Canada to Revoke Citizenship From 3,100 People Over Fraudulent Applications

Canada Minister of Immigration and Citizenship Jason Kenney

Canada Immigration Minister Jason Kenney says his department has begun the process of revoking citizenship from up to 3,100 individuals, as investigators probe nearly 11,000 people suspected of misrepresenting themselves in their quest to become citizens of Canada.

In a media briefing Monday morning, Kenney said the government is targeting those individuals in order "to protect the value of Canadian citizenship."

Immigration officials are working with the Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP, he said, to investigate "nearly 11,000 individuals from more than 100 countries for attempting to cheat."

Nearly 5,000 individuals who are yet to become Canadian citizens have been “flagged for additional security,” Kenney said, explaining that they are either known to be or suspected of trying to defraud the system.

Typically, Kenney said, immigration fraud is perpetrated by unscrupulous consultants who advise would-be Canadians on the best ways to skirt the system.

Some are paid up to $25,000, he said, in order to help clients get around the requirement that permanent residents spend at least three of the four years living in Canada. Similarly, permanent residents must be in Canada for two out of five years in order to maintain their status.

"Canadian citizenship is not for sale," Kenney said.

"We are taking action to strip citizenship and permanent residence status from people who don’t play by the rules and who lie or cheat to become a Canadian citizen."

Since the immigration fraud crackdown was launched, the minister said 600 former permanent residents have either been removed or denied admittance to Canada. Another 500 permanent residents have had their citizenship applications denied.

The fact another 1,800 individuals abandoned the application process after coming under scrutiny is a sure sign, Kenney said, of how widespread the problem is.

“We will not stand by and allow people to lie and cheat their way into becoming citizens,” Kenney told reporters at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa Monday morning.

“I encourage anyone who has information regarding citizenship fraud to call our tip line to report it. There is no time limit for investigating this type of fraud.”

Source:

CTV News