Feds want to make it tougher to become a Canadian citizen
Posted February 6, 2014 7:46 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA (NEWS1130) – Big changes are coming to the laws covering who we let into the country. A new bill from the federal government will overhaul the Citizenship Act.
In an effort to slash the backlog of 320,000 applications, the government will make it tougher to become a citizen.
Under the new legislation, permanent residents will now have to maintain a “physical presence” in Canada for four out of six years before applying for citizenship, compared to the previous requirement of three out of four years. Applicants also must pay income tax and have a working knowledge of English or French.
The feds want to speed up the process by slashing it from three steps to one.
The government is also cracking down on citizenship fraud by creating rules and an oversight body for immigration consultants. It also wants to drastically increase penalities to a maximum $100,000 fine and five years in jail.
The revamped laws also mean citizenship can be revoked from dual nationals who were members of an armed force or groups engaged in armed conflict with Canada, and from dual nationals convicted of terrorism, high treason or spying.
The legislation will also deny citizenship to permanent residents involved in those activities.
The government is calling the overhaul the first comprehensive reform to the Citizenship Act since 1977.
