Since the new Canadian Citizenship Act was passed by Parliament in June 2016, many Canadian immigrants have been closely following when the new Act will be passed and officially take effect. Recently, according to the latest media reports, federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship John McCallum unexpectedly revealed the latest reform information regarding Canadian citizenship, stating that the new Canadian citizenship policy will be passed and promulgated in early 2017!
The new citizenship policy includes the ability to apply for citizenship after residing in Canada for 3 years within a 5-year period, and time spent studying in Canada prior to immigration may also be counted, with the specific provision likely allowing for half of the study time to be credited toward residency requirements, up to a maximum of one year. The proposed amendments may also abolish the requirement to provide proof of intent to reside and remove language proficiency requirements for certain applicants.
This means that for international students who have already studied in Canada for more than two years, they can receive a credit of one year of residency before becoming permanent residents. After they become permanent residents, they only need to reside for another two years to meet the 3-year requirement and apply for citizenship; the time required for citizenship is shortened from the 4 years of residency within 6 years under the C-24 Act (with a requirement of at least 183 days of residency per year for 4 consecutive years) to two years.
In addition, Parliament has passed amendments to the Citizenship Act, changing the age limit for citizenship language tests from 55 to 65. The new Citizenship Act will also make it easier for seniors and children to obtain citizenship, stipulating that only individuals aged 18-54 are required to pass the citizenship test to prove their English or French proficiency, which is significantly more lenient than the previous requirement that all individuals aged 14-64 must take the citizenship test.
Worldway Immigration experts state: As Canada's various immigration policies are gradually being relaxed, quotas are continuously increasing, and processing speeds are becoming faster. In 2017, numerous major reforms to Canadian immigration policy are set to be released, and the spring for Canadian investment immigration will continue.
The Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP) stands out due to its simple application requirements, low risk, fast processing, and the advantage of obtaining a green card in one step. Due to the high popularity of this program, according to past practice, the 1,300+ quotas are typically snapped up within just 2 months after opening.
The new round of the Quebec immigration quota rush for 2017 is set to open in March or April 2017. Now is the perfect time for investors to prepare their documentation. For more details, please call: 400-138-2929
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