Get citizenship asap.
 

Here is a story that reinforces how important it is to get Canadian citizenship as soon as you are eligible.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...wall-1.1991517

My parents are a prime example of this but they have no intention of residing in the US for the 6 months. They have been over here for 20 plus years and still wont take out citizenship even though they can still keep their UK passport and have dual citizenship.

What is it with the Brits:lol: you are eligible for dual citizenship and even though on PR status you have to have the PR card renewed every 5 years if travelling outside Canada. You dont lose UK citizenship plus if you committed a crime and sentenced to more than 6 months as per this little less known piece of legislation that a few PRs with UK citizenship have found out and been deported back to the UK

Serious criminality

36. (1) A permanent resident or a foreign national is inadmissible on grounds of serious criminality for
(a) having been convicted in Canada of an offence under an Act of Parliament punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of at least 10 years, or of an offence under an Act of Parliament for which a term of imprisonment of more than six months has been imposed;

So to avoid all of this GET YOUR CITIZENSHIP ASAP.

Re: Get citizenship asap.
 

Of course I agree, but, to be fair to the guy in the article, he's German not British. Until recently Germany didn't allow dual citizenship so he would have lost that status. Even today he'd have to jump through a few hoops.

Re: Get citizenship asap.
 

I do realize some countries dont allow dual citizenship or require special permission from their country such as Germany. What I find interesting about the Germany situation is this bit
"Beibehaltungsgenehmigung" is granted by the competent authority in Germany on an individual basis. To obtain the permission, you must prove that you still have substantial ties to Germany and are in a personal situation in which the obtention of the dual German Canadian citizenship would be beneficial to you and/or avoid individual detriments. Please note that applications have to be submitted to the German Foreign Mission and that proficiency in German is mandatory.

One might question what his substantial ties are if he has been living in Canada for 30 years plus. How many of us complain about Canadian citizens born here but have lived overseas in various countries for decades but now return for cheaper health care costs having never contributed to the Canadian tax system or paid EI premiums etc etc.

Re: Get citizenship asap.
 

I found the comments at the bottom of the article quite telling. It would seem that nobody really minds the man wanting to become a Canadian, but there is very little tolerance for the fact that he's waited so long. Added to which he was a banker!:thumbdown:

Re: Get citizenship asap.
 

Yes, proving substantial ties in his case might be problematic. No way of knowing. My sole point was that your comments referred to the silliness of Brits in Canada who don't bother to get dual citizenship. I agree, but it's be interesting to discover how many others would be reluctant if it meant abandoning the original citizenship in the UK/EU. I, for one, may not have bothered. Basically as Brits we're lucky.

Re: Get citizenship asap.
 

Very good point. Not a lack of commitment to Canada, but a desire not to sever links with one's POB.

Re: Get citizenship asap.
 

Yes we are lucky. From the article there is no mention of him expressing a desire to return to Germany but now wants to become a snowbird in the US.
Unfortunately when we are younger we dont see that far down the road and certainly attitudes towards citizenship of another country have changed. The reasons for leaving the country they were born in vary (marriage, employment, escaping wars/civil unrest). I know some who just want to go back to the old country for a couple of years and die there even though they have not lived there in some cases for 50 years.
There is no right or wrong answer but I certainly see their point but also they place themselves at risk or into difficulty (threat of deportation if not a citizen).
So is his beef with the Canadian Govt or the US Govt who wont allow him to stay in the US for that long as he is not a Canadian?

Re: Get citizenship asap.
 

It's not black & white in this case, but I was interested to read that 51% of citizenship applications through Vancouver end up being referred to a judicial hearing (up from an already staggering 30% a few years ago).

Any idea what's going on there?

Re: Get citizenship asap.
 

I tend to think that CIC are cracking down on PRs who are suspected of not meeting the citizenship requirements by either staying in Canada for the required amount of time (1095) days in a 4 year period and abusing the 730 day requirement for PRs by submitting false documentation that they were actually in Canada when they weren't.
How many threads do we see on here of people who were granted PR status and dont or wont meet the 730 day residency obligation and are now trying to return and hoping CBSA won't report them or they dont get found out as their PR card has expired and now they want to renew it.
I agree its not a perfect system but its the one thats in place at the moment. Many PRs can't meet the citizenship 1095 days as they have jobs that take them out of the country so they won't qualify for citizenship but meet the PR obligation.

Re: Get citizenship asap.
 

But 51%??? It sounds highly unlikely and the implication in the CBC article is that Vancouver is an outlier. Why? (I wonder).

Re: Get citizenship asap.
 

I could give you my thoughts but it would smack of being racist regardless if the CIC figures backed me up.

Re: Get citizenship asap.
 

The article also says:

"He said he gets increasingly scrutinized at the border, too. One U.S. officer eyed him with suspicion, Nitzek said, asking why he hasn’t become a Canadian."

The more/longer you visit, the more scrutiny you'll get. He probably doesn't realise that becoming Canadian will not substantially change the need to prove non-immigrant intent.

My opinion? If he wants to be a snowbird for 6 months, he should get a B2 visa. He's pensioner so he stands a good chance of getting one.

Re: Get citizenship asap.
 

I've moved the post FL as it isn't really anything to do with immigration per se.

:)

Re: Get citizenship asap.
 

Let me just that I had to formulate my question carefully so as to avoid exactly that pitfall. :) Too many Germans in BC right?

Re: Get citizenship asap.
 

No need to skirt around racism. The lawyer has the answer

Something is severely broken in the citizenship system,” said Vancouver lawyer Richard Kurland,

Another "problem" Jason Kenny has "fixed."