New Citizenship Bill Thursday Feb 6th

[keesio]

I am not clear about "intent to stay". Is this mean we cant go for vacation or to visit family back home for 1/2 months during citizenship application processing time also after citizenship grant. Pls advise

The "intent" clause is basically promising that after you become a citizen, you will continue to live in Canada. They are trying to target people who only want a citizenship as a backup or entry way into another country and plan on going somewhere else to live once they have citizenship. For example, a lot of PRs want to become a citizen to qualify for a TN visa to work in the US. For some of them, going to the US was always the priority and Canada was a way into there.

As I see it, the "intent" thing is just wording. Like how you swear to be loyal to the queen during the oath. You can still eventually leave canada just like you can decide you don't want Canada to have a British monarch as head of state.

 

[vic48912]

DISCLAIMER: Everything said below is my own personal opnion.

This thread is an interesting read. The bill will have easy passage because it really does not go to any extremes so there will be no significant objections to it. However even easy passage can/will take a few months so I don't see this bill coming into effect before late summer 2014 at the earliest.

The "Intent to Reside" declaration does not mean much at this point but creates a loophole for future governments to take away Citizenship. Like it or not, there is a lot of immigration fraud going on in Canada. People claiming citizenship and then moving overseas (US, Middle East etc). Most of these people do not contribute anything to Canada but try to claim as many benefits as they can. Then once they retire or get sick they want to come back and take advantage of Canada's health care and welfare systems. I believe that in the future the Govt will pass laws saying that if you have not lived in Canada for X number of years you will lose your citizenship.

It is ridiculous how many Canadian citizens are living aboard. Heck, there is an outrageous number of refugees who are living in their native lands after getting their Canadian citizenships. How is it fair that you can claim persecution in your homeland and the minute Canada gives you a passport it becomes ok for you to go back and live there again?

So having prospective citizens sign this declaration is setting up the stage for future govts to be able to revoke citizenships if needed.

Most refugees from war torn countries might go back after peace return that country......

If are you away from Canada for awhile all the province require you to wait 3 months before you are eligible to receive health care, provincial government is responsible for health care!.......misinformation like this does not help the debate

 

[keesio]

If are you away from Canada for awhile all the province require you to wait 3 months before you are eligible to receive health care, provincial government is responsible for health care!.......misinformation like this does not help the debate

Not all. Many provinces don't have a wait at all (like Alberta), though they may bill you if they found you got treatment and then left right away. Ontario now has a 3 months wait (since 1994), and a reason is because a lot of overseas residents (citizens and PRs) abused OHIP. That is why it is the most restrictive province with the 3 months wait and a 153 days out of year residency requirement.

 

[Alabaman]

This Bill would divide the Canadians into two category of Citizens:

First Class Citizen
Second Class Citizen

I am a immigrant from third world country, thankful for Canada for providing me opportunity to immigrate to Canada. But also, we are human and want equality and justice. This discrimination between First and Second class citizen would raise the possibility of unrest among vast majority of newcomers who would no doubt accept these conditions initially to become the citizen, but once Citizen they will rise to fight the discrimination like "intent to stay". The questions the 14-40 years will be asking "Why" I am different than other Citizen when charter promise equality to all Canadian Citizen. Why I should sign "Intent to Stay" whereas other are free to move around.

I suggest minister and parliamentarian do not sew the seed of discrimination. As a true Canadian I wish my next generation see a united Canada not the split one.

Prejudice and discrimination are negative manifestations of integrative power. Instead of bringing or holding people together, prejudice and discrimination push them apart.

God Bless Canada

Good point

 

[YorkFactory]

British monarch as head of state

The Queen of Canada is Canadian for purposes of Canadian law.

 

[nadeem55]

I'm more concern to Temporary foreign worker punishment, I had a plan to apply in 2015 for citizenship but if the law will be enforced I had to wait 1 more year sucks

 

[YorkFactory]

The "Intent to Reside" declaration does not mean much at this point but creates a loophole for future governments to take away Citizenship. Like it or not, there is a lot of immigration fraud going on in Canada. People claiming citizenship and then moving overseas (US, Middle East etc). Most of these people do not contribute anything to Canada but try to claim as many benefits as they can. Then once they retire or get sick they want to come back and take advantage of Canada's health care and welfare systems. I believe that in the future the Govt will pass laws saying that if you have not lived in Canada for X number of years you will lose your citizenship.

It is ridiculous how many Canadian citizens are living aboard. Heck, there is an outrageous number of refugees who are living in their native lands after getting their Canadian citizenships. How is it fair that you can claim persecution in your homeland and the minute Canada gives you a passport it becomes ok for you to go back and live there again?

So having prospective citizens sign this declaration is setting up the stage for future govts to be able to revoke citizenships if needed.

People who actually do meet the residency and physical-presence requirements but plan to move out of Canada as soon as they get a Canadian passport are not committing fraud. The only way they'd be committing fraud is if they lie about the amount of time they're spending in Canada (which, no doubt, some do).

Section 15 of the Charter prohibits discrimination on the basis of national origin, and that's blatantly what the "intent to reside" pledge does; it discriminates against those people whose national origin isn't Canadian and interferes with their right as a citizen under section 6 to enter and leave Canada. I'm concerned, if I do get citizenship and end up moving because of this government's lackluster economic track record when it comes to anything but the tar sands and Bay Street, that the government will try to put the burden of proof on me that I wasn't lying when I said I intended to reside in Canada however many years earlier.

I don't think they'd be able to arbitrarily strip the citizenship of Canadians who live abroad without amending the constitution, so that's not going to happen. It's another proposal that discriminates among citizens based on national origin.

 

[trunorth]

DISCLAIMER: Everything said below is my own personal opnion.

This thread is an interesting read. The bill will have easy passage because it really does not go to any extremes so there will be no significant objections to it. However even easy passage can/will take a few months so I don't see this bill coming into effect before late summer 2014 at the earliest.

The "Intent to Reside" declaration does not mean much at this point but creates a loophole for future governments to take away Citizenship. Like it or not, there is a lot of immigration fraud going on in Canada. People claiming citizenship and then moving overseas (US, Middle East etc). Most of these people do not contribute anything to Canada but try to claim as many benefits as they can. Then once they retire or get sick they want to come back and take advantage of Canada's health care and welfare systems. I believe that in the future the Govt will pass laws saying that if you have not lived in Canada for X number of years you will lose your citizenship.

It is ridiculous how many Canadian citizens are living aboard. Heck, there is an outrageous number of refugees who are living in their native lands after getting their Canadian citizenships. How is it fair that you can claim persecution in your homeland and the minute Canada gives you a passport it becomes ok for you to go back and live there again?

So having prospective citizens sign this declaration is setting up the stage for future govts to be able to revoke citizenships if needed.

I wonder how the government is going to deal with the Canadian-Florida Snowbirds when their own BORN Canadian's live half the year in the US. You can sign an intent to live here but if you have to move to another country and as long as you do not claim any benefits while you are away, they cannot take your Citizenship away!

 

[keesio]

I wonder how the government is going to deal with the Canadian-Florida Snowbirds when their own BORN Canadian's live half the year in the US. You can sign an intent to live here but if you have to move to another country and as long as you do not claim any benefits while you are away, they cannot take your Citizenship away!

I understand your argument but the example you gave is bad. The reason why snowbirds stay no longer than 6 months is to maintain legal definition of residency in Canada (6 months out of a year). So their primary residence is Canada and they are indeed living in Canada.

but you know what? that is also in a way "milking" the system. Staying the bare minimum of days to maintain full residency status in Canada.

 

[trunorth]

I understand your argument but the example you gave is bad. The reason why snowbirds stay no longer than 6 months is to maintain legal definition of residency in Canada (6 months out of a year). So their primary residence is Canada and they are indeed living in Canada.

but you know what? that is also in a way "milking" the system. Staying the bare minimum of days to maintain full residency status in Canada.

I agree it was not a great example. But they can ask us to sign an intent but if we get a job in Timbuktu and we dont claim any benefits while being away, they got no right to take away our Canadian citizenship especially to some of those who renounced their previous country citizenship. That part of the law will be amended. You know what, I just think this whole bill will drag and probably die off some where. Then Harper will blame the NDP for killing it. So makes Harper and his guys look good. Frankly I don't think they give a hoot about the whole change.

I don't see how increasing from 3 to 4 years will make me or anyone more Canadian! I know Citizens who have been here for 20 to 30 years and are soooo un-Canadian. Some of them don't even know where NB or NS or where some of the other provinces are!!! I've been here for almost 3 years now and I am sure I know alot more than them and even most Canadians who were born here.

This is a stupid bill! The opposition will try to chew it up and Harper will take it slow. Reminds me of what is going on in the US where the Dems introduced the new immigration bill and the Reps chewed it up. Now the Dems are blaming the Reps for messing it up so that the Dems will get votes in the next election!

If it passes, so be it. But it aint gonna pass at least till November or December. And of course, it aint gonna pass the way it is. Some darn fool may even suggest 5 out of 8 years. The thing that pisses me off is they just raided the application fee by 2x. They better speed up by 2x from NOW!

 

[YorkFactory]

I understand your argument but the example you gave is bad. The reason why snowbirds stay no longer than 6 months is to maintain legal definition of residency in Canada (6 months out of a year). So their primary residence is Canada and they are indeed living in Canada.

but you know what? that is also in a way "milking" the system. Staying the bare minimum of days to maintain full residency status in Canada.

They're also trying to avoid spending too much time in the U.S. so that the U.S. doesn't consider them to be residing there without permission.

 

[keesio]

They're also trying to avoid spending too much time in the U.S. so that the U.S. doesn't consider them to be residing there without permission.

True. The main issue, I believe, is taxation. If they stay over, then they become US tax residents for the year

 

[rogerset]

All

How long do you think it will take for this bill to become law?

April? May June July? Or Nov Maybe?

 

[vic48912]

Not all. Many provinces don't have a wait at all (like Alberta), though they may bill you if they found you got treatment and then left right away. Ontario now has a 3 months wait (since 1994), and a reason is because a lot of overseas residents (citizens and PRs) abused OHIP. That is why it is the most restrictive province with the 3 months wait and a 153 days out of year residency requirement.

Not true about Alberta....Alberta AHCHIP is also inline with OHIP but theirs is 3months wait for absence of 183 days in 12 months period

 

[sekhon2014]

Citizenship Bill will take at least 2 months to become a law.... till then, they can't do much other than do some procedural changes, but they have been doing them for the past 8 months now. I really don't think that they will touch the applications currently in process....

Once the bill gets tabled, it will have to go through several readings at the house of commons and its committees, then it will follow the same process at the senate, and finally it will have to get royal assent ( this last step is a matter of weeks).

As for reducing the current backlog, that's what they are already doing by employing more clerks everywhere, there has been a huge progress in the last few months, I guess that now they will start doing their public relations about this and will probably attribute it to the new act, also, by changing the eligibility rules, naturally Sydney and the local offices will get much less new applications during a certain time, which will allow them to reduce the backlog significantly by taking care of all the applications that are currently getting processed.

Just by taking a quick peek at all the timelines on this forum, a lot of applicants declare applying after 1095 and 1200 days of residency in average, so the trend is CLEAR, most people apply as soon as they become eligible,changing the rules and probably changing the residency requierments will surely give CIC a few months to take the time and open the old and dusty files that have been sitting there for the past X years...

Citizenship Fee is already up [$400 CAD]