An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act received Royal Assent on June 19, 2017. Therefore, you may be able to apply for Canadian Citizenship in the fall of 2017, if you meet the new requirements. Please note that not all changes to the Act will come into effect immediately. Some changes will be launched in the fall of 2017 with the remaining changes to come into force in early 2018.
Effective now:
- Dual citizens convicted of treason, spying or terrorism offences will now face the Canadian justice system just as any other Canadian citizen would and no longer have their citizenship revoked
- Applicants are no longer required to announce their intent to continue to live in Canada once granted citizenship
- The age requirement for citizenship has been removed, thus permitting minors to apply for citizenship without a Canadian parent
- Individuals serving a conditional sentence will not be granted citizenship, take the Oath or Citizenship or be able to count this time towards meeting the physical presence requirements
- Statelessness has been added as a stand-alone ground that may be considered for a discretionary grant of citizenship
- Requirement to maintain the requirements for citizenship now applies to all applications
Changes expected in Fall 2017:
- Applicants must have been physically present in Canada for three years out of the previous five years immediately before you apply
- Applicants must file Canadian income taxes for three years out of five – matching the new physical presence requirements
- Applicants may count each day they were physically present in Canada as a temporary resident, before becoming a permanent resident, as a half-day toward meeting the physical presence requirements for citizenship up to a maximum of one year
- Applicants between 18 and 54 years must meet the language and knowledge requirements for citizenship
Changes expected in early 2018
- The Federal Court to be the decision maker in all revocation cases
- Clear authority for Citizenship Officer so seize fraudulent or suspected fraudulent documents provided under the Citizenship Act
As the changes are rolled out we will provide further information on applying for Canadian Citizenship under the new Act.
If you would like assistance with your Canadian Citizenship application, please contact us.
