 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
1,800 new Canadians poised to lose citizenship: Kenney
2 J. q5 m8 M% W. @1 M+ {& U4 }" P0 Z$ Z4 b
Richard J. Brennan
7 _% Z2 d3 E9 T, t+ P' h; L/ nNational Affairs Writer h/ A4 g1 I9 }* `" J
. c' Z( h* ? S7 I
v9 d1 v) l, W4 N: C1 u1 NImmigration Minister Jason Kenney confirmed Wednesday that as many as 1,800 new Canadians could be stripped of their citizenship because they were obtained fraudulently.
1 Y6 e/ h: V& B8 C5 f, f* }7 N+ r9 n- p' \( F6 N
“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.
, y' ]$ W% h: h _+ M1 d7 i- r0 ]# V# W7 Q: Z/ V/ g4 q
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.
5 ^% @ n `3 b# _; [3 @* c0 w
, p( O" P. z# B3 g: ]9 {5 CThe 1,800 were identified following a three-year investigation by the RCMP, other police forces and Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
3 U+ l/ d) [8 V8 T! R7 _7 P e& s2 d, d& v/ O
“By the way, we are not done with our investigation” Kenney said, noting that many of the accused live outside the country.
% g* v4 E* ^% q9 H5 Q' A
0 D+ D; b2 P, p( a* w/ BThey can challenge the decision in Federal Court. If not, Cabinet will move to revoke their citizenship.
' ]/ g# b% z6 b0 U; E" `
& |) w6 e }& }' i8 sCitizenship revocation is relatively uncommon in Canada with only 63 people being stripped of their citizenship since 1977, Kenney said.8 v n2 O0 k0 g& f
# w) ]3 A/ _7 \9 X& ^Most were for reasons related to residence fraud, criminality and false identity, or concealing their involvement in war crimes.
8 K; P- H: q, ]0 k4 }+ _3 r
J {8 k1 f( e; x7 a5 Y# VSpeaking in Vancouver on Tuesday, Kenney said Ottawa is trying to discourage immigration fraud.
. X0 l1 N. f8 \* T6 Z5 k, F
1 J! L' s. [: y“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." o6 Z0 }! B' m* I2 q$ [
, @2 e. z$ D4 l“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.
5 g5 V* l, }0 ~" B L2 T% A I; ?% s$ U+ k4 U5 t: A
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. |
|