The Ottawa office of WorldWay Group has just learned that on Monday (June 19), local time in Canada, the Governor General signed Bill C-6, the amendment to the Citizenship Act. The implementation timeline and detailed provisions of Bill C-6 are as follows:
Three provisions effective immediately:
1. Citizenship is harder to revoke, and there is a right to appeal after revocation.
Under Bill C-24, naturalized citizens could have their citizenship revoked if they committed crimes involving Canadian national security. However, Bill C-6 has repealed this provision. In the future, there will be only one reason for the Canadian government to revoke citizenship: if the applicant committed fraud during the application process.
2. The "intent to reside in Canada" provision is repealed.
Current citizenship law requires immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship to state that they intend to continue living in Canada after naturalization. If they move outside of Canada after becoming citizens, their citizenship could be revoked. Bill C-6 has repealed this provision, reaffirming that Canadian citizens have the freedom of movement.
3. Minors can apply for citizenship on their own.
Permanent residents under the age of 18 can apply for citizenship independently of their parents. Even if their parents' citizenship application is rejected, minor children do not need to wait until they are 18 to reapply.
This provides peace of mind to older immigrants with deep ties to their home country, as they no longer need to worry that their attachment to their homeland will hinder their children's future.
Three provisions expected to take effect in the fall of 2017:
1. Reduced residency requirements for citizenship.
The physical presence requirement for permanent residents applying for citizenship will change from the current four years out of six to three years out of five, and the requirement to be physically present in Canada for at least 183 days per year will be removed.
In addition, time spent in Canada as a refugee, temporary resident, or student prior to becoming a permanent resident can now be counted, with time spent as a student counting for 50% of the duration, up to a maximum of one year.
2. Reduced tax filing record requirements.
The requirement for tax filing records will change from four years out of six to three years out of five.
3. Lower language requirements.
Under current policy, permanent residents aged 14 to 64 must provide proof of language proficiency when applying for citizenship. The new bill narrows this age range to 18-54.
Major provision to take effect in early 2018:
Even if an individual's citizenship is revoked, they will have the right to appeal. The individual can appeal to the Federal Court, which will determine whether the decision made by the immigration department was reasonable.
In summary, the Canadian Citizenship Act is undoubtedly a multi-faceted benefit for the vast number of Canadian immigrants. The conditions and requirements for immigrants to obtain Canadian citizenship in the future have been significantly lowered. Overall, Canada introduced numerous favorable policies and measures for immigrants in 2017. Currently, Canada is sparing no effort to retain high-net-worth individuals and highly educated individuals. At present, the Canadian dollar remains at a low level, the national economy is promising, and now is the right time to invest in Canadian immigration.
The 3rd American Immigration Month is still in full swing. Anyone who signs a contract for a mainstream investment immigration project with WorldWay Group during any day in June 2017, such as the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program, Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program, Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program, or Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program, can enjoy significant discounts. For more details, please inquire at: 400-138-2929