Today, the Immigration Minister of Canada, Sean Fraser, announced the launch of citizenship week in Canada. The celebration will begin on May 22 and go on until May 28, 2023. Moreover, the minister will attend citizenship ceremonies in Canadian provinces, i.e., British Columbia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, etc.
Canada is all set to welcome thousands of new Canadians as citizens. Citizenship Week in Canada includes citizenship ceremonies, a meaningful experience for people reaching a significant milestone. This milestone includes people who can afford all the rights and responsibilities of being a Canadian.
Everyone is invited to celebrate this citizenship week in Canada by attending these ceremonies. In addition, Canadians might also join the live stream from Halifax on May 24.
IRCC has been working hard to modernize its services & has made crucial strides for citizenship via online testing, virtual citizenship ceremonies, online application trackers, etc.
Last year, Canada exceeded its citizenship goals by welcoming over 364,000. Moreover, the country has already received/ welcomed 85,000 newcomers in the first three months of this year (2023).
However, Indians continue to make up the highest proportion of new citizens, i.e., 19%. In contrast, citizens from the Philippines, Syria, Pakistan, Nigeria, Iran, China, the UK and the US cumulatively made it to 54%.
Citizenship Week In Canada: What Is A Citizenship Ceremony?
Once a candidate has completed the citizenship interview and test, they will be invited to a citizenship ceremony. Interestingly, this is the final step to becoming a Canadian citizen.
During this ceremony, participants take a citizenship pledge which is symbolic of selecting the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship. However, this process is primarily administered by a citizenship judge.
Between April 1, 2022, & March 31, 2023, nearly 30,000 people took the citizenship oath every month, thus exceeding the pandemic numbers. In addition, during citizenship week in Canada, almost 100 citizens planned to welcome over 13,000 new Canadians.
Canadian Citizenship: Who Can Apply?
IRCC allows permanent inhabitants to apply for Canadian citizenship after physically residing in the country for almost three out of five years, thus preceding the citizenship application.
Canadian Citizenship is beneficial because, unlike permanent inhabitants, Canadian citizens have no obligations related to residency. Moreover, they can receive Canadian passports & are entitled to vote in federal, municipal, and provincial elections.