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Bill C-6: Senate stage

rasmy

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wamapr said:
This is in French, can't understand :-\, is there an English version...?
An increase in the administrative fees required to apply for citizenship in Canada would have resulted in a significant decrease in the number of immigrants applying for immigration, according to immigration lawyers.

In the first nine months of 2016, the government received 56,446 applications for citizenship, a decrease of nearly 50% from 111,993 applications made in the same period of the previous year.

Processing fees have jumped from $ 100 to $ 530 in 2014-15, an amount that even rises to $ 630 once the additional "citizenship fee" fee of $ 100 is added.

The data are based on a report prepared by the former Director General of Immigration and Citizenship, Andrew Griffith, for the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. The Senate committee is starting hearings this week on Bill C-6, which will amend the Citizenship Act.

Mr. Griffith sees this as a "alarming" trend that could be directly linked to the increased fees charged for the citizenship application. "If you're a pretty good professional, you may not like it, but you'll pay for it," Griffith told CBC News. "But if you're an immigrant or a refugee in difficulty [amounting to] $ 630 can become prohibitive, a fortiori if you're talking about a family of four or more. "

In addition to the costs associated with citizenship fees, immigrants must pay the cost of language tests, Griffith said, proposing to reduce the cost of processing citizenship applications to $ 300, to abolish the $ 100 Right of citizenship "and to consider exemption from fees for refugees and low-income immigrants.

Griffith warns Ottawa that rising citizenship costs may be a barrier to the integration of newcomers and lead to their marginalization.

"We have always welcomed a model where we not only encourage immigration, but we encourage immigrants to become citizens so that they can participate fully in society. They can participate in political discussions, vote and do anything that is related to citizenship, "he said.

Bill C-6 cancels reforms introduced by the previous Conservative government and takes steps to streamline and strengthen the integrity of the citizenship process. Among other things, the bill provides for a reduction in the amount of time that permanent residents have to live, work or study in Canada in order to become eligible for citizenship.

The government, however, appears reluctant to reverse the rise in fees charged by the Conservatives, which remain significantly lower than those of other comparable countries such as the United States, Australia or New Zealand, 'Immigration, Ahmed Hussen.
 

screech339

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omss said:
http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1016508/chute-des-demandes-de-citoyennete-au-canada
While the rise in citizenship fee may be a factor, it is only a small one. The main reason for the drop is the new 4/6 rule. When the new rule kicked in, it pretty much delayed a lot of applicants being able to apply. Once the 4 years has passed since the new rule kicked in, the number of citizenship applications will go back it pre-4/6 rules.
 

wamapr

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screech339 said:
While the rise in citizenship may be a factor, it is only a small one. The main reason for the drop is the new 4/6 rule. When then the new rule kicked in, it pretty much delayed a lot of applicants being able to apply. Once the 4 years has passed since the new rule kicked in, the number of citizenship applications will go back it pre-4/6 rules.
Yes, me too was thinking on the same lines about what could be the main reason for the decrease in Citizenship applications last year other than the heightened fees, however I though Mr. Griffith would have considered and ruled out this factor before his comments....
 

wamapr

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wamapr said:
Yes, me too was thinking on the same lines about what could be the main reason for the decrease in Citizenship applications last year other than the heightened fees, however I though Mr. Griffith would have considered and ruled out this factor before his comments....
Nevertheless the 'waiting' 50% applications of 2016 may come back as soon as C-6 is a law cluttering the band width of the processing time and this could prove to be a double whammy for those like me who are almost getting there now even with a 4/6 rule ???
 

MarceauBletard

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wamapr said:
This is in French, can't understand :-\, is there an English version...?
There you go:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-citizenship-applications-decrease-1.3976140
 

itsmyid

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screech339 said:
While the rise in citizenship fee may be a factor, it is only a small one. The main reason for the drop is the new 4/6 rule. When the new rule kicked in, it pretty much delayed a lot of applicants being able to apply. Once the 4 years has passed since the new rule kicked in, the number of citizenship applications will go back it pre-4/6 rules.
It is sad how low journalism has gone today : those reporters just grab the easiest observation and get to a conclusion without further digging, and the conclusion often turns out to be false or far from accurate to say the least . No wonder Trump has been dismissing 'fake news' - it is this type of journalism that gives him ammunition
 

Rigly68

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itsmyid said:
It is sad how low journalism has gone today : those reporters just grab the easiest observation and get to a conclusion without further digging, and the conclusion often turns out to be false or far from accurate to say the least .
Sadly the new norm of journalism it seems :(
 

itsmyid

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Rigly68 said:
Sadly the new norm of journalism it seems :(
A similar article was published by Toronto Star a while ago, with almost the same title and content , written by its "immigration reporter" Nicolas something , and I wrote him an email to point out what he was obviously missing in his article , never heard back
 

Hasan9999

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AmirATM said:
You are correct . 730 days every 5 years period but you should not count the years that you spent less than 183 days - lets say first year after becoming a PR you spent 2 months and then you left for another year - you can not count 60 days of the first year .
Does it mean prior to your citizenship application, during any rolling 5 years, you have to be physically present in Canada minimum 183 days every year but cumulative physical stay must not be less than 3 years when Bill C-6 will come into force as new law?

Hasan
 

AmirATM

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Oct 4, 2016
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If C6 comes in force, the 4 years will be replaced with 3 years and 6 years with 5 i suppose
The Citizenship Act also requires a person to be physically present in Canada for at least 183 days during any four (4) calendar years that are fully or partially within the six (6) years immediately before the date of the application.