IRCC Deputy Minister Transition Binder 2024 – Citizenship Program

Context

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is responsible for Canadian citizenship, which is governed by the Citizenship Act, and defines who is Canadian by operation of law (citizenship by birth or descent) and who may become Canadian (naturalization from permanent residence to grant of citizenship).
• The Citizenship Program promotes awareness of the rights, privileges and responsibilities of citizenship, including how newcomers and all Canadians can participate actively in their communities.
• Canada has one of the highest naturalization rates in the world; about 83% of newcomers become citizens. However, evidence indicates that the rate has been falling among recent immigrants.

Impacts

• Prior to the onset of the pandemic, the Citizenship Program accepted only paper grant applications while citizenship tests and ceremonies were in-person group events held in offices or other venues throughout the country. In 2019, the Department began to have difficulty meeting service standards as a result of high demand coupled with paper-based processing and in-person ceremonies, which was exacerbated by COVID-19.
• Beginning in 2020, the Department introduced virtual oath ceremonies and other modernization initiatives, including online applications and online citizenship testing, aimed at reducing increasing citizenship application inventories and wait times to improve client service. These initiatives are showing results, and more work is underway to continue modernizing the Citizenship Program.

Current Program

Citizenship Grants – Naturalization

• Permanent residents who have applied for and met the requirements of the Citizenship Act are granted citizenship. For example, requirements for an adult grant include:
  • being a permanent resident
  • being physically present in Canada for a specified number of days
  • having knowledge of Canada and one of its official languages
  • filing taxes
  • not being prohibited
  • taking the Oath of Citizenship

Citizenship Proofs/Certificates

• Certificates (paper or digital) are provided to Canadian citizens who apply for evidence of their citizenship.
  • Birth on soil: Any child born in Canada is Canadian, except for children born to an accredited foreign diplomat.
  • Descent: Any child born outside Canada is Canadian if one of the Canadian parents (biological or legal) was either born in Canada or naturalized before the birth of the child.
    • Automatic passing of citizenship is limited to the first generation born abroad which means that children born abroad to Canadian citizens beyond the first generation do not acquire Canadian citizenship at birth (with some exceptions).

Loss of Citizenship

• Renunciation: Individuals may apply and be approved to renounce (give up) their citizenship if they are at least 18 years of age, do not live in Canada, have or will acquire another citizenship, and understand the significance of renouncing their citizenship.
• Revocation: Citizenship may be revoked if it was acquired through fraud, false representation or by knowingly concealing material circumstances.
• Recall: The registrar must recall and cancel a certificate of citizenship, certificate of naturalization or certificate of renunciation issued under the current act, former legislation or any related regulations, if the Minister decides the holder does not have a right to the certificate.

Citizenship Awareness and Accessibility

• The Citizenship Program also promotes awareness of the rights (for example, to vote and hold a passport), responsibilities, and privileges of citizenship to educate newcomers and Canadians about Canadian citizenship. Citizenship judges appointed by the Governor-in-Council preside at citizenship ceremonies, decide on some grant applications and promote citizenship awareness.
• Educational resources available include a citizenship study guide that supports the knowledge test, which is administered to all applicants between the ages of 18 and 54. It contains information about the history of Canada, how our government works, symbols of Canada and the Canadian regions.
• The citizenship program is continuously exploring ways to improve accessibility to citizenship. For example, an upfront compassionate waiver application for exemptions from certain requirements of the Citizenship Act was implemented to address barriers related to test and language requirement, and the Oath of Citizenship.

Recent Developments and Next Steps

• Citizenship modernization: The 2023 Budget Implementation Act received royal assent on June 22, 2023, introducing legislative amendments to the Citizenship Act to enable the use of automation and collection of biometrics, which will vastly improve client service and processing efficiency, while enhancing program integrity. Regulatory amendments are required to implement these legislative changes.
• Processing times: Grant processing time for new and existing clients is projected to return to 12 months by March 2024. For proofs, processing time for existing and new clients is currently below 12 months. There are 250,781 applications in the inventory, of which 81% are within service standard (12 months old and under). In comparison, the inventory as of December 2022 had 335,710 applications, of which 72% were within service standard. Overall grant processing times are at 15 months.
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• Citizenship judges: There are currently eight full-time and one part-time citizenship judges across the country whose terms all expire at the end of June 2024. Redacted
• Citizenship study guide: Redacted
• Private members’ bills’ status
  • Redacted.
  • S-235 on “Minors in Care” is at the Senate Committee stage [redacted].
  • S-262 on the “Oath of Citizenship” is awaiting its second reading in the Senate.
• First Generation Limit: On December 19, 2023, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice declared that the First Generation Limit to citizenship by descent is unconstitutional and will no longer be in effect as of June 20, 2024.
• Citizenship ceremonies: The Department is looking at ways to improve the delivery of citizenship ceremonies, and communication with clients. The Department also continues to explore the use of an online tool that would enable the self-administration of the Oath of Citizenship redacted.

Upcoming Milestones

Within three months:

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