Bill C: Citizenship and Applicants

bill c: The changes will be welcoming news for the many prospective applicants who have been holding off their applications since the newly elected Liberal government introduced Bill C-6 in March 2016 to reverse the more stringent changes adopted by its Conservative predecessor to restrict access to citizenship, according to Metro News. Citizenship applications are expected to go up, reversing the downward trend observed over the last few years after the Harper government raised the residency requirement for citizenship requiring applicants to be in Canada for four years out of six and stipulated that applicants between the ages of 14 and 64 must pass language and citizenship knowledge tests. Also, applicants over 55 years of age are once again exempt from the language and knowledge tests for citizenship under the amended citizenship regulations to be announced by Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen on Wednesday. THE CANADIAN PRESSLuiz Capitulino,11, and his mom Sheyla Do Vale of Brazil embrace after becoming official Canadians. Immigrant groups and advocates have said the more stringent rules discouraged newcomers' full integration and participation in the electoral process. According to government data, 108,635 people applied for citizenship between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.