Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - December 2012
Hundreds of Canadians are being notified that their citizenship is being revoked, after an unprecedented �crackdown� on immigration fraud initiated by the federal government this fall.
Since September, at least 530 letters have been sent out to notify immigrants that their citizenship is being revoked and another 3,100 cases are currently under investigation. Those wishing to fight the revocation can take their cases to Federal Court.
However, critics are concerned that many so-called �fraudulent� cases may actually be innocent errors on the part of misinformed or under-informed applicants and that treating all cases equally is unfair.
�I think we�ve got to be careful that when we say �citizenship fraud� that we�re really are talking about people who defraud and not people who made a very honest mistake and didn�t understand the rules,� said NDP Immigration critic Jinny Sims.
Under current regulations, there is no time limitation for revocations of citizenship, and though there are a variety of reasons for which one can have their status revoked, there must be �sufficient evidence� that a fraud has occurred.
�We are strengthening the integrity of Canada�s immigration system to protect the value of Canadian citizenship,� said a spokesperson for the Immigration Department, adding that they have received �overwhelming support� for the changes.
Source: National Post
