Considering living and working in Canada or North America? Jobs Expo will have a major announcement over the next few days. Watch this space….
In the meantime, there’s great news – recent changes mean it is now easier and quicker to get Canadian citizenship.
Minister of Immigration, Ahmed Hussen, made the announcement on 4th October.
“We want all Permanent Residents in Canada to become citizens. That’s our wish, because we value Canadian citizenship, we understand we are a community that continues to welcome people from all over the world. And we understand the importance and the positive role that immigrants play in our economy, in our society, and in our cultural life,” Minister Hussen said.
The new laws come into effect from 11th October.
Reduced wait time
Firstly, there has been reduction in wait times to apply for citizenship.
Previously, permanent residents had to be in Canada for 1,460 days out of six years before applying for citizenship. Permanent residents now only have to spend only 1,095 days within a five-year period to become eligible for citizenship.
In addition, anyone who has in Canada as a student may count up to 365 days of this time as a temporary resident towards their residency days.
Furthermore, the language requirement now only applies to applicants aged between 18 and 54, inclusive. In the past, the age range was 14 and 64 years.
Ruairi Spillane of Moving2Canada called this a proud moment. Spillane, originally from Ireland, became a Canadian citizen in 2015.
“Canada has a long, proud history as a peaceful, prosperous country, and becoming a Canadian can be an immensely proud moment,” he said.