Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament
Whereas:
·       When Permanent Residents meet the eligibility requirements, permanent residents in Canada are required to apply for citizenship with IRCC.
·       The IRCC has the authority to grant citizenship applications and invite Permanent Residents who have met all of the requirements to a ceremony where they will take the oath of citizenship and receive their certificate.·       Permanent Residents of African descent, particularly Nigerians, who submitted their Citizenship Application to the Sydney Case Processing Centre, we at Nova Scotia and other province are particularly concerned about delays and abandoned files at the Centre for several months, despite the fact that applicants have successfully completed their citizenship test and done everything required of them.

We can also testify to how applicants who submitted at a later date get quick response to those that have submitted earlier and the question again is why this?
·       The channel provided by IRCC to applicants to seek redress is not helpful because customer service officers are unable to assist applicants over the phone, and when complaints are submitted via webform or email, the response may simply come with an unhelpful question that would have been answered if the IRCC officer asking the question had done due diligence on the referenced application, thus providing no timeline or comfort to applicants.
·       Permanent Residents of Nigerian and other African descent who have submitted their citizenship applications for two or more years are still waiting for IRCC to complete them, and those who have successfully completed their citizenship tests in the last 6 months or more and have not received an explanation from IRCC as to why their case processing is being delayed or abandoned at the Sydney Case Processing Centre, Nova Scotia. These applicants will face the additional financial burden of potentially renewing their PR cards if their citizenship applications remain in limbo.

This is not fair to residents who have chosen to call Canada home and have done what the law requires them to do as a pre-condition to being granted citizenship.

We, the undersigned, Permanent Residents of Nigerian and Other African descent, Canadian citizens and Canadians of  African descent, call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to:
1.     Request an independent fact-finding investigation into cases of file processing delays and abandonment of files that should be completed at the Sydney Case Processing Centre, Nova Scotia, particularly in relation to case files involving Permanent Residents of Nigerian and other African descent, with the goal of ensuring that the issues causing such are permanently addressed.
2.     Pass a motion requesting that the Minister of IRCC review and complete, without further undue delay, all citizenship application case files relating to Permanent Residents of Nigerian and African descent at the Sydney Case Processing Centre, Nova Scotia where applicants have either submitted their citizenship application since 2019 and or completed their citizenship tests in the last 7 or more months.