Canadian Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday of October. This year, Thanksgiving Day also marks the beginning of Citizenship Week, a week of events and ceremonies to acknowledge the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizens. Over the past ten years, Canada has welcomed 1,500,000 new Canadians. During the coming week, Canadians will have the opportunity to welcome newcomers. 47 citizenship ceremonies across the country will grant citizenship status to individuals who have made Canada their new home.

Canada’s Minister of Immigration, John McCallum, spoke about the importance of Citizenship Week to Canadians, both old and new. “Every year Citizenship Week gives Canadians the opportunity to reflect on what it means to be Canadian: the rights we enjoy, the responsibilities we share, and the diversity that makes us strong.

“Canada is respected around the world for our success at reaching out to newcomers and embracing them into our great nation. This makes our citizenship both valued and sought-after. And one of the strongest pillars of success and integration is the act of becoming a citizen, which is why we encourage newcomers to take the path to citizenship.”

It is widely expected that the Government will soon announce changes to Citizenship Act, after the House of Commons passed Bill C-6, ‘An Act to amend the Citizenship Act’ over the summer. One of the amendments proposed would reduce the residency requirement for citizenship from four years in the six years preceding the application, to three years in the five years preceding the application. In addition, another proposal included in the bill would mean time spent in Canada as a temporary worker or a student would also count towards the residency requirement.

Bill C-6 is now being considered by the Senate. 

To find out more about applying for Canadian citizenship in light of the proposed changes to the Citizenship Act, please send an email to citizenship@canadavisa.com. Please include information about your time as a Canadian permanent resident, as well as any information about previous time spend in Canada with temporary status.

To learn more about Canadian citizenship, click here.

To find out your options for Canadian immigration, please fill out a free online assessment today.