January 3, 2019 – More than 15,000 Indian permanent residents in Canada have obtained citizenship between January and October 2018, an increase of 50 percent as compared to the first ten months of 2017.
As per preliminary IRCC data, one in every ten permanent residents who obtained Canadian citizenship between January and October 2018 was of Indian origin.
Impact of New Citizenship Rules
2015 was a record year in which more than 28,000 Indians applied for Canadian citizenship. After a two-year decline, interest among Indian applicants has revived even as Canada made it easier for permanent residents to qualify for citizenship.
With effect from October 2017, minimum physical presence requirements for Canadian citizenship was reduced from four out of six years to three out of five years.
Post this change, citizenship applications rose by 100 percent between October 2017 and June 2018 compared to the previous corresponding period.
Further, number of persons obtaining citizenship is expected to rise 40 percent from 108,000 in 2016-17 to an estimated 153000 in 2017-18
Benefits of Canadian citizenship include greater mobility rights, eligibility to work in the government sector, and the right to vote.
Canada has a powerful passport offering its holder visa-free access to 185 countries across the world, ranked above Australia and at par with Switzerland and Ireland.
Read More
- Indian High-Skilled Job Seekers Shifting Focus from U.S. To Canada
- New Canadian Citizenship Act Bill C-6 Becomes Law
- Another Record-Breaking Year for Canada Express Entry Immigration
Canada—Preferred Alternative for Tech Workers
For Indian permanent residents, a Canadian passport offers certain additional advantages and benefits.
Factors contributing to Canada’s popularity among Indians include:
- Canada’s transparent and predictable application system for skilled workers seeking permanent residence.
- The negative impact of the surge in H-1B rejections and series of negative proposals and rule changes in the US.
- Canada’s pro-immigration policies, especially in contrast to the anti-immigrant sentiment prevailing in the US.
- Canada’s expanding tech sector and rising popularity among tech employers as well as IT professionals.
The surge in demand for Canadian citizenship has coincided with an increase in the number of Indians qualifying for Canadian permanent residence.
In 2017, one out of every five successful Canadian permanent residence applicants were an Indian, a 30 percent increase compared to 2016.
2015 was a record year which saw 28,000 Indian permanent residents qualifying for citizenship. With surging demand among Indians for PR as well as citizenship, the 2015 record may easily get eclipsed in the years ahead.
Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.
Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.
Read more news about Canada Immigration by clicking here.