Some people who were recently granted Canadian citizenship have received unexpected news: the federal government wants them to hand back their citizenship certificates. The request has thrown their plans for a new life in Canada into uncertainty, leaving recipients unsure where they stand.
The people affected are among more than 4,000 who were granted citizenship under Bill C-3, a law nicknamed the Lost Canadians Act. It opened the door for people with Canadian ancestors to apply for citizenship, and many had already begun building their futures around the documents they received.
One woman was granted her Canadian citizenship certificate back in March, hoping to leave the United States amid the political climate there. She had been preparing to relocate, selling her home and getting ready to move to the Maritimes, when a letter from Ottawa arrived over the weekend asking for the certificate to be returned. She described it as a complete and total shock.
In a notice sent to an undisclosed number of people, the federal government told recipients they may not be entitled to hold a Canadian certificate of citizenship. It said the documentation was not from the original source, and that it would conduct a thorough review to determine whether the certificate should be cancelled.
The sudden move has drawn criticism. Opposition critics said the suspensions affect people who had already made concrete plans to relocate and were now left in a limbo situation, calling that unacceptable when their connection is simply that they have a Canadian ancestor.
The immigration minister defended the approach, saying the government has been clear that each applicant must link their ancestry, generation for generation, through verified and authenticated documents. The review, the government said, is a necessary measure to protect the integrity of citizenship and public confidence in the process.
Immigration lawyers stressed that the people under review are still Canadian citizens and will have a chance to present more evidence, suggesting something occurred somewhere in the process that prompted the closer look. The federal government would not say how many letters had been issued in total.