Canadian government debating stringent new rules for citizenship

The Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, now in consideration, states that applicants for citizenship must spend at least 1.460 days in the country for six years before submitting their applications.

It continues that, during at least four of those years, applicants must have spent 183 days physically present in Canada. Stays in the country under a temporary residency visa will not count towards the upgraded citizenship requirements.

The bill is already controversial, with the Canadian Bar Association warning that its passing into immigration law will likely discourage immigrants and also have an effect on Canadians working abroad. Furthermore, the bill will allow revocation of citizenship held by dual nationals if it’s found that they’ve been convicted of and served more than five years’ imprisonment for offences outside Canada’s borders which would be construed as terrorism within the country.

Whilst the bill in general may seem reasonable to many, the Bar Association believes it violates mobility rights and will affect those needing to spend extra time overseas for business or personal reasons. Revocation, they say, would change the nature of citizenship, with permanent exile a further punishment unfairly applied.

A spokesperson for the association quoted the case of Nelson Mandela as an example of the complexity of defining terrorism within a political context, adding that the concept is flawed enough to cause problems. Several Canadian media outlets are linking the changes outlined to the recently-cancelled investor visa which offered citizenship as a bonus without setting limits on time spent outside the country before applying.