On February 6, the Conservative government of Canada submitted Bill C-24, which implements significant reforms to the citizenship law, including raising the requirements for citizenship applicants and revoking citizenship from terrorists and spies. This is the first comprehensive revision of the Canadian citizenship law since its implementation in 1977. According to this bill, permanent residents must have lived in Canada for four out of the past six years to qualify for citizenship application. (The current requirement is three years of residency in the past four years.)
The new law also imposes stricter regulations on "actual residence": applicants need to provide proof of income tax submission to verify that they have indeed lived in Canada during this period. Current law does not require proof of income tax for the three years of residency.
✪ Significant Power Increase for the Minister of Immigration: Authority to Cancel or Grant Citizenship
This bill grants the Minister of Immigration greater authority. The Minister will have the power to cancel or grant citizenship, while the role of judges will primarily be to preside over citizenship ceremonies. Under current law, judges are involved in the review process and have the authority to make the final decision on application approval. According to the new bill, this will be the responsibility of immigration department officials.
The new law also increases penalties for fraudulent activities. Current law imposes a maximum fine of 1,000 Canadian dollars or up to one year of imprisonment for fraud offenders. The new law proposes to raise the maximum fine to 100,000 Canadian dollars and extend the imprisonment period to five years.
Canadian citizens with dual nationality who become involved in armed conflicts against Canada or are determined by a court to be engaged in terrorist activities, espionage, or other acts of treason may have their Canadian citizenship revoked. Permanent residents involved in such activities will have their citizenship applications denied.
Canadian citizens with dual nationality who become involved in armed conflicts against Canada or are determined by a court to be engaged in terrorist activities, espionage, or other acts of treason may have their Canadian citizenship revoked. Permanent residents involved in such activities will have their citizenship applications denied.
For Canadians who have lost their citizenship or failed to acquire citizenship due to various historical reasons, the new law proposes separate measures. Those born in Canada before January 1, 1947 (April 1, 1949, for the Province of Newfoundland) and those naturalized by that date, along with their first-generation children, will be able to obtain Canadian citizenship.
✪ Significant Increase in Citizenship Application Fees
The application fee for citizenship has increased from 100 Canadian dollars to 300 Canadian dollars.
✪ Extended Waiting Time for Approval
Currently, there are 320,000 applications awaiting approval, with waiting times of up to two to two and a half years. However, if the actual residency time in Canada after obtaining permanent residence is counted as part of the waiting time, the new law will extend the waiting time for applicants.
According to the new law, after obtaining permanent residence, one must wait at least four years before applying for citizenship, and if residing abroad is required, this period will be extended even further. In the United States, the waiting time for citizenship approval is six months.
Currently, there are 320,000 applications awaiting approval, with waiting times of up to two to two and a half years. However, if the actual residency time in Canada after obtaining permanent residence is counted as part of the waiting time, the new law will extend the waiting time for applicants.
According to the new law, after obtaining permanent residence, one must wait at least four years before applying for citizenship, and if residing abroad is required, this period will be extended even further. In the United States, the waiting time for citizenship approval is six months.
