October 9, 2018 – Canada’s federal government says the number of people becoming Canadian citizens has increased 40 per cent since important changes were made to the requirements.
Figures shows an estimated 152,000 will have obtained Canadian citizenship by the end of October 2018, after the important changes through Bill C-6 came into force in October 2017. In the same period the year before, 108,000 people obtained citizenship.
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The foremost change made by Ottawa was to reduce the physical presence requirement for permanent residents to become citizens to three years out of the last five.
Previously the requirement was four years out of the last six.
Changes to the Citizenship Act also included reducing the age range for applicants who must meet the language and knowledge requirements.
A further change allows candidates to count the days spent as temporary residents and protected persons spend in Canada as half days (up to 365 days) towards their physical presence requirement.
What Are the Canadian Citizenship Requirements?
- Have unconditional Canadian permanent residence status.
- Be physically present for three years out of the preceding five (1,095 days out of 1,825).
- Meet income tax filing obligations for three years out of the last five.
- Prove adequate knowledge of one of Canada’s official languages (English or French) if aged 18 to 54.
- Pass a Canadian knowledge test (if aged 18 to 54).
- Not be prohibited due to committing a criminal offence.
Read more on how to get Canadian Citizenship.
The number of people applying for citizenship has more than doubled following the changes.
Between October 2017 and June 2018, 242,680 citizenship applications were received by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. In the same period the year before, 102,261 applications were received.
Processing times for routine citizenship applications is under 12 months, IRCC says.
The figures were released to mark Citizenship Week, which runs from October 8 to 14.
Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen says the increased numbers are a direct result of the Citizenship Act changes.
He said: “The government made important changes to the Citizenship Act, under Bill C6, to provide those wanting to become Canadian citizens with greater flexibility to meet the requirements. One year later, we can see the difference these changes are making.”
Bill C-6 introduced a swathe of changes to the Citizenship Act, which were made in three batches from when it was given royal assent in June 2017.
Changes Made June 2017
Previous Citizenship Act | Citizenship Act with Bill C-6 Amendments |
Citizenship could be revoked from dual citizens convicted of treason, spying and terrorism offences, depending on the sentence received, or who were a part of an armed force of a country or organized group engaged in conflict with Canada. | This provision is repealed. Dual citizens living in Canada who are convicted of these crimes will face the Canadian justice system, like other Canadian citizens who break the law. |
Applicants were required to intend to continue to live in Canada if granted citizenship. | This provision is repealed. Applicants are no longer required to intend to continue to live in Canada once granted citizenship. This provides more flexibility to Canadians who may need to live outside of Canada for work or personal reasons. |
The Minister had the discretion to waive certain requirements under subsection 5(1) of the Citizenship Act so a minor could obtain citizenship without a Canadian parent. | Minors can now apply for citizenship without a Canadian parent, as the age requirement for citizenship has been removed under subsection 5(1). A person having custody of the minor or empowered to act on their behalf by court order, written agreement or operation of law, can now apply for citizenship on behalf of the minor, unless that requirement is waived by the Minister. |
No provision existed to prevent individuals serving a sentence in the community (a conditional sentence order) from being granted citizenship, taking the Oath of Citizenship or counting this time towards meeting the physical presence requirements for citizenship. | Individuals serving a conditional sentence will not be granted citizenship, take the Oath of Citizenship, or be able to count this time towards meeting the physical presence requirements for citizenship. |
The Minister has the discretion to grant citizenship to a person to alleviate cases of special and unusual hardship, or to reward services of an exceptional value to Canada. | Statelessness has been added as a stand-alone ground that can be considered for a discretionary grant of citizenship. |
The Department has reasonable measures to accommodate the needs of citizenship applicants. However, there was no explicit reference to accommodate persons with disabilities in the Citizenship Act. | The requirement to take into consideration reasonable measures to accommodate the needs of a citizenship applicant who is a disabled person is now included in the Citizenship Act. |
The requirement for applicants to maintain the requirements for citizenship from the time they apply for citizenship until taking the Oath of Citizenship only applied to applications received on or after June 11, 2015. | This requirement now also applies to all applications, including those received before June 11, 2015. |
Changes Made October 2017
Previous Citizenship Act | Citizenship Act with Bill C-6 Amendments |
Applicants had to be physically present in Canada for four out of six years before applying for citizenship. | Applicants must be physically present in Canada for three out of five years before applying for citizenship. |
Applicants had to file Canadian income taxes, if required to do so under the Income Tax Act, for four out of six years, matching the physical presence requirement. | Applicants must file Canadian income taxes, if required to do so under the Income Tax Act, for three out of five years, matching the new physical presence requirement. |
Applicants had to be physically present in Canada for 183 days in four out of the six years preceding their application. | This provision is repealed. Applicants no longer have to meet this requirement. |
Time spent in Canada prior to becoming a permanent resident did not count towards the physical presence requirement for citizenship. | Applicants may count each day they were physically present in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person before becoming a permanent resident as a half-day toward meeting the physical presence requirement for citizenship, up to a maximum credit of 365 days. |
Applicants between 14 and 64 years had to meet the language and knowledge requirements for citizenship. | Applicants between 18 and 54 years must meet the language and knowledge requirements for citizenship. |
Changes Made Early 2018
Previous Citizenship Act | Citizenship Act with Bill C-6 Amendments |
The Minister was the decision-maker for most cases of citizenship revocation on the grounds of false representation, fraud, or knowingly concealing material circumstances. The Federal Court was the decision-maker for citizenship revocation cases involving false representation, fraud, or knowingly concealing material circumstances related to security, human or international right violations, and organized criminality. | The Federal Court is the decision-maker in all revocation cases, unless the individual requests that the Minister make the decision. |
There was no clear authority for Citizenship Officers to seize fraudulent or suspected fraudulent documents provided under the Citizenship Act. | Clear authority for Citizenship Officers to seize fraudulent or suspected fraudulent documents is provided under the Citizenship Act. |
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