Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - February 2009
In an apparent response to strong criticisms, Immigration Minister Jason Kinney recently announced his intentions to “review” new citizenship legislation scheduled for implementation in April.
The policy was introduced as the government’s attempt to “protect citizenship.” Formerly, a Canadian who was born outside of the country would be able to pass on their citizenship to their own foreign-born children. The new laws would change this so that Canadian citizenship status would no longer extend beyond the first generation.
The change has sparked an outcry from many different advocate groups, as it could affect all Canadians who work, teach and volunteer abroad (with exemptions for military and diplomatic personnel).
“There is a mobile Canadian workforce,” said Robin Pascoe, an expatriate advocate based in Vancouver. “And it’s not a small number of people who are going to feel the long term effects of this.”
Those large numbers of people seem to be putting enough pressure on the Immigration Department for them to at least reexamine their position.
Source: The Globe and Mail
