Missed Your Citizenship Test? What to Do Next

Missing the citizenship test is recoverable, but only if you act on it. What happens next depends on whether you were invited to the online test or to a test in person or on Microsoft Teams, and on whether this is the first time you have missed it. Everything below is from IRCC's page about missing the citizenship test, checked on 23 September 2026.

If you missed the online test

The first time

If this was your first invitation and you missed it, IRCC says it will automatically send you a new invitation. You do not need to do anything to trigger it. When it arrives, you get a new 30-day period and the same three chances to pass.

That makes a first miss the least serious situation on this page. It still costs you time, because the new invitation takes a while to arrive, so it is worth treating the second window as the one you will actually use.

The second time

If this was your second invitation and you did not take the test, IRCC does not send another one automatically. You have to write to them. Email the address in the Rescheduling section of your test invitation, and include:

• a detailed explanation of why you need to reschedule
• your application number
• your unique client identifier (UCI)

What happens if you do nothing

IRCC is direct about this: if you missed the test twice and did not contact them, they will abandon your application, which means they stop processing it. This is the outcome that genuinely costs you, and it is entirely avoidable by sending that email.

If you missed a test in person or on Microsoft Teams

These tests are usually arranged because someone needed an accommodation, and the process is different.

After a first miss, IRCC gives you two options.

• Write to them. Send an explanation within 30 days of the missed test date to the email address in the Rescheduling section of your invitation, with the same details as above. IRCC then sends a new invitation. If your reason is valid, it counts as your first invitation. If it is not, that new invitation is your last one.
• Wait. IRCC will reschedule the test itself and send a final invitation, usually about two weeks after the date you missed.

Writing is almost always the better choice when you have a genuine reason, because a valid reason keeps you from spending your last invitation.

Practical steps

• Find your invitation email now and note the Rescheduling address before you need it
• Keep your application number and UCI somewhere you can reach quickly
• If something prevents you from testing, write to IRCC early rather than after the window closes
• Once you have a new date, plan your study backwards from it

The last point is where most of the value is. A new invitation is a second chance to prepare properly. Our test timeline turns a test date into a week-by-week plan, and the free practice questions let you check each chapter of Discover Canada before the new date arrives.