Canada ought to spend as much time processing legitimate claims for citizenship as it does cracking down on alleged fraudsters, the opposition argued Friday, amid news the government had moved to strip as many as 6,500 people of their citizenship or permanent resident status.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced Friday in Montreal that the government was acting on evidence that about 2,100 people had obtained citizenship through fraudulent means, while another 4,400 permanent residents were flagged for failing to meet strict residency requirements.
"We will apply the full strength of Canadian law. Where evidence permits, we will seek the revocation of permanent resident status or citizenship and, in some cases, the deportation of anyone perpetrating such fraud," Kenney said. "Our message is clear: if you want to become a Canadian citizen you have to play by our rules. You have to respect our country and you have to be honest. Canadian citizenship is not for sale."
The majority of people caught up in the sweep are said to be living outside the country and Kenney argued many employed crooked immigration consultants - some of whom already have been arrested - to create false residency alibis, paying as much as $25,000 for the service.
To maintain permanent resident status, a person must reside in Canada for at least two years within a five-year period. Permanent residents seeking citizenship must show proof that they've lived in Canada for at least three of the last four years before applying.
While opposition critics applaud efforts to root out system cheats, they have concerns about the government's approach.
NDP immigration critic Don Davies cautioned the government to differentiate between those who knowingly commit fraud and those who've been duped themselves.
"Sometimes, these people who are not complying with the requirements have been victims themselves of crooked consultants," he said. "We have to make sure that we separate those who are deliberately cheating the system from those who are victims themselves."
Liberal immigration critic Kevin Lamoureux added the government really needs to approach it on a case-by-case basis, as there are arguments to be made for compassion. For example, he suggested, there are people who fall just shy of meeting the residency requirements because they had to stay at home with a sick relative longer than expected.
Noting legitimate applicants could wait two to five years for citizenship, both critics urged the government to commit as many resources to granting citizenship as they do to revoking it.
"I kind of wish (Kenney) would approach the processing of citizenship with the same sort of enthusiasm (he has) to take away citizenship," Lamoureux said. "You would see tens of thousands of people being impacted with that. People lose their right to be able to vote because the government is so slow at processing citizenships."
He argued that major decisions, such as revoking thousands of citizenships, ought to be discussed by Parliament. He urged Kenney to be more "accountable" by bringing such issues to the Commons committee on citizenship and immigration.
Kenney's announcement came the same day the Federal Court of Canada ruled in his favour regarding a related government crackdown on crooked consultants.
Criticized for not doing its job properly, the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants was effectively replaced in June as the industry regulator by the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council. The former regulator contested the move.
Phil Mooney, president of the new regulatory board, welcomed the Federal Court ruling and the government's efforts to "maintain the integrity of the citizen and immigration system." He said most of the 100 complaints against immigration consultants his organization has fielded had to do with misunderstandings rather than fraud.
Origin
Source: Citizen
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced Friday in Montreal that the government was acting on evidence that about 2,100 people had obtained citizenship through fraudulent means, while another 4,400 permanent residents were flagged for failing to meet strict residency requirements.
"We will apply the full strength of Canadian law. Where evidence permits, we will seek the revocation of permanent resident status or citizenship and, in some cases, the deportation of anyone perpetrating such fraud," Kenney said. "Our message is clear: if you want to become a Canadian citizen you have to play by our rules. You have to respect our country and you have to be honest. Canadian citizenship is not for sale."
The majority of people caught up in the sweep are said to be living outside the country and Kenney argued many employed crooked immigration consultants - some of whom already have been arrested - to create false residency alibis, paying as much as $25,000 for the service.
To maintain permanent resident status, a person must reside in Canada for at least two years within a five-year period. Permanent residents seeking citizenship must show proof that they've lived in Canada for at least three of the last four years before applying.
While opposition critics applaud efforts to root out system cheats, they have concerns about the government's approach.
NDP immigration critic Don Davies cautioned the government to differentiate between those who knowingly commit fraud and those who've been duped themselves.
"Sometimes, these people who are not complying with the requirements have been victims themselves of crooked consultants," he said. "We have to make sure that we separate those who are deliberately cheating the system from those who are victims themselves."
Liberal immigration critic Kevin Lamoureux added the government really needs to approach it on a case-by-case basis, as there are arguments to be made for compassion. For example, he suggested, there are people who fall just shy of meeting the residency requirements because they had to stay at home with a sick relative longer than expected.
Noting legitimate applicants could wait two to five years for citizenship, both critics urged the government to commit as many resources to granting citizenship as they do to revoking it.
"I kind of wish (Kenney) would approach the processing of citizenship with the same sort of enthusiasm (he has) to take away citizenship," Lamoureux said. "You would see tens of thousands of people being impacted with that. People lose their right to be able to vote because the government is so slow at processing citizenships."
He argued that major decisions, such as revoking thousands of citizenships, ought to be discussed by Parliament. He urged Kenney to be more "accountable" by bringing such issues to the Commons committee on citizenship and immigration.
Kenney's announcement came the same day the Federal Court of Canada ruled in his favour regarding a related government crackdown on crooked consultants.
Criticized for not doing its job properly, the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants was effectively replaced in June as the industry regulator by the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council. The former regulator contested the move.
Phil Mooney, president of the new regulatory board, welcomed the Federal Court ruling and the government's efforts to "maintain the integrity of the citizen and immigration system." He said most of the 100 complaints against immigration consultants his organization has fielded had to do with misunderstandings rather than fraud.
Origin
Source: Citizen
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