Question Period Note: ONLINE CITIZENSHIP TESTING

Implementation and status update on online citizenship tests.

• IRCC is contributing to preventing the spread of COVID-19 by moving many of its in-person citizenship services, including testing and ceremonies, to an online format.

• On March 14, 2020, in response to the evolving COVID-19 situation, IRCC cancelled all citizenship ceremonies, tests and re-tests until further notice.
• On November 26, 2020, IRCC put in place an online platform for taking citizenship tests.
• Over the next few months, as the system is tested, IRCC will invite a limited number of clients who are eligible to take the online citizenship test. IRCC will contact clients on a first-in, first-served basis.

• Holding online tests will help prevent the further spread of COVID-19 by limiting gatherings of individuals and protecting our staff and the public.

• All citizenship applicants who are 18 to 54 years of age are required to successfully complete a citizenship knowledge test in order to demonstrate that they meet the knowledge requirements for a grant of citizenship.

• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all in-person citizenship tests were cancelled in March 2020. There are approximately 87,000 test-ready applications currently in the inventory. Applicants have reached out to the Client Support Centre or posted on social media to voice their frustration with delays in the processing of their applications.

• In April 2020, the Citizenship Program was asked to expedite the development of a minimum viable product for an online knowledge test solution to help with COVID-19 resumption efforts. IRCC worked with a third-party provider to develop the online citizenship test.

• To protect the integrity of the knowledge test, IRCC ensured that sufficient integrity functionality was built-in, including a proctoring solution, while ensuring that legal and privacy considerations were addressed.

• Only clients who received an invitation from IRCC are able to access the citizenship testing website. Before beginning the test, clients will be asked to confirm their identity using personal information, and they will be required to take a photo of themselves and of their personal ID documents with a webcam before the test can begin.

• During the test, the system will take photos at random intervals to ensure there is no unusual activity during the test session. [REDACTED] on the computer. Clients will see a warning if unusual activity is detected with instructions on correcting activity. After the test, IRCC officials will review test sessions and will contact clients if required. Any instance of suspected cheating may result in a test outcome being invalidated.

• Until the online test solution is ready, to address urgent cases, the department is using a videoconferencing solution, namely Microsoft Teams, to administer the knowledge test. This solution is extremely resource intensive for the department and is not sustainable to manage large volumes, and as of November 13, 2020, 49 virtual tests have been conducted.

• On November 26th, 2020, the Citizenship Program will launch the online knowledge test, where 1,000 applicants will be invited to take their test within 21 days of receiving their invite. During the phased deployment, the department plans to gradually increase the number of invitations sent to clients. Clients will be invited on a first-in, first-served basis (urgent cases will also be prioritized as they come).• Once IRCC has confirmed the stability of the online testing platform, the Department will invite more clients to take the test.

You will find below the statistics you request re: the number of applicants who wrote the citizenship tests by fiscal year

Fiscal Year
(April to May) Total Applicants

2017/2018 109,008
2018/2019 169,417
2019/2020 182,164

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