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1,800 new Canadians poised to lose citizenship: Kenney. {" |* f. @- m/ w
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National Affairs Writer
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x" X! ?& y0 D+ iImmigration Minister Jason Kenney confirmed Wednesday that as many as 1,800 new Canadians could be stripped of their citizenship because they were obtained fraudulently.4 c! b+ u1 ]9 P5 w5 p
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“We are in the process of notifying them that we will be revoking their citizenship because Canadian citizenship is not for sale,” Kenney told the Economic Club of Canada.) r1 @( Q! d3 F1 l O
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Kenney said some of the individuals are believed to have used “unscrupulous” immigration consultants who submitted fraudulent applications on behalf of people who did not meet the qualifications for citizenship.
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2 ]8 |. T! M# D5 d( K. q/ QThe 1,800 were identified following a three-year investigation by the RCMP, other police forces and Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
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9 P x6 i6 P3 I“By the way, we are not done with our investigation” Kenney said, noting that many of the accused live outside the country.
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0 ]# Z9 [0 ~9 I* `! B% F& AThey can challenge the decision in Federal Court. If not, Cabinet will move to revoke their citizenship.9 A6 V! B+ ]6 O
8 S/ f: G: M+ U( z' d# Q1 WCitizenship revocation is relatively uncommon in Canada with only 63 people being stripped of their citizenship since 1977, Kenney said., \' f8 ~% s$ q2 G! F: g2 u
@3 [4 P) b- }7 p5 i6 M6 u1 G$ q# @0 bMost were for reasons related to residence fraud, criminality and false identity, or concealing their involvement in war crimes.
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Speaking in Vancouver on Tuesday, Kenney said Ottawa is trying to discourage immigration fraud.; ]/ v/ m4 K7 z) `3 t3 {& {. c" H
1 v0 m5 B2 ^4 q, `& X+ K, p3 K“For those who simply touch down and try to get a Canadian passport as a … passport of convenience, who don’t pay our taxes but who do consume our social benefits, I think that’s dishonourable,” he told reporters after delivering a speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade. W9 ?, ]3 a4 K6 r
" G% n0 ~$ h1 m4 a9 v% g“There are many ways that we are combating immigration fraud and abuse of our generosity, whether it is from [bogus] asylum claimants, crooked immigration consultants, people smugglers [or] people who are abusing our citizenship program,” he said." I5 @: E* p2 N& j# G2 [
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Kenney also announced that Canada will soon be introducing multi-year visas for low-risk visitors from around the world that will last 10 years. |
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