Calgary—

Today Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander reinforced the government’s commitment to tackling citizenship fraud through measures proposed in Bill C-24, the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act.

Under the new legislation, the government will have the authority to develop regulations to designate a regulatory body whose members would be authorized to act as consultants on citizenship matters. This change will help protect applicants and deter third-party fraud.

Bill C-24 reinforces the value of citizenship by cracking down on fraud and ensuring Canadian citizenship is only offered to those who play by the rules. Proposed measures include:

• stronger penalties for fraud and misrepresentation (a maximum fine of $100,000 and/or five years in prison);
• expanding the grounds to bar an application for citizenship to include foreign criminality which will help improve program integrity; and
• making it an offence for unauthorized individuals to knowingly represent or advise a person on a citizenship application or hearing for a fee.

Quick facts

• Ongoing large-scale fraud investigations conducted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have identified more than 3,000 citizens and 5,000 permanent residents linked to major investigations—a majority of them related to residence.
• In addition, nearly 2,000 individuals linked to the citizenship fraud investigations have withdrawn their applications.

Quotes

“The government is cracking down on citizenship fraud by enforcing stronger penalties for those who do not play by the rules. Changes to the Citizenship Act reinforce the value of citizenship and will help ensure new Canadians are fully prepared to participate in Canadian life and have a stronger attachment to our country."

Chris Alexander, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister

“Stronger penalties for those who commit citizenship fraud will protect the integrity of Canadian citizenship. The government's changes to the Citizenship Act reinforce the message that Canadian citizenship is valued around the globe and will be afforded those who recognize that it comes with duties and rights, privileges and responsibilities."

Chris Alexander, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister

src:news.gc.ca