It is Citizenship Week in Canada! From October 9 to 15, 2017, many festivities are planned across the country to celebrate Canadian citizenship, which was created just 70 years ago.
One major cause to celebrate is the coming into force of changes to the Citizenship Act that will make it easier and faster for Canadian permanent residents to become citizens of Canada. Here are some highlights of the important changes:
- Requirement for physical presence in Canada has been reduced to three out of five years.
- Some days spent in Canada as a temporary resident now count towards citizenship.
- Applicants no longer have to have resided in Canada for 183 days each year.
Because of these changes, it is expected that many Canadian permanent residents will be applying for citizenship in the coming months.
There are many ways to celebrate...what will you do for Citizenship Week?
Here is what Canada's Minister of Immigration, Ahmed Hussen, had to say about Citizenship Week: "I encourage everyone to engage and inspire each other, and celebrate our shared values, our achievements and our pride as Canadians. This is a great time to reflect on what it means to be a Canadian and to be part of the Canadian family.”
If you are interested in becoming a Canadian citizen, please contact me to discuss your options.