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I think you didn't mean to say --- "those hoping to be citizens in 2015/2016"......since such applicants would have applied a while back and under current rules of 3 in last 4 years.

I guess you mean those who will "qualify to apply in 2015 and later"......who will possibly fall under new rules when law becomes effective. ie 4 in last 6 yrs
 
us2yow said:
I think you didn't mean to say --- "those hoping to be citizens in 2015/2016"......since such applicants would have applied a while back and under current rules of 3 in last 4 years.

I guess you mean those who will "qualify to apply in 2015 and later"......who will possibly fall under new rules when law becomes effective. ie 4 in last 6 yrs
Yes.. That what I mean.. Thanks..
 
rayman_m said:
You are talking about a tiny percentage of people in millions who may abuse the system and for that you are supporting govt. move to extend residency? that's because probably you will not be affected by the changes.. Think about those honest people who are living in Canada with family and was hoping to be citizen by 2015/2016 they will be most affected because of few people may have abused the residency.. It's a psychological issue for many..

What actual percentage are you referring to? The way of life is always that a few ruin it for the many.
 
Interesting read, thanks for sharing. Basically, the court ruled that the CBSA officer acted out of line in this case.

The Court agrees with Mr. Alsayegh that the Officer’s decision to terminate his application without giving any consideration to a recommendation for a discretionary grant of citizenship pursuant to subsection 5(4) is unreasonable and does not fall within the range of possible, acceptable outcomes, defensible in respect of the facts and the law.

I have experienced this once in the past when landing at the Toronto airport bringing my daughter back on temporary residents visa. The CBSA officer was all smiles and joking with the family in front of us (who happened to be caucasian). Once it was our turn his demeanour immediately changed (we are not caucasian). We had not even handed over passports at this point. He referred us to the secondary examination. The CBSA officer in Secondary examination then proceeded to grill us and basically threatened not to let my 2 year old daughter in (despite the fact that she had a valid visa and we had already provided all relevant documentation to get approval) because he was not convinced by our story. My wife was panicking but I stayed stone faced as I knew the prick was on a power trip and had no legitimate reason to doubt anything we were saying. Eventually, after harassing us the asshole let us go while acting like he was doing us a huge favour.

In general my experience with 90% of CBSA officials has been very pleasant and professional. It only takes a few assholes to ruin it for everyone else.
 
rayman_m said:
You are talking about a tiny percentage of people in millions who may abuse the system and for that you are supporting govt. move to extend residency? that's because probably you will not be affected by the changes.. Think about those honest people who are living in Canada with family and was hoping to be citizen by 2015/2016 they will be most affected because of few people may have abused the residency.. It's a psychological issue for many..

U r Right. I won't be affected by this, but even if some one did get affected, its just another year and this will not cause multitude of problems for someone who is planning to live in Canada for the rest of life. They can not vote in 2015 election even if the rules remain the same becoz the time for processing citizenship applications(15-18 months), and they can apply for a visa to visit another country (if they need 1)

What other benefits citizenship provides?

Its just 1 more year and I think 100 more bucks :)
 
A lot can happen in one year. You can lose your job, someone in the family could pass away, the missus can get pregnant, someone could file a harassment suit against you, etc. etc. etc.

Events that we normally have to take in stride in this circle of life, and sometimes most of us even take for granted, but life changing events which can impact our day to day existence to the point of derailing our dream of becoming a citizen.

So, I take the side of those who advocate that the earlier it's (citizenship) done and over with, the better for everyone as it's one less "worry" off your plate.

Alas, it's not in our hands to decide on, and so we just have to roll with the punches the best way we can. One bad apple (citizen fraudsters) always ruins the whole bunch. :(
 
desi_jatt said:
Canada should follow the American way of mandatory filling returns/paying taxes for its citizen inland or overseas.

This will reduce the citizenship application from those who came to Canada just to get Canadian passport (to get visa free entry) and a system to access to Canadian health care and social security net when ever the need arise......

Well the new bill requires PRs to be resident in Canada for a minimum of 183 days in each year...Canada Revenue just expanded their tax base eh!!

desi_jatt said:
..And I read that cbsa is going to share the arrivals/departure data with provincial health and service canada, so that people have to wait for mandatory wait times to get the services or follow the rules...

CBSA and CBP already share data for 3rd country nationals...come Canada Day and this expands to Citizens...that several PRs on the forum were getting payment demands from Canada Revenue to return child benefit as they were not residing in Canada was a sign of what was behind the scenes!!
 
desi_jatt said:
Canada should follow the American way of mandatory filling returns/paying taxes for its citizen inland or overseas.
This will reduce the citizenship application from those who came to Canada just to get Canadian passport (to get visa free entry) and a system to access to Canadian health care and social security net when ever the need arise.
The Govt did the good thing to extend the time period required for citizenship.
And I read that cbsa is going to share the arrivals/departure data with provincial health and service canada, so that people have to wait for mandatory wait times to get the services or follow the rules .

IMO this is where it is headed, not just for Canada but for all developed countries. If you have citizenship you will be required to file taxes on income regardless of where you want earn it. Govts are loosing too much revenue otherwise
 
txboyscout said:
IMO this is where it is headed, not just for Canada but for all developed countries. If you have citizenship you will be required to file taxes on income regardless of where you want earn it. Govts are loosing too much revenue otherwise

I hope not! As a dual US/CDN citizen, it is major pain in the arse that I have to file US taxes when I live in Canada full-time. Many Americans are give up their citizenship over this.
 
keesio said:
I hope not! As a dual US/CDN citizen, it is major pain in the arse that I have to file US taxes when I live in Canada full-time. Many Americans are give up their citizenship over this.

It will happen. Govt needs revenue and given that there is a significant number of Canadian citizens living aboard----
 
Msafiri said:
Message for all Citizenship applicants is to not breach the Residence Obligation. If you are in a lengthy processing Local Office such as Winnipeg and or have got RQd be especially careful unless you have a significant cushion of days i.e. if you applied at day 1096 on your way to the airport CIC may derail your plans.

Just another reason why the discrepancy in processing times between local offices is not acceptable.
 
rayman_m said:
if you are not willing to live in Canada while your file is in process. Do whatever you want to do but after the oath..

That is not the most judicious way of wording it. Some people may be WILLING to live in Canada but UNABLE to for one reason or another. Some may have accepted a temporary assignment overseas but plan to return to Canada, made a commitment to take care of an ill family member, etc. with the understanding that their citizenship application would be disposed of well in advance of any breach of residency obligations based on CIC's published processing times only to find out later that CIC's bureaucratic mismanagement actually PRODUCED the residency breach with unreasonable delays.
 
For some of you here it seems logical to not live in Canada at all and pay taxes just because your are a citizen? I guess that it is also logical to pay taxes but don't be covered for medical in Canada, because your residence is in another country, right? I guess that not being allowed to contribute to TFSA or RRSP is also logical, because your residence is not here. But you have to pay taxes, because your a Canadian citizen, no matter where you live. And if you have dual citizenship and live in a third country where you're just a resident, you have to pay taxes in three countries, instead of one...

I am sorry, but how logical is to pay all your taxes, but not being allowed access to the benefits all other tax payer have?