Payment: Separate amounts for each requested service NOT the total amount. So if you want a copy and an official act of birth you must pay those separately. Currency is CAD only. Debit cards are NOT accepted it must be a Canadian CAD credit card. The agent said it can be anybody’s card but the owner of the credit card MUST sign the application too. They do NOT accept cash. Money order MUST be from Post Canada. Bank chèque must be from a Canadian bank in CAD.

Timeline: the agent willingly gave me information they do not have the wait times. They told me if I ship everything out today (I did) to check next week to confirm they received it and their current processing wait times.

*IF you are outside Canada:
Things are harder. You need to send 2 proof of address of the corresponding place of residence. For many USA states those are Bank Statements, Utility Bill, Phone Bill, Credit card statements, and government letters like the IRS to your address is proof (I did this for my Real ID driver’s license in my state. For more info on your specific state, I would check the standards of your department’s of motor vehicles when getting a photo ID). Additionally, the agent said things in regards to a power of attorney in Québec to handle official correspondence in the province. The agent said it can be anybody in Québec with a Québec photo ID, but stressed once sensitive documents are issued there will be extra hurdles having them sent outside of Québec and outside Canada. Make sure this Québec person you can legally trust. I cannot provide more details as the conversation abruptly switched to those who live in Canada.

*IF you are in Canada:
Things are easier. You need 2 proof of address included such as Bank Statement including the address you’re sending it from. HydroQuébec bill. Renter’s Insurance/Homeowner’s insurance. Phone Bill showing address (I did not confirm with agent but looks like the original phone contract is fine per other Québec proof of address guidelines getting a photo ID). An apartment lease is NOT enough for proof of address in Québec. I did not ask for information if you’re in Canada but outside Québec I’m sorry I didn’t think of it until I am posting this.

When my process is complete I will explain my steps of retrieving my documents and if I had issues along the way. I will put in the comments the email I sent in both French and English with my redacted info shortly.

It is my recollection that IRCC promised FIFO for IM applicants. The general buzz around here was to the tune of, don't reapply, your IM application will be first in the new C-3 queue and processed in the order they were originallyi received (FIFO).

I feel like there was a quote in a press release or article or interview from someone high up in IRCC promising this, but I can't find anything. I wish I had saved it, if it existed. Did any of you?

Alternately, I am wondering if we all just convinced ourselves and each other that IRCC would obviously prioritize IM applications because it clearly would have been the right thing to do.

With so many of us still stuck in PSU, feeling like we were lied to by IRCC, I'd like to find evidence of that assertion. I am sure anyone who is looking to amplify the PSU situation in the media would find this extremely helpful, if it exists.

What do you remember of this, if you applied during the Interim Measure and were watching things unfold in November/December 2025?

I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the process of withdrawing an application . I ask this because next year I plan to go to Slovakia 🇸🇰 or somehow get off the wait list for an appointment at the nyc consulate and apply for citizenship by descent . My problem is Slovakia apparently does not allow you to get a citizenship elsewhere after being granted Slovak citizenship.

Slovak Embassy, Washington, DC says, "You automatically lose Slovak citizenship on the day you voluntarily acquire a foreign citizenship based on your explicit request (for example by application or declaration)."

Being that I’m stuck in psu most likely and there’s this whole issue with applications being paused I’m now unsure I’ll ever become a Canadian citizen before I get an appointment at the consulate or go to Slovakia with my dad next year .

Does anyone know if you send in a withdrawal request they won’t just process your application out of the blue ?

I haven’t made any attempt to withdraw bc a lot of my plans are currently up in the air but would like to know if anyone knows much about this process .

I would love to hear from anyone who applied during the 2025 interim measures and successfully got approved due to an urgent situation in 2026.

I'm taking about something truly time sensitive - like your status in Canada is expiring, a job offer, a university admission, or an imminent move to Canada.

What worked?

EDIT: also, what hasn't worked?