Canadian CitizenshipFrom “Harder to get and easier to lose” to a new balance

Andrew Griffith Conference Board of Canada Immigration Summit

Ottawa April 2016

Agenda• Policy context and history

• Statistics

• 2010 Changes and impact

• 2014 Changes and expected impact

• 2016 Partial reversal and expected impact

• Longer-term implications2

Policy Context Global vs Local

• Citizenship: Facilitation vs. Meaningfulness

• Multiculturalism: Accommodation vs. Integration

• Conservatives stress meaningfulness (value), integration

• Liberals stress facilitation and accommodation (diversity and inclusion)

3

History• Pre-1947: British subjects

• 1947: Canadian Citizenship Act • Legal recognition • Preference British subjects • Dual nationality not recognized

• 1977: Equity • British preference removed • Dual nationality recognized • Gender and wedlock discrimination removed • Second generation limit

• 2007 & 2009: Adoption facilitation (removal PR requirement) and addressing ‘Lost Canadians’ historic discrimination

• 2014: Major revamp making citizenship “harder to get and easier to lose” • 2016: Partial reversal

4

Citizenship Take-up Foreign-born by Place of Birth, NHS 2011

5

Europe

Eastern & SE Asia

Southern Asia

Latin America

West Asia & ME

Caribbean

United States

Africa

Oceania

25% 50% 75% 100%

31%

40%

40%

22%

30%

25%

31%

31%

18%

56%

46%

42%

70%

54%

64%

63%

64%

67%

Canadian Only Dual Nationals Non-Citizens

Number

2,226,100

1,826,205

927,775

676,855

484,985

368,465

316,465

314,890

63,630

PRs, Applications, Citizens 2004 to 2015 IRCC Operational Data

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100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Permanent Residents Applications New Citizens

Citizenship Take-Up 6 Years Since Landing vs All Years Since Landing 2015

20%

40%

60%

80%

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

47%

55%

61%64%

69%72%74%77%

79%80%

47%44%50%

56%

6 Years Since Landing (2014 data) All Years Since Landing7

Impact 2010 Changes Percentage Decline by Country of Birth 2010-13 and 2014-15 Compared to 2005-9

CaribbeanSouth Asian

Southern & East AfricanWest Asian & Mid-EastCentral & West African

Latin AmericanNorth African

East & SE Asian South European

East EuropeanOceania

FrenchWest European

BritishNorth AmericanNorth European

-20% -15% -9% -4% 2%Change 2010-13 from 2005-9 Change 2014-15 from 2005-9

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Overall Pass Rates

2005-9 96.3%

2010-13 82.7%

2014-15 90.0%

Changes 2010

• Emphasis on history, military, responsibilities

• More rigorous knowledge test

• Language “pre-assessment”

• Anti-fraud

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2014 Citizenship Act Residency and Testing

• Longer residency (4 out of 6), physical presence

• From “honour system” to residency questionnaire

• “Intent to reside”

• Knowledge and language required 14-65

• Tax returns

10

2014 Citizenship Act Business Processes

• Removal of citizenship judges

• Ability to cancel incomplete applications

• Electronic means to verify citizenship.

• “Soft” commitment one year processing

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2014 Citizenship Act Fairness

• “Lost Canadians” fix

• Fees from $100 to $530, plus language testing (~ $200)

• Revocation

• Fraud: Ministerial discretion

• “Terror and Treason” and dual nationals

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Implications Conservative Changes

• Burden on low-income, less educated and refugees

• Further reduction in naturalization rate

• Weaker due process

• Revocation measures meant differential treatment for single and dual nationals for the same crime

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Liberal Changes 2016 Adjustments, not full repeal

• Principle: “A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian” • Repeal revocation for dual nationals for terror or treason

• Remove barriers • Restore the previous age limits for knowledge and language

testing to 18-54 (~ 10 percent of applicants) • Repeal the “intent to reside”

• Restore pre-permanent residency time 50 percent credit

• Maintain physical presence but reduce time required to 3 out of 5 years

• New citizenship study guide (replace Discover Canada)

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Liberal Changes 2016 (2) No changes to integrity measures

Maintain Conservative integrity improvements • Physical presence, not just legal residency • Knowledge requirement met in English or French, not through an interpreter • Bar granting citizenship to those with foreign criminal charges and convictions • Regulations for citizenship consultants • Increased fines and penalties for fraud • Requirement for adult applicants to file Canadian income taxes

New integrity measures • No longer counting time spent under a conditional sentence order towards

meeting physical presence • Retroactive application of prohibition of applicants from taking oath if never

met/no longer meet requirements • Authority to seize fraudulent documents of those used fraudulently

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Liberal Changes 2016 (3) No changes to efficiency measures

Efficiency • Ministerial authority to revoke citizenship for routine cases (previously,

Governor in Council) • Ministerial authority on discretionary grants of citizenship (previously,

Governor in Council) • Departmental authority to decide what is a complete application

(streamlines processing) • Single-step processing (previously three-step), ceremonial role for

citizenship judges

Other • No change to “lost Canadians” provisions • Fast-track mechanism for Permanent Residents serving in the Canadian

Forces

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Implications Liberal Changes

• Revocation repeal ensures consistent treatment for all

• Removal of testing for 55-64 greater impact than 14-17

• Reduced residency requirement small impact

• More welcoming approach (inclusive language in citizenship study guide and related materials)

• No weakening of integrity

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Gaps

• Due process in revocation for fraud • Provide right for oral hearing as with permanent residency revocation

• Review of citizenship fees • Refugee waiver?

• Lack of lower cost language assessment

• Absence of service standards

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Competitiveness

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Country Residency Fee CAD Rate MIPEX

UK 5 years $1,740 42% 60

Netherlands 5 years $1,250 70% 66

USA 5 years $905 49% 61

Canada 3 of 5 years $630 75% 67

New Zealand 5 years $420 78% 71

Germany 8 years $380 33% 72

Australia 3 of 4 years $300 70% 69

France 5 years $82 56% 61

MIPEX Indicator is ‘Access to Nationality’

Overall• Conservative integrity improvements with Liberal

facilitation measures

• Restoring the Diefenbaker policy of not stripping Canadians of citizenship

• Common language on ‘real and meaningful’ commitment to Canada

• Should reverse declining naturalization rate

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Broader Issues

• Dual nationality, diaspora politics and loyalty

• Global mobility vs. belonging — competitiveness

• Declining naturalization rate and increased proportion of non-citizens

• Other: Voting rights, Birth tourism

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Andrew Griffith Email: agriffith232@gmail.comTwitter: @andrew_griffithLinkedIn: andrewlgriffithFacebook: Andrew Griffith C&MBlog: www.multiculturalmeanderings.wordpress.com

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