Immigration backlog: Anti-fraud measures add years to citizenship process
Extra scrutiny introduced by Ottawa to crack down on citizenship fraud means thousands of immigrants will have to wait as long as nine years to become full-fledged citizens.
Until recently, immigrants with permanent resident status had to wait three years before filing a citizenship application, which would then take about 21 months to process in routine cases — for a total of about five years.
Last May, the federal government introduced a more rigorous “residence questionnaire” for some applicants, to establish proof that they’ve actually been present in Canada. Applicants were told the detailed four-page forms — which must be accompanied by proof such as tax returns, pay stubs, and airline tickets to document even brief absences — would take 15 months to process.
But this month, those applicants are learning they’ll have to wait four more years to get their files assessed.
Continue reading here - http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1319286--immigration-backlog-anti-fraud-measures-add-years-to-citizenship-process
Extra scrutiny introduced by Ottawa to crack down on citizenship fraud means thousands of immigrants will have to wait as long as nine years to become full-fledged citizens.
Until recently, immigrants with permanent resident status had to wait three years before filing a citizenship application, which would then take about 21 months to process in routine cases — for a total of about five years.
Last May, the federal government introduced a more rigorous “residence questionnaire” for some applicants, to establish proof that they’ve actually been present in Canada. Applicants were told the detailed four-page forms — which must be accompanied by proof such as tax returns, pay stubs, and airline tickets to document even brief absences — would take 15 months to process.
But this month, those applicants are learning they’ll have to wait four more years to get their files assessed.
Continue reading here - http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1319286--immigration-backlog-anti-fraud-measures-add-years-to-citizenship-process
