In announcement made on June 19, 2014, the Canadian Government said that reforms to the Citizenship Act received final passage and Royal Assent. The Citizenship and Immigration Minister Honourable Chris Alexander said that the reform “ will strengthen access to citizenship to ensure that new citizens are better prepared for full participation and integration into Canadian society —. “

The new changes include: a) reducing the decision-making process from three steps to one; b) requiring 14-64 year-olds to meet knowledge and language requirements; c) giving authority to citizenship officers to decide all aspects of a citizenship application.

With regard to the reform, the Minister noted that  “Our government is proud to announce that the first comprehensive reforms to the Citizenship Act in a generation have now become law. Moving forward, the value of citizenship will be reinforced and new citizens will be able to acquire citizenship more quickly. Our government has strengthened the rules around access to citizenship to ensure that they reflect its true value, and that new citizens are better prepared for full participation for life in Canada. Canadian citizenship is highly valued around the world and, with this balanced set of reforms; our government is ensuring that this remains so. “For the detail, please see: reforms to the Citizenship Act

by Abebe Worku