From: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n On June 19, 2017, in Ottawa, ON, Bill C-6, which amends the Citizenship Act and other related acts, received Royal Assent. These updates aim to simplify the citizenship process, improve program integrity, and eliminate discriminatory provisions against dual citizens. Some changes are effective immediately, while others will roll out later to ensure smooth transitions.<\/p>\n With immediate effect, there’s no longer a requirement for applicants to intend to reside in Canada post-citizenship. This provides flexibility for Canadians who may need to live abroad temporarily. Additionally, the power to revoke citizenship from dual citizens convicted of national interest crimes is repealed. Instead, these individuals will face the Canadian legal system like other citizens.<\/p>\n Later this fall, changes will grant more leeway to younger and older immigrants applying for citizenship. These include reducing the required physical presence in Canada to three out of five years, instead of the previous four out of six years. The eligible age for language and knowledge tests will also shift from 14-64 years to 18-54 years. Additionally, some time spent in Canada as temporary residents or protected persons will count towards citizenship requirements.<\/p>\n Next year, the citizenship revocation process will be reinforced by allowing the Federal Court to handle most decisions, ensuring greater procedural fairness. For detailed information on the changes and their implementation dates, refer to the Bill C-6 Backgrounder<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cCanada\u2019s identity has always been shaped by the significant economic, cultural and social contributions of immigrants. Changes to the Citizenship Act<\/em> will enhance program integrity, while giving more flexibility to eligible applicants to meet the requirements for citizenship so that they can continue building successful lives in Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n For media only:<\/strong><\/p>\n Minister\u2019s Office Media Relations<\/strong> Applicants no longer need to express an intention to reside in Canada post-citizenship, and dual citizenship revocation for specific crimes is abolished.<\/p>\n Some changes will be implemented in the fall, while others are scheduled for next year.<\/p>\n The changes will make it easier for applicants by reducing physical presence requirements and modifying the age range for language and knowledge tests.<\/p>\n For a complete list of changes, visit the Bill C-6 Backgrounder<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" June 19, 2017 \u2013 Ottawa, ON \u2013 Today, Bill C-6, an Act to amend the Citizenship Act and make consequential amendments to another Act, received Royal Assent. Changes to the Citizenship Act reflect the Government\u2019s commitments to streamline the citizenship process, enhance program integrity, and repeal certain provisions of the Act that treated dual citizens differently than other Canadians. Some changes to the Citizenship Act take effect immediately upon Royal Assent, while others take effect at later dates to ensure the necessary regulatory changes and departmental preparations are in place for a smooth transition for applicants. … <\/i>Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5970,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-immigration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5972\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Official News Release<\/h2>\n
Upcoming Changes to the Citizenship Act<\/h2>\n
Enhancements for Applicants<\/h3>\n
Strengthening Revocation Process<\/h3>\n
Official Statement<\/h2>\n
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Related Products<\/h2>\n
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Contact Information<\/h2>\n
\nImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
\n613-954-1064<\/p>\n
\nCommunications Branch
\nImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
\n613-952-1650
\nCIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca<\/a><\/p>\nFAQs on Citizenship Act Changes<\/h2>\n
What immediate changes does the Citizenship Act include?<\/h3>\n
When will the additional changes come into effect?<\/h3>\n
How will these changes affect the citizenship application process?<\/h3>\n
Where can I find more details about these changes?<\/h3>\n