Canada Citizenship Laws: Delayed – ASKMigration: Canadian Lifestyle Magazine

The changes to Canada’s first-generation limit (FGL) have been delayed. The Ontario Supreme Court has moved the deadline from June 19, 2024 to August 9, according to the court. A spokesperson for Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada says that the decision may warrant a delay until December.

According to the FGL rule any child born outside Canada of a Canadian parent/parents will not automatically be granted Canadian citizenship. Ontario’s Supreme Court ordered the federal government to amend the FGL rule, as it’s deemed unconstitutional due to its “lesser class of citizenship”. They set the deadline to June 19, 2024, but this hasn’t been achieved. The federal government instead set a deadline of August, which could still be extended to December this year.

A spokesperson from Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada confirmed in a statement to CTV that an official hearing will take place on August 1, 2024 to determine if a further extension of a few months is appropriate. Instead of June, it is possible that the federal government will announce the changes in the month of December. The Judge in the case requested a progress report on Bill C-71. This bill is due to be passed by December 19, 2024.

What is Bill C-71?

Bill C-71 is the proposed Act amending the FGL ruling about Canada’s Citizenship Act, which was implemented in 2009. Once accepted, the bill will become an Act and grant citizenship to eligible non-Canadians whose parents were Canadians or had a significant connection to Canada. The FGL ruling will be taken into consideration. A substantial connection means that one or both of the parents lived in Canada for a minimum of three years and 1,095 prior to the birth or adoption of the child.