Citizenship and Immigration rules for Canada are now on changing mode. Citizenship rules are being changed by the Canadian government on phase to phase basis. The final release of change is effective from June 11, 2015 and it will affect all applicants waiting to apply for Canadian citizenship.
The changes approved by Parliament last year are now applicable effective June 11, 2015.
The first set of provisions were implied last summer and resulted in speed up application processing times. According to the CIC news release, new citizenship applications are being finalized in a year or less, and it is expected that the backlog of older files will be eliminated by the end of this year.
Following changes are being made by Citizenship and Immigration Canada:
- Adult applicants must need to be physically present in Canada for at least 1,460 days (four years) during the six years before the date of their application. They must also be physically present in Canada for at least 183 days in each of four calendar years within the qualifying period.
- Applicants between the ages of 14 and 64 must meet basic knowledge and language requirements.
- Citizenship will be automatically extended to additional “Lost Canadians” on June 11th, who were born before 1947, and did not become citizens on January 1, 1947 when the first Canadian Citizenship Act came into effect. This will also apply to their children born in the first generation outside Canada.
- Adult applicants must declare their intent to reside in Canada once they become citizens and meet their personal income tax obligations in order to be eligible for citizenship.
- Stronger penalties are being implemented for fraud and misrepresentation (to a maximum fine of $100,000 and/or up to five years in prison).
- The newly-designated Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) is the new regulatory body for citizenship consultants. Only members of the ICCRC, lawyers or notaries (including paralegals and students at law) can be paid to provide citizenship applicants with representation or advice.
- New application forms are now available. Any applications received using the old forms received after June 10, 2015 will be returned.
