Canada, 3rd March: There is going to be a new appeal process for persons stripped off of Canadian citizenship. This has been revealed by Canada immigration minister Ahmed Hussen. He stated that he is willing to the idea of introducing a new appeal process for immigrants stripped off of their Canadian citizenship.
New appeal process for Immigrants stripped off of Canadian Citizenship
The immigration minister has affirmed that he will be considering any changes proposed by the Senate to Bill C-6. Such a law will lead to revocation of some of the rules approved by the earlier Conservative government. This includes a provision that shall allow the government of Canada to revoke Canada citizenship of dual citizens convicted of treason or terrorism.
Bill C-6 to Simplify Canada Residency Conditions
Bill C-6 simplifies a couple of language and Canada residency conditions introduced by the Conservative government. It may be noted that the bill has been justified by Hussen before the Senate social affairs committee. Hussen views the legislation to be sound although there is an assurance of any independent appeal if somebody loses his or her citizenship due to a fraudulent application.
New appeal process for stripped Canadian Citizenship—good news for dual nationals involved in terrorism
The bill puts to an end the likelihood of taking Canadian citizenship from dual nationals guilty of involvement in terrorism. This is certainly great news for such dual nationals.
The bill shall continue revocation of Canadian citizenship from individuals making false applications or for reasons of human rights abuses or criminality.
Related Read – Canada to Continue Revocation of Citizenship
Individuals can apply for judicial leave to make an appeal a revocation. This is not being considered to be a good option by several immigration lawyers and senators. Ratna Omidvar, an independent Senator appointed by PM Justin Trudeau in 2016, who is sponsoring Bill C-6(An Act to change the Citizenship Act) in the Senate, said that the bill will put an end the law that strips citizenship of Canadians without any hearing.
New appeal process for stripped Canadian Citizenship—what will Bill C-6 do?
- It will amend the Citizenship Act for removing national security as grounds for revocation of citizenship;
- It will remove the condition that applicants for Canadian citizenship should have the intention to stay in Canada after gaining Canadian citizenship.
- It will lower the number of days required for an applicant to be physically present in Canada before getting Canada permanent residency; and
- It will limit the ages between 18 and 54 for language requirements.
- Amendment to the bill will include the right to appeal his or her case(whose citizenship is in question) to the Federal Court without leave. This was revealed by Senate Omidvar.
- This amendment will allow the appellant to gain access to full disclosure of all the documents used for reaching the original decision. It will also have a timeline attached to it, she further claimed. The concerned individual will get the right to provide more proofs that might or might not have been available, she maintained.
Senator Omidvar has affirmed that the since citizenship is a base of all other rights in Canada, hence, she feels compelled to introduce this amendment. She is hopeful that the government shall accept this amendment and so shall her Senate colleagues. She also hinted on the possibility of introducing her own bill for addressing the concern in case the amendment is not accepted.
Canada immigration minister Hussen has stated that the current process is considered to be constitutionally sound. He further said that the government is ready to examine any suggestions that increase procedural fairness regarding citizenship revocation.