In the last few weeks several developments have occurred in immigration Canada regarding the process of acquiring Canadian citizenship. In general, moves have been made by officials in both Federal Canada and Quebec to make it more difficult to become a Canadian citizen. These proposals have been justified in terms of increasing the value of Canadian citizenship and avoiding its relegation to a mere “passport of convenience.” As of February 2014, the Canadian government has introduced legislation which, if passed, would require immigrants to wait four years before seeking citizenship. Up until now, the required residency period has been three years. The bill seriously raises the application costs involved in becoming a Canadian citizen. Whether this will make immigration Canada a more daunting experience remains to be seen.
Immigrants living in Canada have expressed disquiet over the proposed bill. He claims that while the bill supports the value of Canadian citizenship, it nonetheless undermines the contributions made by international students and former foreign workers. He claims that under the new bill, retroactive legislation will mean periods spent in immigration to Canada doing temporary study or under work permit will no longer count towards eventual citizen applications. For those who have made their immigration Canada as a temporary worker or as foreign student the citizenship process can take as long as eight years. To be eligible for citizenship one must have resided in immigration to Canada for three out of four years. This may now increase to four out of six years. The credit system by which time spent on a temporary visa counts towards residency, may also be abolished.
Immigrants living in Canada have expressed disquiet over the proposed bill. He claims that while the bill supports the value of Canadian citizenship, it nonetheless undermines the contributions made by international students and former foreign workers. He claims that under the new bill, retroactive legislation will mean periods spent in immigration to Canada doing temporary study or under work permit will no longer count towards eventual citizen applications. For those who have made their immigration Canada as a temporary worker or as foreign student the citizenship process can take as long as eight years. To be eligible for citizenship one must have resided in immigration to Canada for three out of four years. This may now increase to four out of six years. The credit system by which time spent on a temporary visa counts towards residency, may also be abolished.
Despite these developments, immigration Canada is still an appealing prospect and long term immigrants have enjoyed a relative amount of success. Statistics immigration Canada has announced that university education figures are actually higher among children of immigrant families. Children of Asian immigrants are in general, four times more likely to pursue third level education than children of indigenous Canadians. Clearly Canada’s migration policies like those in other developing countries are subject to flux and change as successive governments try to balance a requirement for skilled labour with hesitations about shifting demographics and anxieties about national identity. However, Immigration to Canada will continue to be an attractive option for many individuals in developing countries.
