A new bill, titled C-3 was recently introduced by the Canadian government which is mainly focused on removing the existing limit on citizenship by descent.
Canada To Have A New Citizenship Bill
On Thursday, Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab presented this legislation in the Parliament reportedly.
If we consider the current policy, the rule states that a Canadian citizen that was born outside Canada would not be able to pass on their citizenship to their child born abroad.
The policy was essentially introduced in 2009 restricting citizenship by descent to only the first generation born in Canada.
But now, the proposed “Citizenship Bill” is aimed to correct these injustices.
However, in order to have this, the parents need to demonstrate a “substantial connection” to Canada.
For that they need to showcase at least 1,095 cumulative days (three years) of physical presence in the country before the child is born or adopted.
“As a result of the first-generation limit to citizenship by descent for individuals born abroad, most Canadian citizens who are citizens by descent cannot pass on citizenship to their child born or adopted outside Canada. The current first-generation limit to citizenship no longer reflects how Canadian families live today—here at home and around the world—and the values that define our country,” as informed by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Will This New Citizenship Bill Be Helpful To Indians Who Are Born Abroad?
It appears that this bill is most likely to benefit the Indian diaspora and other immigrant communities who are already affected by the Trump administration’s tightening of immigration policies in the United States.
Earlier during January 20th, Trump had ended birthright for children born in the US to parents on temporary visas such as H-1B and F-1.
At present the bill is going under legislative review, it needs to pass the three ratings and then receive royal assent to become law.
“If the bill passes both Houses of Parliament and receives Royal Assent, we will work as quickly as possible to bring the changes into effect,” confirmed by the IRCC.
