 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
1,800 new Canadians poised to lose citizenship: Kenney( J. m; G+ M% A" W( M5 z
+ G7 [$ s" p @, M, LRichard J. Brennan( C/ p" R' u) d6 i* `" o6 e
National Affairs Writer
$ s4 N/ C+ k; g7 f/ o
" E/ ]. r2 ^+ H) S5 D4 O0 C' E% V* Q* {. l R! d0 v) F" `! K& c( Q
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney confirmed Wednesday that as many as 1,800 new Canadians could be stripped of their citizenship because they were obtained fraudulently.
G/ [ ?$ s. \$ }# Y3 p8 s6 \5 e
“We are in the process of notifying them that we will be revoking their citizenship because Canadian citizenship is not for sale,” Kenney told the Economic Club of Canada.* P% D6 A& y. m
( C( E" t) T. a' e& Y
Kenney said some of the individuals are believed to have used “unscrupulous” immigration consultants who submitted fraudulent applications on behalf of people who did not meet the qualifications for citizenship.3 Y% @( S7 M m7 A
/ I9 Z7 w8 |* o, ~- ]The 1,800 were identified following a three-year investigation by the RCMP, other police forces and Citizenship and Immigration Canada.. a {3 v+ E/ ~6 y+ U* t
# G, `$ F* H, T% O# Z“By the way, we are not done with our investigation” Kenney said, noting that many of the accused live outside the country.% ^( l5 J+ d! f
8 |2 W; _2 d5 i4 W _" e/ B3 PThey can challenge the decision in Federal Court. If not, Cabinet will move to revoke their citizenship.
6 q) {8 t/ u: M5 y+ j) G H7 B2 ?8 K5 Q$ d. ] G( B
Citizenship revocation is relatively uncommon in Canada with only 63 people being stripped of their citizenship since 1977, Kenney said.6 f+ N0 Y* b8 v7 O
5 Y, k* u2 u) T2 R9 M( |Most were for reasons related to residence fraud, criminality and false identity, or concealing their involvement in war crimes.
& }! R" L, n3 K+ {$ }! Y" \, J( P# F6 {5 Q
Speaking in Vancouver on Tuesday, Kenney said Ottawa is trying to discourage immigration fraud.
7 Y' D* U0 a. I+ f
; Y- U$ @1 A) \( J“For those who simply touch down and try to get a Canadian passport as a … passport of convenience, who don’t pay our taxes but who do consume our social benefits, I think that’s dishonourable,” he told reporters after delivering a speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade.2 d; J! X& c, t
% V/ X5 b8 r' K8 S
“There are many ways that we are combating immigration fraud and abuse of our generosity, whether it is from [bogus] asylum claimants, crooked immigration consultants, people smugglers [or] people who are abusing our citizenship program,” he said.
% \- p8 J( A; ?, Z w. n9 u7 }; F7 n6 I7 z/ x# `6 p
Kenney also announced that Canada will soon be introducing multi-year visas for low-risk visitors from around the world that will last 10 years. |
|