The below charts explain some of the changes that have been made to the Citizenship Act and indicates when these changes are expected to come into force:
The most important changes that take effect immediately upon Royal Assent on June 19, 2017
| Previous Citizenship Act | Citizenship Act with Bill C-6 Amendments |
| Applicants were required to intend to continue to live in Canada if granted citizenship | This provision is repealed. Applicants are no longer required to intend to continue to live in Canada once granted citizenship. This provides more flexibility to Canadians who may need to live outside of Canada for work or personal reasons |
| The Minister had the discretion to waive certain requirements under subsection 5(1) of the Citizenship Act so a minor could obtain citizenship without a Canadian parent | Minors can now apply for citizenship without a Canadian parent, as the age requirement for citizenship has been removed under subsection 5(1). A person having custody of the minor or empowered to act on their behalf by court order, written agreement or operation of law, can now apply for citizenship on behalf of the minor, unless that requirement is waived by the Minister |
| The requirement for applicants to maintain the requirements for citizenship from the time they apply for citizenship until taking the Oath of Citizenship only applied to applications received on or after June 11, 2015 | This requirement now also applies to all applications, including those received before June 11, 2015 |
For more information regarding this section, here is the link: httpss://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2017/06/bill_c-6_receivesroyalassent0.html
Changes expected to take effect this fall:
| Previous Citizenship Act | Citizenship Act with Bill C-6 Amendments |
| Applicants had to be physically present in Canada for four out of six years before applying for citizenship | Applicants must be physically present in Canada for three out of five years before applying for citizenship |
| Applicants had to file Canadian income taxes, if required to do so under the Income Tax Act, for four out of six years, matching the physical presence requirement | Applicants must file Canadian income taxes, if required to do so under the Income Tax Act, for three out of five years, matching the new physical presence requirement |
| Applicants had to be physically present in Canada for 183 days in four out of the six years preceding their application | This provision is repealed. Applicants no longer have to meet this requirement |
| Time spent in Canada prior to becoming a permanent resident did not count towards the physical presence requirement for citizenship | Applicants may count each day they were physically present in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person before becoming a permanent resident as a half-day toward meeting the physical presence requirement for citizenship, up to a maximum credit of 365 days |
| Applicants between 14 and 64 years had to meet the language and knowledge requirements for citizenship | Applicants between 18 and 54 years must meet the language and knowledge requirements for citizenship |
Many permanent residents are looking forward to the new changes expected to take effect this fall.
Here is also the link to more changes expected to take effect in early 2018 httpss://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2017/06/bill_c-6_receivesroyalassent0.html
Source: IRCC website
