After You Pass the Citizenship Test

Passing the test is the last thing you have to study for, but it is not the last step. Between the moment your score appears and the day you take the oath, a few things happen in a fixed order. Here is that order, from IRCC's pages on test results and next steps and when to go to the ceremony, checked on 23 September 2026.

1. Your result becomes official

If you took the test online, the score on screen is unofficial. An IRCC officer reviews it to make it official, which IRCC says can take a few days or a few weeks. If you took it in person or on Microsoft Teams, your score is official right away.

IRCC does not email you a confirmation, and you cannot sign back in to see your score, so print the results page or email it to yourself when it appears. If you forgot, write to the address in the Rescheduling section of your invitation.

To pass, you needed at least 15 of the 20 questions right, which is 75%.

2. Your status updates

Once the result is official, the test section of your application status shows as Completed. Your application then moves to one of four outcomes:

• a decision made on your application
• an invitation for an interview
• an invitation for a retest
• an invitation for a hearing

After a pass, you should expect the first or the second. IRCC does not send email updates, so the tracker is where to look.

3. Possibly, an interview

Depending on your case, IRCC may invite you to an interview with a citizenship official, to verify your identity, check the originals of your documents and confirm you are eligible. Not everyone gets one. If you do, bring your original documents and any passport or travel document you used in the five years before you applied.

4. The ceremony invitation

After IRCC approves your application, it invites you to the citizenship ceremony. IRCC says it sends the invitation at least one week before the ceremony date, with the date and time in it. How long you wait before that depends on processing times and your situation, and non-routine applications can take longer.

While IRCC is scheduling it, the ceremony section of your tracker shows In progress. IRCC also says that if you contact it, it cannot tell you more than your status already shows.

The invitation usually arrives by email, so add addresses ending in "@cic.gc.ca" to your safe senders and check your spam folder. If IRCC has no email for you, it may call, and the call can show up as an unknown number or one from outside Canada.

5. The ceremony, and your certificate

You become a citizen when you take the oath at the ceremony. If you chose an electronic certificate, IRCC emails instructions to download it after the ceremony, once it has your signed oath form and has confirmed your citizenship in its system.

Until then

Keep your address and email up to date with IRCC, keep your permanent resident card, and keep an eye on the tracker. If you are helping someone else prepare, our free practice questions and study guide are where to start.