Bill C-6: An Act to amend the Citizenship Act got first reading today in the House of Commons and it is viewed by many as excellent.
Here is the main summary. This enactment amends the Citizenship Act to, among other things:
(a) remove the grounds for the revocation of Canadian citizenship that relate to national security;
(b) remove the requirement that an applicant intend, if granted citizenship, to continue to reside in Canada;
(c) reduce the number of days during which a person must have been physically present in Canada before applying for citizenship and provide that, in the calculation of the length of physical presence, the number of days during which the person was physically present in Canada before becoming a permanent resident may be taken into account;
(d) limit the requirement to demonstrate knowledge of Canada and of one of its official languages to applicants between the ages of 18 and 54; and
(e) authorize the Minister to seize any document that he or she has reasonable grounds to believe was fraudulently or improperly obtained or used or could be fraudulently or improperly used.
Full details here.
Hi Jennifer,
Any amendment to the Permanent Residence act in which a Canadian permanent residence PR period is expired outside of Canada and have to obtain a travel document to come back to Canada, and he/she is above 70 years old, and their country of temporary residence has no Canadian embassy, and their surrounding countries are ten time more dangerous?
Never seen a country that their immigration Laws changes every time they have a new Prime Minister.
Regards
This amendment is only related to Canadian citizenship. Permanent resident card is under Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, and currently, there is no proposed amendment for permanent resident card area. Thank you for your interest.
When will the changes take effect any idea ? i know government will introduce the bill in parliament and it is expected that it will pass.. but they do so many readings then goes to senate then royal assent and finally a governor in council decides a date as to when the sections willl be applicable… How long will it take approx. Max ??? Minimum?
When the conservative government introduced C-24, the last amendment to Citizenship Act, it was on Feb. 6, 2014. After three readings in the House of Commons, and three readings in the Senate, it received the Royal Assent on June 19, 2014. Then, C-24 came into effect over a year so so. By June 11, 2015, it became the law.
If we put the above statistics into the current situation, we could estimate by the end of June, 2016. However, we recommend that you wait and see, or even to participate into public consultation to comment this new proposed bill – after all, that’s how our laws are made. Thanks for your inquiry and hope this helps. Take care and have a good day
Hi Jennifer,
I guess there is a mistake here in proposed dates. You said the C-24 was first read in Feb 2014 and it came into effect in June 2015. Like wise this new Bill C-6 was first read in Feb 2016 then it should probably in effect in June 2017. You mentioned June 2016 as probable effect date. Can you please confirm that my understanding is correct.
C-6 was initially announced in Feb, 2014 and became a law in June, 2014. Then, some parts of such law came to enforce right away, and some parts came in force in June, 2015.
So if we use it as a matter of example, our current government may be able to do the same – the new law may get passed within a short time like 4 months, but when it would be enforced in reality may be different.
Take care and thanks for your question.
I moved to Canada for graduate studies on September 6th 2007. I was granted PR in November 2012. When I received my PR I was given two years to apply for citizenship but it happened that I traveled twice out of Canada for holidays in 2013 and 2015. The day I was going to submit my papers on June 12th, I was shocked to find out that there was a new bill C-24 came into effect the day before my submission. With the new law, I am forced to wait until 2017 or 2018 to apply for citizenship.
Now that there is a new law being crafted, what would your advice be in my case?
It is best if we have an initial consult you send us email – info@jrlawoffice.com or call our office -519-744-3470 to set up an initial consultation to discuss further.
Hi Jennifer,
Very interesting read. I had a question on the issue of time spent in Canada before becoming PR. How many days will a person be able to count, is there a limit on it?
In my case I’ve been in Canada since 2009 and received my pr on May 18th, 2016
If the new law gets approved, you can get up to 1 year within the past five years from the date of application, on a 50% discount. In other words, in order to get the full year, you have to reside in Canada for two years within the last five years from the date of application. Of course it has to be a legal residence in Canada. Hope that helps.
Hi
I have a question regarding your article about Temporary Resident Visa, Is visitor Visa days are countable for residency requirement or not? i have spent 11 months in Canada as visitor before i get my work visa and PR.
Here is your Article as follows….
C-6 will also:
Allow permanent residents who had spent time in Canada on temporary status, such as on a work or study permit, to count up to 365 days of this temporary status towards the residency requirement.
Thank you for your clarification
Hi
I have a question regarding your article about Temporary Resident Visa, Is visitor Visa days are countable for residency requirement or not? i have spent 11 months in Canada as visitor before i get my work visa and PR.
Here is your Article as follows….
C-6 will also:
Allow permanent residents who had spent time in Canada on temporary status, such as on a work or study permit, to count up to 365 days of this temporary status towards the residency requirement.
Thank you for your clarification
Hi Daniel,
I don’t believe visitor time will count. To clarify, we will need to seek confirmation in the Fall once we have access to the full text of Regulation, but based on what we know right now, I would assume no.