Dual Citizenship

Canadian citizens: The legislation would also restore citizenship to anyone who has been affected by those provisions; officials said Thursday there is one person to whom that would apply, but did not identify the individual. "Canadian citizens are equal under the law," McCallum said in a statement. "Whether they were born in Canada or were naturalized in Canada or hold dual citizenship." The bill also shortens the length of time someone must be physically present in Canada before qualifying for citizenship, and allows time already spent as permanent residents to count towards the residency requirement, according to The Chronicle Herald. The Conservatives had also expanded who needs to pass language and knowledge tests before qualifying for citizenship; the Liberals are returning to the previous age requirement of 18 to 54. Immigration Minister John McCallum has introduced a new bill that, if passed, would remove terrorism or other crimes against the national interest as grounds for revoking citizenship from dual nationals. But the bill also makes some new changes, including adding those serving conditional sentences as people barred from seeking citizenship. When the Conservatives introduced the new law in 2014, it led to accusations that they were creating two classes of citizens, but they argued the move was in keeping with laws in other countries. None of the changes would take affect until the bill becomes law and coming-into-force provisions are established. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.