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Canadian CitizenshipFrom “Harder to get and easier to lose” to a new balance
Andrew Griffith Conference Board of Canada Immigration Summit
Ottawa April 2016
Agenda• Policy context and history
• Statistics
• 2010 Changes and impact
• 2014 Changes and expected impact
• 2016 Partial reversal and expected impact
• Longer-term implications2
Policy Context Global vs Local
• Citizenship: Facilitation vs. Meaningfulness
• Multiculturalism: Accommodation vs. Integration
• Conservatives stress meaningfulness (value), integration
• Liberals stress facilitation and accommodation (diversity and inclusion)
3
History• Pre-1947: British subjects
• 1947: Canadian Citizenship Act • Legal recognition • Preference British subjects • Dual nationality not recognized
• 1977: Equity • British preference removed • Dual nationality recognized • Gender and wedlock discrimination removed • Second generation limit
• 2007 & 2009: Adoption facilitation (removal PR requirement) and addressing ‘Lost Canadians’ historic discrimination
• 2014: Major revamp making citizenship “harder to get and easier to lose” • 2016: Partial reversal
4
Citizenship Take-up Foreign-born by Place of Birth, NHS 2011
5
Europe
Eastern & SE Asia
Southern Asia
Latin America
West Asia & ME
Caribbean
United States
Africa
Oceania
25% 50% 75% 100%
31%
40%
40%
22%
30%
25%
31%
31%
18%
56%
46%
42%
70%
54%
64%
63%
64%
67%
Canadian Only Dual Nationals Non-Citizens
Number
2,226,100
1,826,205
927,775
676,855
484,985
368,465
316,465
314,890
63,630
PRs, Applications, Citizens 2004 to 2015 IRCC Operational Data
6
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Permanent Residents Applications New Citizens
Citizenship Take-Up 6 Years Since Landing vs All Years Since Landing 2015
20%
40%
60%
80%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
47%
55%
61%64%
69%72%74%77%
79%80%
47%44%50%
56%
6 Years Since Landing (2014 data) All Years Since Landing7
Impact 2010 Changes Percentage Decline by Country of Birth 2010-13 and 2014-15 Compared to 2005-9
CaribbeanSouth Asian
Southern & East AfricanWest Asian & Mid-EastCentral & West African
Latin AmericanNorth African
East & SE Asian South European
East EuropeanOceania
FrenchWest European
BritishNorth AmericanNorth European
-20% -15% -9% -4% 2%Change 2010-13 from 2005-9 Change 2014-15 from 2005-9
8
Overall Pass Rates
2005-9 96.3%
2010-13 82.7%
2014-15 90.0%
Changes 2010
• Emphasis on history, military, responsibilities
• More rigorous knowledge test
• Language “pre-assessment”
• Anti-fraud
9
2014 Citizenship Act Residency and Testing
• Longer residency (4 out of 6), physical presence
• From “honour system” to residency questionnaire
• “Intent to reside”
• Knowledge and language required 14-65
• Tax returns
10
2014 Citizenship Act Business Processes
• Removal of citizenship judges
• Ability to cancel incomplete applications
• Electronic means to verify citizenship.
• “Soft” commitment one year processing
11
2014 Citizenship Act Fairness
• “Lost Canadians” fix
• Fees from $100 to $530, plus language testing (~ $200)
• Revocation
• Fraud: Ministerial discretion
• “Terror and Treason” and dual nationals
12
Implications Conservative Changes
• Burden on low-income, less educated and refugees
• Further reduction in naturalization rate
• Weaker due process
• Revocation measures meant differential treatment for single and dual nationals for the same crime
13
Liberal Changes 2016 Adjustments, not full repeal
• Principle: “A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian” • Repeal revocation for dual nationals for terror or treason
• Remove barriers • Restore the previous age limits for knowledge and language
testing to 18-54 (~ 10 percent of applicants) • Repeal the “intent to reside”
• Restore pre-permanent residency time 50 percent credit
• Maintain physical presence but reduce time required to 3 out of 5 years
• New citizenship study guide (replace Discover Canada)
14
Liberal Changes 2016 (2) No changes to integrity measures
Maintain Conservative integrity improvements • Physical presence, not just legal residency • Knowledge requirement met in English or French, not through an interpreter • Bar granting citizenship to those with foreign criminal charges and convictions • Regulations for citizenship consultants • Increased fines and penalties for fraud • Requirement for adult applicants to file Canadian income taxes
New integrity measures • No longer counting time spent under a conditional sentence order towards
meeting physical presence • Retroactive application of prohibition of applicants from taking oath if never
met/no longer meet requirements • Authority to seize fraudulent documents of those used fraudulently
15
Liberal Changes 2016 (3) No changes to efficiency measures
Efficiency • Ministerial authority to revoke citizenship for routine cases (previously,
Governor in Council) • Ministerial authority on discretionary grants of citizenship (previously,
Governor in Council) • Departmental authority to decide what is a complete application
(streamlines processing) • Single-step processing (previously three-step), ceremonial role for
citizenship judges
Other • No change to “lost Canadians” provisions • Fast-track mechanism for Permanent Residents serving in the Canadian
Forces
16
Implications Liberal Changes• Revocation repeal ensures consistent treatment for all
• Removal of testing for 55-64 greater impact than 14-17
• Reduced residency requirement small impact
• More welcoming approach (inclusive language in citizenship study guide and related materials)
• No weakening of integrity
17
Gaps
• Due process in revocation for fraud • Provide right for oral hearing as with permanent residency revocation
• Review of citizenship fees • Refugee waiver?
• Lack of lower cost language assessment
• Absence of service standards
18
Competitiveness
19
Country Residency Fee CAD Rate MIPEX
UK 5 years $1,740 42% 60
Netherlands 5 years $1,250 70% 66
USA 5 years $905 49% 61
Canada 3 of 5 years $630 75% 67
New Zealand 5 years $420 78% 71
Germany 8 years $380 33% 72
Australia 3 of 4 years $300 70% 69
France 5 years $82 56% 61
MIPEX Indicator is ‘Access to Nationality’
Overall• Conservative integrity improvements with Liberal
facilitation measures
• Restoring the Diefenbaker policy of not stripping Canadians of citizenship
• Common language on ‘real and meaningful’ commitment to Canada
• Should reverse declining naturalization rate
20
Broader Issues
• Dual nationality, diaspora politics and loyalty
• Global mobility vs. belonging — competitiveness
• Declining naturalization rate and increased proportion of non-citizens
• Other: Voting rights, Birth tourism
21
Andrew Griffith Email: [email protected]: @andrew_griffithLinkedIn: andrewlgriffithFacebook: Andrew Griffith C&MBlog: www.multiculturalmeanderings.wordpress.com
Books: lulu.com