Interesting news article re:imminent changes

[FL1040]

I for one and delighted to see a tightening of the residency obligations, and hope the rumors are true. Increasing the time required to reside in Canada before citizenship will serve to reduce the number of fraud cases and reduce the number of citizens of convenience. It will also ensure that citizenship is primarily granted to those who intend to make Canada their home.

I agree.....I met three years ago couple from Morocco who were just waiting to get citizenship so they could go back home with Canadian passports in their pockets so they could travel to Europe and the US without the need of a visa, in the meantime the woman was getting a Bachelor's degree and the guy was getting a Master's degree...they had no intention of staying in Canada..I have met several other cases like that. I also remember when they had the armed conflict in Lebanon in 2006 and all of a sudden Canada had to evacuate all those people with Canadian passport who came out of the woodwork and had not lived in Canada for years.

I could never vote Conservative, but in some points like this one I agree with the Cons...Canadian citizenship must be for those who intend to live here and pay taxes here if you want to enjoy the benefits of a Canadian passport.

 

[ramsfe]

Well, honestly, come on people! Nobody can be against protecting and re-enforcing canadian citizenship, however, how will tougher residence period make it harder to Fraud ? Those who lie about 1095 days will lie about 2000 days... Also, everyone can criticize those who fulfill the rules in order to become canadian and then leave, however, I don't see any legal basis for this criticism, yes, I agree, it is terrible, I hate it too, but every canadian has the right to go live elsewhere, as long as the person became canadian lawfully there is nothing that anyone can say legally, even with the toughest laws ever, in today's world you can't pretend that traveling and living abroad is in any way against the law, I know a lot of natural born canadians who live overseas, it is the right of every Canadian to live wherever he feels he should live - the canadian Charter of rights and freedoms is very clear about that.

Again, numbers speak for themselves, how many fraud cases did CIC catch lately with their draconian, tax-money wasting procedures ?

So please, give it a break, what needs to be reformed is simply the Canadian Borders Agency...CONTROL EXITS once and for all instead of punishing all of us here, I never frauded and I will never fraud, I fully respect the laws of my new soon to be country, I respected every single requirement to become canadian and I am planning to live here (in Canada) for the rest of my life, and just like every other canadian, I don't exclude traveling and exploring options outside of Canada, and I refuse to be criticized or finger pointed for that!

Conservatism is locking us up behind borders while today's world is about GLOBALISATION and freedom of movement! Athletes who are representing Canada at the Olympics and so on are TRAVELING and spending months abroad, should they get punished ? All those who work for the prosperity of Canada by developing canadian businesses beyond Canada's borders should get punished too ?

If the idea is to avoid fraud, the answer is to control exit points! Also, if the idea is to make people more "Canadian", then impose certain amounts of hours of community work as a citizenship requirement... There are many ways when you are smart enough to think out of the box instead of using punitive measures that won't change anything for those who Fraud but will only frustrate the law abiding people!

I will NEVER vote conservative, I will never forget or forgive their policies, I will take every opportunity, as a TRUE Canadian, to speak up my mind and to convince people to vote against the conservatives who are ruining the very foundations of what it means to be Canadian.

 

[us2yow]

Bravo ! well said ! ;D

Wake up people ! the world is becoming increasingly globalized and even more so now when there are austerity cuts and $$$ crunches everywhere & people fulfill their personal and professional aspirations by adopting different paths which not only bring them satisfaction and fulfillment but also help to put food on the table. EVERYONE absolutely has the inalienable right to that !

And isn't Canada part of the "free" world too? It sure is ! (and should continue to RE-inspire that confidence which has been considerably shaken in more recent times :

 

[torontosm]

Bravo ! well said ! ;D

Wake up people ! the world is becoming increasingly globalized and even more so now when there are austerity cuts and $$$ crunches everywhere & people fulfill their personal and professional aspirations by adopting different paths which not only bring them satisfaction and fulfillment but also help to put food on the table. EVERYONE absolutely has the inalienable right to that !

And isn't Canada part of the "free" world too? It sure is ! (and should continue to RE-inspire that confidence which has been considerably shaken in more recent times :

No one is trying to restrict anyone's right to make a living or to live their life the way that they want. But, you can't have it both ways. If you want to enjoy the benefits of Canadian citizenship, without actually contributing anything to Canada, then I do object.

 

[ramsfe]

No one is trying to restrict anyone's right to make a living or to live their life the way that they want. But, you can't have it both ways. If you want to enjoy the benefits of Canadian citizenship, without actually contributing anything to Canada, then I do object.

Well... the conservatives are restricting everyone's rights by jumping to dumb electorally motivated conclusions.

As for not having it both ways, as I said, even if you add 10 years of residency requierement to the citizenship Act, you won't curb fraud, you will only render Canada less attractive for honest highly qualified and dearly needed immigrants, I guess that the " you can't have it both ways" theory works too for this evil government, as they can't have qualified honest people and treat them like scum at the same time - so I would recommend that they start by themselves.

And since I agree with the " you can't have it both ways" argument that you are advancing, let me elaborate more :

1 - The senate scandal is a war against democracy lead by the PM's office, hardly earned tax payers money got wasted and is still getting wasted to finance a system that no logical law abiding canadian can accept.
2- C-37 war planes that Harper wanted to buy with our collective money .... he finally didn't not because he was smart but because electorally, nobody would have let him do it.
3- The backlogs in all the canadian government system that his (the PM's) lack of competence created over the years! They have nobody to blame now, they have been here since 2006 !
4- The blind support that Canada offers to the current extrem right wing israeli government that even israelis are achamed of !
5- The fact that Canadians exchanged their permanent jobs and replaced them with less interesting temporary contracts over the years because of this government's policies.
6- Our very dear postal service is going to change forever, old people will have to walk miles in the snow before reaching their mailbox- What an achievement...huh ?
7- the small scandal about the Canadian and American secret services spying on Canadians....

...and many other shameful things...

So yes, that's true, you can't ask people to be honest while you are struggling with your own reputation ! You can't have it both ways! THE ONLY SOLUTION TO ALL THE PROBLEMS TODAY IS THAT HARPER RESIGNS !

 

[us2yow]

I object to people living elsewhere and then applying for citizenship. But, lets get real....people in ALL developed countries go and work anywhere in their lives. A Brit can move at some point to the States, a Kiwi can go to Australia, an Aussie can come to the States...a Canadian can go to Timbuctou or an American can go to the South Pacific because he found love there and wants to run a B&B.....The World is open....and let's be open and progressive too (....not bigoted ) for the majority of the people LIKE IN ALL OTHER COUNTRIES who do respect rules.

Lets open our minds beyond petty this and petty that.... it diminishes "us" and only empowers those who have mean agendas.... Lets rise above !

Peace and Harmony !

 

[ramsfe]

I object to people living elsewhere and then applying for citizenship. But, lets get real....people in ALL developed countries go and work anywhere in their lives. A Brit can move at some point to the States, a Kiwi can go to Australia, an Aussie can come to the States...a Canadian can go to Timbuctou or an American can go to the South Pacific because he found love there and wants to run a B&B.....The World is open....and let's be open and progressive too (....not bigoted ) for the majority of the people LIKE IN ALL OTHER COUNTRIES who do respect rules.

Lets open our minds beyond petty this and petty that.... it diminishes "us" and only empowers those who have mean agendas.... Lets rise above !

Peace and Harmony !

I like you

 

[on-hold]

I think what torontosm is saying is self-evident -- if you make residency requirements stricter, then you'll get more people who stay permanently, because it doesn't affect them. He's not discussing fraud, he's discussing the qualifications for citizenship, which are very different. The fact is, getting Canadian citizenship now is shorter than getting a bachelor degree -- it really is possible for someone to do it, and then go back to their regular life. Whether that's a problem or not is another issue; personally, I think that having expatriate Canadians living around the world, especially in places like Hong Kong, could be a real advantage for a country, in some ways at least.

 

[us2yow]

Thanks

and Torontosm to be fair, if at some point in your fabulous Canadian life & as Canadian citizen you get an interesting work opportunity somewhere with good $, benefits, a change in pace to your life.... DO NOT for once say you will never take it ! Of course, you will ! Anyone would !..and its part of the flow of life...there's a whoooooooooooole life ahead even as a Canadian citizen. We are humans too you know with emotions, and aspirations and professional desires not just some inanimate PRs whose only terms of reference is to pump dollars into the Canadian economy.

Lets be nitpicky in a reasonable way and ONLY where it is really necessary and justified....MAJORITY of applicants are respecting rules and being kicked around as a matter of fact like a football (unfair but fine...hopefully the universe will reward them after the hippocrisy and unjustice)

All The Best ! Bonne Chance !

 

[ramsfe]

Thanks

and Torontosm to be fair, if at some point in your fabulous Canadian life & as Canadian citizen you get an interesting work opportunity somewhere with good $, benefits, a change in pace to your life.... DO NOT for once say you will never take it ! Of course, you will ! Anyone would !..and its part of the flow of life...there's a whoooooooooooole life ahead even as a Canadian citizen. We are humans too you know with emotions, and aspirations and professional desires not just some inanimate PRs whose only terms of reference is to pump dollars into the Canadian economy.

Lets be nitpicky in a reasonable way and ONLY where it is really necessary and justified....MAJORITY of applicants are respecting rules and being kicked around as a matter of fact like a football (unfair but fine...hopefully the universe will reward them after the hippocrisy and unjustice)

All The Best ! Bonne Chance !

Amen to that! However, personally I won't wait till the universe rewards me

Long live Canada !

 

[Soopergal]

Great news! As a Canadian citizen I strongly support Immigration Minister Chris Alexander. The citizenship residency requirement should be increased to 6 out of 8 yrs, not 4 out 6 yrs. There are too many immigrants in Canada, and something needs to be done!

How does increasing residency requirement 'solve' too many immigrants problem?

 

[ramsfe]

How does increasing residency requirement 'solve' too many immigrants problem?

Well actually it simply does not!

Immigrants are an asset to Canada and they should be treated with respect - there are not " too many immigrants" in Canada, this is a very mean and racist comment. How can you tell that this or that person is an immigrant ? Maybe they are canadian citizens ? Let's not go in that direction !

Russel Peters doesn't look " canadian", does he count amongst the " too many immigrants" this person is talking about ? The moment we will get into this kind of considerations, the canadian democracy will vanish!

When does a person stop being an Immigrant and becomes a Canadian ? Citizenship ? 2nd generation ? 3rd generation? Never ?

 

[sept15]

Well actually it simply does not!

Immigrants are an asset to Canada and they should be treated with respect - there are not " too many immigrants" in Canada, this is a very mean and racist comment. How can you tell that this or that person is an immigrant ? Maybe they are canadian citizens ? Let's not go in that direction !

Russel Peters doesn't look " canadian", does he count amongst the " too many immigrants" this person is talking about ? The moment we will get into this kind of considerations, the canadian democracy will vanish!

When does a person stop being an Immigrant and becomes a Canadian ? Citizenship ? 2nd generation ? 3rd generation? Never ?

yeah, this Country is full of immigrants. There are very 'countable/handful' of Native/Indians/First Nations (non-immigrants) - Everyone else is immigrant. lol

 

[torontosm]

As for not having it both ways, as I said, even if you add 10 years of residency requierement to the citizenship Act, you won't curb fraud, you will only render Canada less attractive for honest highly qualified and dearly needed immigrants, I guess that the " you can't have it both ways" theory works too for this evil government, as they can't have qualified honest people and treat them like scum at the same time - so I would recommend that they start by themselves.

I'm not sure I agree with you. Making the residency period 10 years would not deter, or make Canada less attractive for, any immigrant actually seeking to make Canada their home. It would only scare off those looking to pick up a passport for convenience sake, which is exactly the purpose. Asking people to live in a country before making them full fledged citizens is hardly "treating them like scum". You seem to be forgetting that citizenship is a privilege and not a right, and the government can change the rules to award that privilege whenever they think such a change would be in the best interest of their citizens.

I won't respond to your comments on the performance of the conservatives, as this really isn't the appropriate forum for such things, but would be happy to discuss this, and the dismal track record of the liberals, with you via private messages.

 

[torontosm]

and Torontosm to be fair, if at some point in your fabulous Canadian life & as Canadian citizen you get an interesting work opportunity somewhere with good $, benefits, a change in pace to your life.... DO NOT for once say you will never take it ! Of course, you will ! Anyone would !..and its part of the flow of life...there's a whoooooooooooole life ahead even as a Canadian citizen. We are humans too you know with emotions, and aspirations and professional desires not just some inanimate PRs whose only terms of reference is to pump dollars into the Canadian economy.

Lets be nitpicky in a reasonable way and ONLY where it is really necessary and justified....MAJORITY of applicants are respecting rules and being kicked around as a matter of fact like a football (unfair but fine...hopefully the universe will reward them after the hippocrisy and unjustice)

All The Best ! Bonne Chance !

You are absolutely correct. I agree, and in fact, I did leave Canada to work overseas for a while. But, the difference is that I had every intention, and made every effort, to make Canada my home. I lived in Canada for well beyond the time required to obtain a passport, and then returned to Canada and continued my contributions to the economy and to the society.

I disagree that the "majority of applicants" are being kicked around like a football. How? By asking them to live in a country before becoming a citizen? By asking them to provide additional proof of living in said country? Or by asking them to wait until the administrative backlogs are cleared? The root cause of all three of these demands is not the Government, as you assert, but is rather the countless number of people who have cheated the system in the past and forced the government to scrutinize applications to this level.

I, for one, would rather have the citizenship process be 10 years in duration than allow one more fraudulent person to become a citizen of this country. As a result, I respect all of the efforts of the Conservatives, and hope that they continue to implement new similar measures.