Ottawa intends to revoke the citizenship of 1,800 people it believes obtained their status through fraudulent means, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney says.
The decision to revoke citizenship is rare, and a large-scale crackdown such as this one appears to be unprecedented. Fewer than 70 citizenships have ever been revoked since the Citizenship Act was passed in 1947.
The people were identified through investigations conducted across the country by police and the Citizenship and Immigration Department. People identified by the investigations will receive letters informing them of the government's decision.
Most of the 1,800 individuals are believed to be living outside Canada, Kenney told reporters on Wednesday in Toronto.
The minister said the move sends a "very clear message" to anyone who thinks of abusing Canada's citizenship system.
"We are in the process of notifying them that we will revoke their citizenship because Canadian citizenship is not for sale," Kenney said.
"We believe that the vast majority of new Canadian citizens respect our laws. There is a small but not insignificant number who hired crooked consultants to obtain fake proof of residency."
......
Kurland said the move will most likely affect individuals from the Middle East and Persian Gulf countries, as well as China.
...........
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2 ... visas.html
I think this is great, because people will think twice about trying to obtain citizenship illegally if they know this can happen to them.
