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Students born outside of Canada may lose citizenship status at age 28
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| EvilTree |
http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/index.p...date=2007-01-19
| quote: | Narmeen Lakhani - assistant news editor
The Government of Canada is beginning to enforce a section from its 1977 Citizenship Act jeopardizing the citizenship status of many young Canadians born outside of Canada after 1977.
Part II of the Citizenship Act, last updated in December 2006, requires some Canadians to reapply for their citizenship. Anyone who attained citizenship rights from their parents and who was born outside of Canada after February 14, 1977 to parents also born outside of Canada falls into this category.
These Canadian citizens are proclaimed to lose their citizenship as of their 28th birthday unless they apply to retain it. Any such person must also “[register] as a citizen and either [reside] in Canada for a period of at least one year immediately preceding the date of his application or [establish] a substantial connection with Canada.”
According to the Edmonton Sun, some people could become “stateless” through the enforcement of this section of the Citizenship Act. This would be the scenario if a Canadian loses his citizenship and his country of birth does not provide the alternate citizenship.
The reason Section 8 of the Citizenship Act was not a great concern for Canadians until recently is simply because the provision first became effective February 15, 2005, the completion of 28 years since the Act was created.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada is adding an expiration date to all citizenship certificates issued as of January 1, 2007, that require an application for retention under this category. CIC’s Operational Bulletin 024 also explains: “Once they successfully apply to retain citizenship, they will be issued a citizenship certificate without an expiry date and a certificate of retention.”
The many Canadians that were issued citizenship certificates before the beginning of this year are still responsible for applying for retention before their 28th birthday if Section 8 applies to them. They can apply for another certificate with an expiration date, though this still means a separate application process for a certificate of retention to have solid proof of Canadian citizenship.
Students at the University of Waterloo expressed various different opinions with regards to this issue. The majority reached a consensus that the law is unnecessary and just makes life more complicated for those citizens who must reapply for retention. They should not have to prove themselves again for the citizenship they have already once been granted.
One group of students particularly felt this way about the law because it directly affects them. Arts and business student Willa Lee commented, “What were we considered before the [reapplication]? Were we not Canadians?” Her friend Eunice Bae, a life sciences student defends her opinion, “They’ve already gone through the trouble of obtaining the citizenship once.”
One student also said that Section 8 must have some rationale behind it, otherwise it would not have been instated. When asked whether the retention procedure is a good security measure for Canadians that are perhaps living abroad or have lost touch with Canada, the response was that it does make more sense, especially if someone has been away, for a long period of time such as 10 years.
UW’s Institutional Analysis and Planning office gives a breakdown of the students who may be affected by this retention requirement. In September 2006, the University enrolled 24,260 Canadian students and 2,482 international students, including both undergraduates and graduates.
The information has not yet been released about how many of the Canadian students are citizens born in Canada, so there is no accurate count of the number of UW students that would need to reapply for citizenship before their 28th birthday.
Citizenship and Immigration has been trying to raise awareness of the need to apply for a certificate of retention as of 2003. The public can obtain more information on the issue and find out the procedure for applying for retention at www.cic.gc.ca. |
Eh. Student newspaper so whether they have their facts right is questionable, but if this is true...
Well, this is a retarded law.
I doubt the govt bothered to inform the people who just got their citizenship this little detail. |
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| Spyder |
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/facts/expiry-date.html
| quote: |
Expiry Date on Canadian Citizenship
Issue
Recent articles in Canadian newspapers allege that some Canadians could unknowingly lose their citizenship under a decades-old law that is only now being enforced.
Fact
The requirement that certain Canadians born abroad take steps to confirm their Canadian citizenship has existed in some form since Canadian citizenship was first granted in 1947. It is meant to ensure that people who wish to remain citizens retain links to Canada.
Since 1977, the law requires that some Canadians born abroad (only those who are part of the second and subsequent generations born outside of Canada) take action prior to their 28th birthday to confirm their Canadian citizenship. If they do not, under section 8 of the Citizenship Act, they automatically cease to be citizens.
The first time such persons could lose their citizenship under the Citizenship Act was on February 15, 2005, that is, 28 years after the Act was implemented.
It is not true that this 30 year old law is only now being enforced. The requirement does not apply to every Canadian born abroad. It only applies to those who are part of the second and subsequent generations born outside of Canada. Section 8 of the 1977 Citizenship Act states:
Certain Canadian citizens who were born outside Canada on or after February 15, 1977, to a parent who was also born outside Canada to a Canadian parent automatically cease to be citizens on their 28th birthday, unless they take formal steps to retain Canadian citizenship.
A somewhat similar but not identical requirement existed between 1947 and 1977.
Persons who apply for a citizenship certificate and who are subject to the retention requirement receive a letter advising the holder that steps must be taken before their 28th birthday in order to retain Canadian citizenship.
Effective January 1, 2007, as an additional reminder for these citizens to retain their citizenship, and in response to recommendations from the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration and stakeholders, certificates for these Canadians now include a date by which they must act to remain Canadians. Citizenship and Immigration Canada is taking steps to remind people of this requirement, and will continue to do so.
People who ceased to be Canadian citizens when they were adults can apply to resume Canadian citizenship. For more information about resumption, please see Resumption of Canadian Citizenship.
For more information about retaining your Canadian citizenship, please see Retention of Canadian Citizenship
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizen/retention.html
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| oldschool420 |
| I think that law is more than fair. If you have integrated into Canada, you should have no problems getting your Citizenship renewed. |
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| Spyder |
| quote: | Originally posted by oldschool420
I think that law is more than fair. If you have integrated into Canada, you should have no problems getting your Citizenship renewed. |
govs way of getting 100$ per person:whip: |
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| Cosmic Fur |
| I find it a little funny whenever I come across people that complain about Canada's citizenship laws considering they are so so lax compared to the other countries. You try getting a citizenship somewhere else, then go and bitch how Canada's laws are unfair. |
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| EvilTree |
| quote: | Originally posted by oldschool420
I think that law is more than fair. If you have integrated into Canada, you should have no problems getting your Citizenship renewed. |
I just find it retarded that you have to renew your citizenship.
Yay bureaucracy and paperwork!:rolleyes:
I think I'll 'un Canadian' myself for next few weeks just for the hell of it! |
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| EvilTree |
| quote: | Originally posted by Cosmic Fur
I find it a little funny whenever I come across people that complain about Canada's citizenship laws considering they are so so lax compared to the other countries. You try getting a citizenship somewhere else, then go and bitch how Canada's laws are unfair. |
I agree to get Canadian citizenship should be tougher.
But once you have it, why should you have to renew it?
It's like, I have to reaffirm my loyalty to Canada or something.
This is like a slap in the face to me. |
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| Cosmic Fur |
| quote: | Originally posted by EvilTree
I agree to get Canadian citizenship should be tougher.
But once you have it, why should you have to renew it?
It's like, I have to reaffirm my loyalty to Canada or something.
This is like a slap in the face to me. |
You have to renew your license and your health card. This is no different really.
I'm guessing this law is enacted so that people who moved here because of their parents and then moved back to their country or somewhere else don't get to mooch off Canada's benefits. |
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| Dark_Archonis |
| quote: | Originally posted by Cosmic Fur
I find it a little funny whenever I come across people that complain about Canada's citizenship laws considering they are so so lax compared to the other countries. You try getting a citizenship somewhere else, then go and bitch how Canada's laws are unfair. |
As far as I know, in many other countries, it's much harder to get citizenship than in Canada, but you don't have to renew your citizenship like a driver's licence. That's just redundant. |
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| EvilTree |
| quote: | Originally posted by Cosmic Fur
You have to renew your license and your health card. This is no different really. |
Actually, I have the oldschool health card. Doesn't have to be renewed IIRC.
If you don't renew your driver's license, you can't drive.
If you lose your nationality, you have zero protection otherwise given to people with nationality.
Far bigger consequences.
| quote: |
I'm guessing this law is enacted so that people who moved here because of their parents and then moved back to their country or somewhere else don't get to mooch off Canada's benefits. |
So we should make all the Canadians who live abroad renew their citizenships too? |
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| Cosmic Fur |
| quote: | Originally posted by EvilTree
So we should make all the Canadians who live abroad renew their citizenships too? |
Yeah, we should, if you lived abroad for long enough time. Would prevent the whole Lebanon debacle that we had. Leeches.
My point is that having to renew your citizenship is still a hell of a lot better than not having it at all. |
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| bossi |
| quote: | Originally posted by Spyder
govs way of getting 100$ per person:whip: |
Try $200 plus random finger printing at a charge of $40 per person. When you look at a family thats almost $1000 to get Canadian citizenship! |
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