karenv said:
The visitors, none of them was diplomat, gave birth in Canada but their child can't have citizenship. When applying for their child's Canadian passport, the passport was refused. This happened in Nov 2014.
If the parents were not employees of an embassy or diplomats themselves, the child is a citizen. Perhaps the passport was denied for another reason? Passport and citizenship is not the same.
HHH2000 said:
I am wondering what's wrong if some people by some legal means are trying to secure the future of their Children in Canada or in US. They are paying all the expenses of birth of a Child in addition to other expenses. We should look more sympathetically...
One way to look at it is to ask who is being harmed. In this case, the health care system is being (even more) overburdened. If the bills aren't paid the hospitals and the tax payers are being harmed. The education system might be harmed. The welfare system might be harmed. Etc. etc.
None of that is great, but my concern is that there is a lot of political concern about this loophole currently. Ambitious parents coming here just to give birth are relatively privileged and are looking to secure further privilege for their children. But if "birth tourism" continues and grows in Canada, birthright citizenship will be outlawed. Politicians are looking for reasons to outlaw it. Because it's a loophole that wasn't intended to aid the mobile and ambitious. It was never intended as a congratulatory benefit given to those who are able to hop on a plane.
It was intended to ensure that everyone who ended up here would be equal from the moment of their birth. It's designed so that children of pending or refused refugee claimants don't end up stateless. It's designed so that students who get pregnant don't have to quit their studies. It's designed so that the children of temporary workers aren't stateless and have a right to education and social services.
The stateless children who will be born in Canada when and if birthright citizenship is repealed are the ones who will be harmed. Birthright citizenship is for those who have no choice. It's intended to make sure that the truly desperate don't fall through the cracks.
It's not a prize for the ambitious and the mobile.
If you want to come to Canada, you should apply on your own merit.