Natan, Well stated and you hit the nail right on the head. I will make a very small correction, though. In the US, there is no such thing as "granting of leave" to appeal or sue. Every immigrant and citizen has this
RIGHT automatically! I find the concept of "asking" for leave to sue mind boggling and outright insane. It is like asking the FOX, who wants to eat the HEN, could you please allow me to not be eaten by you? Simply put it is ludicrous beyond belief! (FYI, I made that saying up based on
"it's like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse" )
The difference people on here do not understand, and frequently conflate with many other things, is the difference between the actual laws and how they are actually implemented and enforced.
ON PAPER the laws of Canada are, indeed, more lenient (in terms of meeting residency requirements etc.) than those of the U.S. But how they actually end up playing out in reality is an entirely different story.
In reality, it is clearly evident that there are no checks and balances, or any sort of accountability, by the enforcers and implementers of the law (the bureaucracy that handles immigration related matters - the IRCC). For instance, look at all the applicants for renewal of their PRs who have been put in secondary review, with the IRCC flagrantly violating their RIGHTS with impunity, based on a
mere suspicion that they might have not met their residency obligation!! These people are left to languish in limbo, without proper documentation of their status, for years on end. This sort of thing is UNHEARD OF in the US! If something like this happened here, the courts would slap them down in a heartbeat, and there would be a riot! This is the kind of thing that happens in 3rd world corrupt countries! Not something that is expected from a country which parades itself as being part of the 1st world. These kinds of things almost give me pause, as to whether I should even consider finally moving to Canada at all! Even though my immigration situation in the US is complex and messy, and I have my battles to fight, at least I know I have the protection of the INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY on my side, even as an immigrant who has not even been granted permanent residence yet!
In other words, as a mere
applicant for a green card (based on my wife being a US citizen), I have more rights and protections in the US, than I have as an
actual PR of Canada, or even my Canadian citizen sister, whose citizenship may be
unilaterally revoked at any time by
ONE SINGLE BUREAUCRAT (an Immigration Minister), if he simply
accuses her of misrepresentation and fraud!! And with no mechanisms to appeal or challenge the decision!! If this is not frightening and terrifying at its core, to anyone (especially the apologists on these forums), then they definitely need to have their heads examined!
This is exactly why my sister, who is a dual US and Canadian citizen will NEVER give up her US citizenship! Citizenship is a sacrosanct identity (as it should be) that defines the very fundamental sense of belonging of a person!, especially when that person has had to give up their original citizenship to gain the new one!
As someone who was born in India and naturalized in BOTH the US (a very long time ago) and Canada (more recently), she knows that it is NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE for the US government to revoke her US citizenship (especially after the 2-year statute of limitations has passed), while her Canadian citizenship is a sad joke that can be taken away if someone from the government so much as does not like the way she looks, or perhaps they don't like the fact that she voted for the "wrong" people in a recent election!! They could easily trump up (pardon the pun) charges against her, and she would have
ZERO recourse! (at least before revocation). See the Minister Monsef case as an example. And she is a woman with the power of the entire government behind her!! What happens to the powerless individual who is simply
accused of some such thing, which may be 100% false in reality?
By sharp contrast, the grounds for citizenship revocation are extremely limited in the US. And the
BURDEN OF PROOF is on the government, not the citizen like in Canada! Even during the 2-year period before the statute of limitations expires, the US government cannot simply revoke someone's citizenship for fraud or misrepresentation willy nilly. They can
start revocation, but it is not
FINAL until the citizen has exhausted all their appeals and they can appeal
ALL THE WAY TO THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!! After the 2-year statute of limitations has passed, the government cannot even START revocation proceedings. They have to convene a grand jury, who must indict the citizen. This is exactly why citizenship revocations are so exceptionally rare in the US!
So which would one rather have? A year or two longer wait and be assured that you're 100% protected by the law, or gain citizenship quickly and then live the rest of your life in fear, that if you were to rub someone in power the wrong way, your citizenship could be revoked at the drop of a hat? The choice should be a no-brainer!