The Act is being reformed to address citizenship issues on a number of fronts. In its overhaul of the program, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is seeking to make the following changes:

1. Introduce legislation that will streamline the overall program;

• Reduce the application review process from three steps to one step, thus speeding up processing
• Increase citizenship fee applications from $100 to $300
• Require up-front proof of certain requirements
• Change certain elements of the judicial review and appeal process as well as the process for issuing discretionary grants

2. Modify residency and other requirements that will ‘reinforce the value of Canadian citizenship’;

• Increase residency requirements from three out of four years to four out of six years
• No longer count time spent in Canada as a non-permanent resident toward citizenship residency requirements
• Require citizenship applicants to declare their intent to reside in Canada
• Require applicants to file Canadian income taxes
• Expand the age group for applicants required to demonstrate language proficiency and take a knowledge test from 18-54 to 14-64
• Extend citizenship to ‘lost Canadians’

3. Crack down on citizenship fraud

• Designate a regulatory body whose members may act as consultants in citizenship matters
• Increase penalties for citizenship fraud
• Streamline the process of revoking citizenship in exceptional cases

4. Introduce new rules intended to ‘protect and promote Canada’s interests and values’

• Fast-track citizenship applications for permanent residents who join the Canadian Armed Forces
• Introduce the ability to revoke or deny citizenship to individuals who commit ‘acts of terrorism or acts against Canadian interests’
• Expand citizenship by descent rules so that children born to Crown citizens working abroad may pass on their citizenship
• Bar citizenship for individuals charged with or convicted of serious criminality abroad
• Update the Citizenship Act to ensure that international adoptions are done in accordance with the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption

“Our government is strengthening the value of Canadian citizenship,” said Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander. “Citizenship is a pledge of mutual responsibility and a shared commitment to values rooted in our history. I am pleased to bring forward the first comprehensive and overdue reforms of the Citizenship Act in more than a generation.”

Further details on these changes will be found in the next edition of CIC News.