Would-be Canadians will face shorter residency requirement

BRAMPTON, Ont. — Changes to Canadian citizenship rules, including how long a newcomer has to be in the country to be eligible, will take effect next week, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen announced Wednesday.

Speaking in Brampton, Ont., Hussen said the changes undo barriers the former Conservative government put in place.

Under the changes that take effect Oct. 11, would-be citizens will have to have been in Canada for three of the last five years before they apply.

Eligibility rules had been tightened by the Conservatives to require permanent residents to be present in Canada for four years out of the last six immediately before applying for citizenship.

Another rule, requiring applicants to be in Canada for 183 days each year, has been causing “real hardship” and is being scrapped under implementation of Bill C-6. Permanent residents will now be allowed to go abroad to study, work or for family reasons without losing access to citizenship eligibility.

Some of the time spent in Canada before foreigners become permanent residents will count toward citizenship eligibility.

Another key change will be how time spent in Canada is counted. Currently, the time people are in the country — studying, working, visiting, or as refugees — does not count as being present for citizenship eligibility. New rules, he said, will allow such individuals to count half the time they have spent in Canada to a maximum of one year, meaning that once they become permanent residents, they would only need to be in the country for an additional two years to apply for citizenship.

Only newcomers ages 18 to 54 will have to take and pass a citizenship knowledge and language test. Previously, the age range was 14 to 64.