Bill C-6: Liberals Announce New Canadian Citizenship Requirements

The Liberals announced the New Canadian Citizenship Requirements.  But when will it take effect? On June 17, 2016, legislation to change the Canadian Citizenship Act, also known as Bill C-6, passed the Canadian House of Commons following its third reading. However, in order for the changes to be implemented, they must first be passed by the senate.

Some of the highlights of these changes are the following:

• Repealing citizenship revocation and intent to reside provision
• Reducing the length of time someone must be physically present in Canada to qualify for Citizenship. (3 out of 5 years residency requirement from 4 out of 6)
• Allowing time before Permanent Residency to be counted
• Eliminating the 183 days of physical presence requirement
• Amending the age range for language and knowledge requirements (back to 18-54)

And here are the Status of the Bill C-6 and its progress on when it most probably be completed:

House of Commons

First Reading – February 25, 2016

Second Reading – March 21, 2016

Referral to Committee – March 21, 2016

Committee – Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration

Reporting the Bill with Amendments –  May 05, 2016

Report Stage – May 17, 2016

Third Reading – June 17, 2016

Senate

First Reading – June 17, 2016

Second Reading – December 15, 2016

Referral to Committee – December 15, 2016

Committee – Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science, and Technology

…..

That’s the Bill C-6 development and hoping that it will be finished before Canada Day 2017. Most of the permanent residents are also expecting that the Citizenship Fees will be back to $300CAD from the current $530CAD. If that happens, surely this will be a great gift for everybody on the 150^th Birthday of Canada.

To read a more related article and compare the Current Act and the Proposed Changes click here. 

Image from Google