Changing the Canadian citizenship process in the near future
A recent Immigration Office assessment shows improvements in Canadian citizenship processes.
The report, released in November, includes the findings and recommendations of the Canadian Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Authority (IRCC) on how to address citizenship issues.
Currently, permanent residents who have lived in Canada for at least three years (plus other eligibility requirements) can apply for citizenship. In general, applicants must pass a citizenship test or interview and prove their language skills (English or French).
The IRCC assessment covers the years 2013 to 2018, and is based on previous years. The report is part of the Treasury Council's oversight of federal budgets (including the IRCC).
According to the data, 50% of the approximately 2.8 million permanent residents who came to Canada between 2005 and 2015 were citizens as of December 31, 2018; Another 7% have applied for citizenship. (This statistic should not be confused with the Canadian citizenship rate or the permanent citizenship rate, which was around 86.2% in 2016.) Most permanent residents are motivated to become Canadian citizens and choose Canada as their permanent home.
Although most permanent residents have citizenship status, citizenship rates vary for different populations. Newer immigrants face a slower pace of citizenship, which indicates that people spend more time before applying for citizenship.
Here are some IRCC recommendations on how to improve your current citizenship process:
Adjustment of citizenship costs
Although the increase in application costs during the evaluation period did not have a significant effect on the overall admission rate, the IRCC found that this was a barrier for some immigrants. In the meantime, refugees and lower-income families have been affected.
Currently, there are no adjustments to the cost of applying for citizenship. (About $ 630 for adults, and $ 100 for children under 18)
According to the IRCC, these costs need to be adjusted to allow individuals to receive citizenship fairly.
In the 2019 federal election campaign, the Liberal Party promised to reduce citizenship costs. They have not yet fulfilled this promise.
More transparency on education and language exemptions
People facing socio-economic challenges in Canada also face barriers to citizenship in terms of education and language requirements.
According to the IRCC, these two conditions can be difficult to meet, especially for refugees and those with lower language education and skills. Required conditions can be ignored for humanitarian reasons, but the parameters for these are not well defined. As a result, most exemptions are issued for medical reasons.
Applicants must apply for an exemption, but the process is difficult and unknown. During the evaluation period, the number of applications for exemption was very small.
Improve the language level verification process
The IRCC found that the accepted evidence for language proficiency was too general and did not always reflect the applicant's actual language proficiency. Indeed, it is difficult for immigration officers to assess language proficiency (because the tools available are subjective); In addition, officers are not formal assessors.
Based on these findings, the IRCC has suggested ways to provide officers with appropriate strategies for verifying language proficiency, as well as better support for assessing language proficiency if necessary.
A new approach to the requirements of education
The education test and its study guide require a higher language level than the actual language test. Thus, the IRCC realized that there was a need for more tools and support for applicants.
Therefore, the IRCC will continue its program to implement a new approach to the requirements of education. This could include a revised study guide, or other tools to improve access to the information needed.
Promote active participation in Canadian communities
Immigrants who become citizens generally have positive results in terms of integration into society; Many have a sense of belonging to Canada and their community and have social connections and trust in Canadian institutions. Many perform well economically and participate in volunteer organizations.
These findings show that permanent residents who feel more connected to Canada are more likely to become Canadian.
There was a difference in job income between citizens and permanent residents, but this is related to the socio-economic characteristics of the individual and not due to residence status. Voluntary activities and membership in different groups also vary according to the socio-economic conditions of individuals, but citizens are more likely to participate than permanent residents. The likelihood of such activities for permanent residents who do not intend to apply for citizenship is very low.
This type of participation in society is one of the main goals of the citizenship program. However, the IRCC has limited mechanisms for enforcing it. Therefore, most IRCC citizenship promotion activities are currently focused on newcomers.