Ottawa, February 28, 2010 — I am pleased by the decision of the Federal Court to dismiss Nasoh Raslan’s appeal of a decision by Citizenship Judge Renata Brum Bozzi.
Taking action on citizenship fraud is a priority for me, and I have asked the Department to look at what more can be done to address this issue. Citizenship Judges as well as Citizenship and Immigration Canada staff work diligently to protect the integrity of Canadian citizenship, particularly from those who would obtain it through fraud.
The Federal Court recently found that Mr. Raslan “knowingly and wilfully embarked on a course of conduct to deceive the Citizenship Court concerning his true residence in Canada and this for the purpose of jumping the queue. He falsified his citizenship application to obtain an advantage which was not his in order thus to obtain a fundamental right – Canadian citizenship.”
Mr. Raslan heeded the advice of an immigration consultant and falsified his address in order to receive faster processing of his application. As the Federal Court stated in its decision, “the bottom line is this: one never obtains Canadian citizenship by trickery.” The Federal Court dismissed Mr. Raslan’s appeal.
The dismissal of Mr. Raslan’s appeal is an unmitigated victory for the rule of law, and a vindication of the hard work that Citizenship Judges and Citizenship and Immigration staff do every day to uphold our laws.
Consequences for citizenship fraud may include criminal prosecution, revocation of citizenship and removal from Canada.
For further information (media only), please contact:
Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
