Forced citizenship - ways to cancel/renounce

[100questions]

Hi all.

When I was under 18, my parents forced me to sign a paper saying I agree to apply for a canadian citizenship. Now I am 18. I have read the CIC website for the renounciation of citizenship and it says I must not be a resident of Canada to do that. What I realy want to do is downgrade my citizenship to PR status. The reason for that being is I started having problems with my home country which does not allow dual citizenship. Unlike my crazy parents, I have property there and I won't be able to afford to pay the foreign citizen tax. Anyways, that's another story. So, where can I go to say that I was forced canadian citizenship upon and ideally have it cancelled, while given PR status instead? What will be the consequences for my parents? I don't want them to have severe problems with the law, I just want to deal with the issue.

 

[scylla]

You can't downgrade to PR status. You either keep your Canadian citizenship or give up Canadian citizenship and have no status in Canada.

If you cancel your citizenship, there will be no consequences for your parents.

 

[100questions]

Thank you for your time. However, for me to cancel, do I have to go through the rebunciation process? Or can I just get it revoked under the condition that I never agreed to it in the first place?

 

[scylla]

You should follow the regular process to renounce citizenship. That process is outlined here:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/renounce.asp

If you try any other route, it will most likely take much longer and won't necessarily work. Keep thing simple for yourself.

You can request urgent processing if you want to get it done quickly.

 

[farrous13]

Thank you for your time. However, for me to cancel, do I have to go through the rebunciation process? Or can I just get it revoked under the condition that I never agreed to it in the first place?

Hi 100questions, what's your home country if you don't mind me asking.
How did your country find out that you have another citizenship?

 

[100questions]

What happened is I tried to renew my passport, they asked for proof of permanent residence in Canada, which I do not have anymore (I am not a PR, I am a citizen). The country is Ukraine. I am stuck right now. I can not even enter Ukraine right now because that passport is expired and if I enter using Canadian and they found out I am a Ukrainian citizen I am gonna run into a lot of trouble. They will find out for sure b/c in the Canadian passport it says birthplace - Ukraine. I am scared because I can not even see my relatives right now.
So the regular process does not work b/c I have to live outside of Canada for that. That's why I cant regularly cancel, I need it revoked. I read that I can report fraud, we did not do fraud, but maybe the forced signature can be considered fraud? Honestly, it was really absurd to apply for citizenship in the first place b/c PR gives same rights, but I already made the mistake :-(

 

[farrous13]

What happened is I tried to renew my passport, they asked for proof of permanent residence in Canada, which I do not have anymore (I am not a PR, I am a citizen). The country is Ukraine. I am stuck right now. I can not even enter Ukraine right now because that passport is expired and if I enter using Canadian and they found out I am a Ukrainian citizen I am gonna run into a lot of trouble. They will find out for sure b/c in the Canadian passport it says birthplace - Ukraine. I am scared because I can not even see my relatives right now.
So the regular process does not work b/c I have to live outside of Canada for that. That's why I cant regularly cancel, I need it revoked. I read that I can report fraud, we did not do fraud, but maybe the forced signature can be considered fraud? Honestly, it was really absurd to apply for citizenship in the first place b/c PR gives same rights, but I already made the mistake :-(

I got this off Wikipedia. Which is not a reliable source, but gives you a head start:

Loss of citizenship

The citizenship may be lost in the following cases:[3]
renunciation of Ukrainian citizenship is permitted by law.
voluntarily acquires a foreign citizenship.
enrolling for military service, security service, law enforcement activities, judicial bodies, or other bodies of state power of a foreign state

The decision on involuntary termination of Ukrainian citizenship must be taken by the President of Ukraine.[4]


You might want to work on the 2nd point in Italic. You might be able to keep both I believe if you prove that you involuntarily acquired the Canadian citizenship.

 

[RussCan]

I have lots of Ukrainian friends who travel to Ukraine on Canadian passport and who was born in Ukraine, and it's never an issue. Nobody challenges them at the airport. You don't even need to renew your (заграничный) passport because you can travel on the Canadian one. You can you use your internal id (внутренний) to sell or manage your property you say have back there. Common man don't be irrational and don't do things you will regret big time.

 

[eileenf]

Honestly, it was really absurd to apply for citizenship in the first place b/c PR gives same rights, but I already made the mistake :-(

Good luck with working this out 100questions. I recommend you speak to a lawyer if possible and consider all the ramifications as deeply as possible. If you're attending a university that has a law school, they may have a legal clinic where you could get advice as well.

I want to correct the statement that PRs have the same rights. While PRs have many of the rights that citizens enjoy, we do not have all of them. Citizens have about 22 rights and preferences that are exclusive to citizens. I compiled them here: http://residencequestionnaire.wordpress.com/about-2/citizenship-rights/ The most important being the right to vote, but the absolute right to remain or return to Canada is of increasing importance. With the passage of bill C-43 The Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act, PRs can be deported for relatively minor infractions. Plausible triggers for removal include a PR under 21 using a fake ID to get into a bar in the US or someone pleads no contest to certain drug offences, etc. C43 does not include a right to appeal.

Of course we're not in favour of breaking the law and no one here (I hope) is plotting their life of crime! But it's important to acknowledge that, with PR status becoming more precarious and citizenship becoming increasingly out of reach for many, there are real advantages to keeping Canadian citizenship.

Here are a few others off the top of my head: Eligibilty to travel to the US for 6 months at a time without a visa. Eligibilty for NAFTA visas. No need to maintain PR residence obligation. etc.

 

[vermanaman]

What happened is I tried to renew my passport, they asked for proof of permanent residence in Canada, which I do not have anymore (I am not a PR, I am a citizen). The country is Ukraine. I am stuck right now. I can not even enter Ukraine right now because that passport is expired and if I enter using Canadian and they found out I am a Ukrainian citizen I am gonna run into a lot of trouble. They will find out for sure b/c in the Canadian passport it says birthplace - Ukraine. I am scared because I can not even see my relatives right now.
So the regular process does not work b/c I have to live outside of Canada for that. That's why I cant regularly cancel, I need it revoked. I read that I can report fraud, we did not do fraud, but maybe the forced signature can be considered fraud? Honestly, it was really absurd to apply for citizenship in the first place b/c PR gives same rights, but I already made the mistake :-(

Hello ...Here are my 2 cents - -

First of all i agree with eileenf and others regarding the process and consequences of losing Canadian citizenship.
Few things you should tell us or think about before doing so -

1. What is the goal of doing this? - Is it foreign income tax or you entering Ukraine? - You can enter Ukraine with your Canadian passport. If it is foreign income, you should talk to a tax specialist/accountant familiar with Ukraine tax system - he/she can provide logical ways or suggestions for someone in your situation. As I understand you dont want to pay taxes in two countries, at the same time, isn't it just property tax? Or is Ukraine asking you to pay taxes on your Canadian income ? (this does not make sense)

2. Getting your Citizenship revoked (not cancelled) I would say is a bad idea. You dont want to have that mark on your profile for lifetime. Canada revokes citizenship if there is fraud or misrepresentation - both of which might have serious consequences. Your parents making you sign up for citizenship is NOT FRAUD or FORCED since you were under 18. If you even claim this some how, this could put your parents in trouble for fraud - they might lose their status as well. (dont do this )

3. Where do you want to stay? Ukraine or Canada? If Canada, you cant cancel your citizenship - you will not get a PR status and you will be asked to leave the country. You said Ukraine does not allow dual citizenship and according to what farrous posted, you DO NOT have Ukrainian citizenship - just so you know you "DID NOT Involuntarily" acquire canadian citizenship. You signed with your parents consent - hence voluntarily. (Involuntarily would be if you were born in Canada - hence had no control over it).
Therefore you are not a Ukraine Citizen. You must inform the govt about this.

4. Now if you lose Canadian citizenship, do you have a way of getting Ukraine citizenship back? Have you already applied for it? If you cancel canadian right now - you will not have a status in any country.

Please consider everything before taking drastic measures. You can travel to Ukraine right now, I am sure nothing will happen because you are no longer a citizen. Place of birth does not matter if you are not a citizen anymore.
You said you tried renewing Ukraine Passport? : haha...You have lost your citizenship, how can you renew your passport? Ofcourse if you try, they ll know you are Canadian. Besides the rules for most countries that dont allow dual citizenship more or less says that as soon as you get another citizenship you must submit the passport for cancellation ..I am sure your parents did this already.

PS- I am from a country that does not allow Dual citizenship either.

 

[scylla]

I read that I can report fraud, we did not do fraud, but maybe the forced signature can be considered fraud? Honestly, it was really absurd to apply for citizenship in the first place b/c PR gives same rights, but I already made the mistake :-(

Yes - you can report fraud. But you also need to be able to prove it. I think this will be the more difficult path for you to take.

PR and citizenship don't give you the same rights. Only citizens can vote, only citizens can hold Canadian passports and only citizens can live outside of Canada for long periods of time without losing their status in Canada.

 

[eileenf]

To add to Scylla and Vermanaman's comments, it's really important to find out and weigh all the implications that you can. Will you be able to enter Canada again? Would a revocation or renunciation or suggestion of fraud make you ineligible, even to visit? Would it bar or significantly delay you from PR in the future? Would it present difficulties for travels in other countries (especially USA)?

If you are 18 now, you have a lot of time ahead of you for the implications to change and your plans and life to evolve. Above all, try to be informed and leave as many possibilities for yourself, your family and any future family you might have.

 

[100questions]

farrous, they are not taking away my citizenship, they just would not renew my passport. And technically I placed my signature there, so technically its voluntarily. What happened is my grandfather was on his deathbed, and my parents said unless I sign the citizenship application they would not let me fly there to see him.
Russcan, the process you are suggesting is illegal. Гр-н Украины обязан въезжать в Украину по украинским документам. Внутреннего паспорта у меня нет, так как когда я выезжал из Украины мне не было 16 лет. У меня родители переругались с родственниками, в результате на меня завещано до фига имущества, Вы сами понимаете, в течении 6 месяцев там надо вступать в права наследства иначе гос-ву квартиру отходит.
Eileenf, I know that, I made my child dream come true thanks to the citizenship - I visited UK. But now things are more serious. First the property, second my uncle in Moscow has good position, he said after i get my degree, I come and I will be set for a stable job with decent income. With Ukrainian passport its no problem, with Canadian its a lot more difficult to get status there. And for me PR is great, the only downside is visa for europe, but again, its a small thing in the bigger scale.

 

[sondo]

Hi all.

When I was under 18, my parents forced me to sign a paper saying I agree to apply for a canadian citizenship. Now I am 18. I have read the CIC website for the renounciation of citizenship and it says I must not be a resident of Canada to do that. What I realy want to do is downgrade my citizenship to PR status. The reason for that being is I started having problems with my home country which does not allow dual citizenship. Unlike my crazy parents, I have property there and I won't be able to afford to pay the foreign citizen tax. Anyways, that's another story. So, where can I go to say that I was forced canadian citizenship upon and ideally have it cancelled, while given PR status instead? What will be the consequences for my parents? I don't want them to have severe problems with the law, I just want to deal with the issue.

You can both own a property and travel to Ukraine if you are Canadian. Get visa is usually faster than passport renew. Whether Ukrainian or foreigner, while you have a property there, you need a tax number been issued (an identification number issued by tax office). And you will need in any case, as if you left before 18, you most likely did not have such a number before. Tax on property (and even tax at the time of sale) is the same for Ukrainians and for foreigners.
It does seems that you are very young and have not travel much around the world to realize that Ukrainian passport gets you to almost nowhere w/o visa, while Canadian is a green pass to go.
So as to outline, I do not see a reason why you really need to get rid of Canadian citizenship.

 

[ukie132]

It is quite unlikely that you are NOT making mistake of your life.
Some facts:

1. Getting citizenship of another country doesn't automatically revoke your Ukrainian citizenship. Up to date there is no a single known case when Ukraine has revoked someones citizenship without his ask. Actually hundreds thousands people want this to happen to them as the process of loosing Ukrainian citizenship is extremely bureaucratic and long. Yes, there is extremely small chance that they can revoke your Ukrainian citizenship, but it have never happened before.
2. You are still Ukrainian citizen, actually if you commit any crime in Ukraine they won't consider you Canadian and Canadian embassy won't be able to assist. Not having Ukrainian passport doesn't mean you are not Ukrainian citizen.
3. If you renounce your Canadian citizenship, it is likely you'll never get it again or it will be extremely hard to get it. Believe me life in Ukraine sucks.
4. If your parents received exit permit from Ukraine (permission for permanent residence abroad) I guess you can only get your passport in Canadian embassy. Ask them what to do if you don't have PR card and you need passport. I have seen people showing passports of other countries to embassy employees (for instance, Israeli passport). So it is not that scary. If you get Canadian citizenship, I believe you have to notify them within 6 months, otherwise you potentially can be fined 100 or 200 bucks. It is not criminal offence.
5. When you go to Ukraine and apply for Ukrainian passport they will ask you to provide recruitment registration as serving in Ukrainian army is mandatory for men until they are 27. They might stop you from leaving the country unless your parents got exit permit for you. Do you want to serve in Ukrainian army? It is not your parents fault, this is what they tried to avoid for you.
6. Ukrainian law is extremely stupid, do you know that people who live in Ukraine can't open bank accounts or live abroad unless they get permit from government?
7. Please do not cause your parents any troubles, ten years later you will regret it, but you wan't be able to change it. They moved you from country where life expectancy for men 10 years ago was just 62. Where police can harass you just for smiling on the street to them (happened to me as a student). Where trusting people and being friendly is considered being mental. Where you have to give bribes to make business. Where rich people and politicians send their children to live abroad.

I know that your personal situation can be such that life in Ukraine will be happy (you own lot's of property and won't have to ever work).

You can send me personal message, if you have more questions. I know many teenagers get frustrated when they come to another country and loose their friends back home. It is painful, but don't let emotions blind you and force to make bad decisions....