Latest news with #RefugeesandCitizenship
Toronto Star
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Federal minister plans to hold consultations this summer on immigration intake
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Lena Metlege Diab rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Thursday, June 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld ajw flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
Toronto Sun
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Federal minister plans to hold consultations this summer on immigration intake
Published Jun 27, 2025 • 1 minute read Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Lena Metlege Diab rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Thursday, June 5, 2025. Photo by Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Lena Diab says the federal government will consult this summer on its immigration levels plan and whether the student visa system is 'sustainable.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account In a recent interview with University Affairs, Diab says the annual consultations will reach out to the provinces, university administrators and students themselves. An Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada spokeswoman says the government expects schools to only accept students they can 'reasonably support' by providing housing and other services. Post-secondary institutions across the country are posting deficit budgets this year, laying off staff and cutting programs as international student enrolment drops. The government last year announced a cap on study permit applications and a gradual decrease in the number of student visas. Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner says her party wants to see an 'immediate and massive' reduction in student visas due to high youth unemployment and the housing crisis. In May, Statistics Canada reported the unemployment rate among returning students had hit 20 per cent, a three per cent increase over the previous year. Toronto Raptors News Music Toronto Raptors Canada
Toronto Sun
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Visitors on expired visas expected to leave on their own: Immigration Minister
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Lena Metlege Diab rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Thursday, June 5, 2025. Photo by Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS Visitors who have stayed in Canada well past their visa expiry dates are required to leave the country on their own, Immigration Minister Lena Diab said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account It is not up to the Immigration Department to enforce the removal of deportees, she added. 'Anybody whose visa expired is expected to leave,' Diab said Monday night in the House of Commons, according to Blacklock's Reporter . A 2024 government briefing note indicated there may be up to half a million undocumented migrants in Canada. Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner questioned why the government allowed a large number of people into the country on temporary visas. 'Why is she persisting in letting in hundreds of thousands of people when Canada is in the middle of a health-care crisis?' said Rempel Garner. Diab replied that the Liberal government under new Prime Minister Mark Carney is 'working towards sustainable immigration by reducing our temporary resident numbers.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'That's baloney,' said Rempel Garner. 'All the statistics show they've actually increased those numbers. Meanwhile, Canadians can't get into an emergency room. Why are they persisting in bringing in hundreds of thousands of students and foreign workers on temporary visas when people can't find jobs?' According to Diab, Canada has allowed 290,000 new foreign students so far this year. However, she didn't address how many of the 1,040,985 international students in Canada in 2023 are still here after their study permits expired. 'The reality is there were way less than 290,000 housing starts last year and there's a lot more than 290,000 people waiting for family doctors right now,' Rempel Garner said. 'Why is she persisting in raising immigration levels when people can't find a doctor or a job?' Diab reiterated that the government is working on sustainable immigration levels. In April 2024, a briefing note titled Undocumented Migrants said the number of people who didn't leave after their visas expired could be as much as half a million. 'There are no accurate figures representing the number or composition of undocumented immigrants residing in Canada,' the note said. 'Estimates suggest the population could be a high as 500,000.' Read More NHL Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Columnists Toronto Blue Jays
Cision Canada
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Cision Canada
The Government of Canada introduces citizenship by descent legislation for Canadians Français
OTTAWA, ON, June 5, 2025 /CNW/ - Canadian citizenship lies at the heart of what it means to be Canadian, providing a sense of belonging and connection to a diverse, inclusive, and democratic nation. For many newcomers to Canada, citizenship is key to integration and we are committed to making the citizenship process as fair and transparent as possible. As a result of the first-generation limit to citizenship by descent for individuals born abroad, most Canadian citizens who are citizens by descent cannot pass on citizenship to their child born or adopted outside Canada. The current first-generation limit to citizenship no longer reflects how Canadian families live today—here at home and around the world—and the values that define our country. Today, the Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, introduced legislation that would extend citizenship by descent beyond the first generation in a way that is inclusive and protects the value of Canadian citizenship. Bill C-3 would: automatically give Canadian citizenship to any person who would be a citizen today were it not for the first-generation limit or certain outdated provisions of previous citizenship legislation establish a new framework for citizenship by descent going forward that would allow for access to citizenship beyond the first generation based on a Canadian parent's substantial connection to Canada demonstrated by at least 1,095 cumulative days (i.e., three years) of physical presence in Canada prior to their child's birth or adoption. People who may be impacted by the changes proposed in Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025), will no doubt have questions about what this means for them and their families. If the bill passes both Houses of Parliament and receives Royal Assent, we will work as quickly as possible to bring these changes into effect and will provide more information for eligible individuals on our website. Quote: "Citizenship is more than a legal status—it's a profound connection to the values, history, and spirit of Canada. By requiring those who pass citizenship to their children born abroad beyond the first generation to have a substantial connection to our country we are honouring that bond. It reflects our belief that being Canadian means more than just a place of birth; it's about belonging, shared experiences, and a commitment to the inclusive and diverse community we all call home." – The Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Quick facts: The first Canadian Citizenship Act of 1947 contained several now-outdated provisions that caused many people to either lose their Canadian citizenship or not acquire it in the first place. Legislative changes in 2009 and 2015 restored or gave citizenship to the vast majority of "Lost Canadians" who had lost it or never received it due to outdated legislation. Approximately 20,000 people became citizens and were issued certificates of Canadian citizenship as a result of these changes. Under the former section 8 of the Citizenship Act, some individuals lost citizenship at the age of 28. These were people born beyond the first generation abroad between February 15, 1977, and April 16, 1981, who turned 28 and failed to retain their citizenship before the first-generation limit was introduced in 2009. On December 19, 2023, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice declared that key provisions of the first-generation limit, which generally limits citizenship by descent to persons who are born abroad to a Canadian parent who was themselves born or naturalized in Canada, are unconstitutional. The Government of Canada did not appeal the ruling because we agree that the current law has unacceptable consequences for Canadians whose children were born outside the country. SOURCE Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Government of Canada introduces citizenship by descent legislation for Canadians
OTTAWA, ON, June 5, 2025 /CNW/ - Canadian citizenship lies at the heart of what it means to be Canadian, providing a sense of belonging and connection to a diverse, inclusive, and democratic nation. For many newcomers to Canada, citizenship is key to integration and we are committed to making the citizenship process as fair and transparent as possible. As a result of the first-generation limit to citizenship by descent for individuals born abroad, most Canadian citizens who are citizens by descent cannot pass on citizenship to their child born or adopted outside Canada. The current first-generation limit to citizenship no longer reflects how Canadian families live today—here at home and around the world—and the values that define our country. Today, the Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, introduced legislation that would extend citizenship by descent beyond the first generation in a way that is inclusive and protects the value of Canadian citizenship. Bill C-3 would: automatically give Canadian citizenship to any person who would be a citizen today were it not for the first-generation limit or certain outdated provisions of previous citizenship legislation establish a new framework for citizenship by descent going forward that would allow for access to citizenship beyond the first generation based on a Canadian parent's substantial connection to Canada demonstrated by at least 1,095 cumulative days (i.e., three years) of physical presence in Canada prior to their child's birth or adoption. People who may be impacted by the changes proposed in Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025), will no doubt have questions about what this means for them and their families. If the bill passes both Houses of Parliament and receives Royal Assent, we will work as quickly as possible to bring these changes into effect and will provide more information for eligible individuals on our website. Quote: "Citizenship is more than a legal status—it's a profound connection to the values, history, and spirit of Canada. By requiring those who pass citizenship to their children born abroad beyond the first generation to have a substantial connection to our country we are honouring that bond. It reflects our belief that being Canadian means more than just a place of birth; it's about belonging, shared experiences, and a commitment to the inclusive and diverse community we all call home." – The Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Quick facts: The first Canadian Citizenship Act of 1947 contained several now-outdated provisions that caused many people to either lose their Canadian citizenship or not acquire it in the first place. Legislative changes in 2009 and 2015 restored or gave citizenship to the vast majority of "Lost Canadians" who had lost it or never received it due to outdated legislation. Approximately 20,000 people became citizens and were issued certificates of Canadian citizenship as a result of these changes. Under the former section 8 of the Citizenship Act, some individuals lost citizenship at the age of 28. These were people born beyond the first generation abroad between February 15, 1977, and April 16, 1981, who turned 28 and failed to retain their citizenship before the first-generation limit was introduced in 2009. On December 19, 2023, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice declared that key provisions of the first-generation limit, which generally limits citizenship by descent to persons who are born abroad to a Canadian parent who was themselves born or naturalized in Canada, are unconstitutional. The Government of Canada did not appeal the ruling because we agree that the current law has unacceptable consequences for Canadians whose children were born outside the country. Related products: Backgrounder – Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act Government of Canada introduces legislation for citizenship by descent Backgrounder - Bill C-71: An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2024) Canada will not appeal decision that strikes down first-generation limit to Canadian citizenship by descent Follow us: SOURCE Citizenship and Immigration Canada View original content: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
