• Page Views 2260
  • Ottawa, ON — A final suite of reforms to strengthen and modernize Canada’s citizenship laws will be fully in force as of June 11, 2015. The changes – part of a package of measures approved by Parliament last year – ensure new citizens can fully and quickly participate in Canada’s economy and Canadian society.

    The first set of provisions that came into force last summer to strengthen Canadian citizenship and speed up application processing times are already paying off. New citizenship applications are being finalized in a year or less, and it is expected that the backlog of older files will have been eliminated by the end of this fiscal year. Individuals who submitted a citizenship application before April 1, 2015 will have a decision by March 31, 2016.

    Among the many benefits of the government’s citizenship reforms, the new provisions will deter citizens of convenience – those who become citizens for the sake of having a Canadian passport to return to Canada to access taxpayer-funded benefits that come with citizenship status, without having any attachment to Canada, or contributing to the economy.

    Key changes include (in force June 11, 2015):
    *Adult applicants must now be physically present in Canada for at least 1,460 days (four years) during the six years before the date of their application, and they must be physically present in Canada for at least 183 days in each of four calendar years within the qualifying period. This is aimed at ensuring that citizenship applicants develop a strong attachment to Canada.
    *Applicants between the ages of 14 and 64 must meet basic knowledge and language requirements. This is aimed at ensuring that more new citizens are better prepared for life in Canada.
    *Citizenship will be automatically extended to additional “Lost Canadians” on June 11th, who were born before
    1947, and did not become citizens on January 1, 1947 when the first Canadian Citizenship Act came into effect. This will also apply to their children born in the first generation outside Canada.
    *Adult applicants must declare their intent to reside in Canada once they become citizens and meet their personal income tax obligations in order to be eligible for citizenship.
    *To help improve program integrity, there are now stronger penalties for fraud and misrep
    resentation (to a maximum fine of $100,000 and/or up to five years in prison). This is aimed at deterring unscrupulous applicants who are prepared to misrepresent themselves, or advise others to do so.
    *The newly-designated Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (IC- CRC) is the new regulatory body for citizenship consultants. Only members of the ICCRC, lawyers or notaries (including paralegals and students at law) can be paid to provide citizenship applicants with representation or advice.
    *New application forms, aligned with the new rules for eligibility, will be available on the CIC website as of June 11, 2015. Any applications received using the old forms and applications received after June 10, 2015 will be returned to the applicant.

    -Chris Alexander, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister

    Share

    Related Post

    Related Blogpost

    Leave a Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    New Posts Recently publish post More

    • 24 September 2023
      11 hours ago No comment

      Kumukuti-kutitap: Paskong Pinoy Shines in New Westminster

      Vancouver, BC – September 16, 2023 – Christmas comes early in Metro Vancouver as the Filipino- Canadian community will be in for a treat to the first Kumukuti-kutitap: Paskong Pinoy 2023. The main event will highlight the Parol-Making Workshop to be hosted by the New Westminster Philippine Festival Society. ...

    • 24 September 2023
      12 hours ago No comment

      2 Filipino films playing at VIFF

      This year, 2 films telling stories of Filipino characters are playing at the upcoming Vancouver International Film Festival. Paris Zarcilla’s Raging Grace and Seán Devlin’s Asog will be shown during the 42nd edition of VIFF! The Vancouver International Film Festival is one of the 5 largest film festivals in ...

    • 24 September 2023
      12 hours ago No comment

      B.C. moves to increase housing supply, deliver more homes faster

      New measures are coming to B.C. that will help create more housing as the Province speeds up permitting and helps build more secondary suites for rent. “People in our province deserve a decent place to live they can actually afford to rent or buy, but a chronic housing shortage ...

    • 24 September 2023
      12 hours ago No comment

      Netflix Philippines drops first-ever Station ID

      Netflix Philippines drops first-ever Station ID featuring Donny Pangilinan, Belle Mariano, other stars Netflix Philippines is celebrating Christmas early this year as the streaming service released its Christmas-themed Station ID via its social media channels on Monday, September 18. The video—titled “Kumukutikutitap ang Mga Bituin sa Brgy. Netflix!“— features ...

    • 24 September 2023
      12 hours ago No comment

      “Senior High” now available for free and on-demand in US, Canada, Europe, Middle East, and Australia

      Available only on ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube channel Mondays will always be on a high as viewers worldwide can now enjoy binge-watching ABS-CBN’s trending mystery-thriller series, “Senior High” starring Andrea Brillantes, which is now available for free and on-demand only on ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube channel. Kapamilyas in the US, Canada, ...

    %d bloggers like this: