Changes would take away automatic citizenship

dumpthemonarchy

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The ultimate in citizenship of convenience, tourism citizenship. It's a gross abuse of the system.

Ten years ago I would have disagreed with this, but now, I agree. A person cannot be born in a country, leave, and then call themselves a citizen of that country. They will not know the language, culture or customs, so they aren't Canadians.

If I was working in China with a non-Chinese wife, had a child born in China, no one in China would consider that child to be a Chinese citizen. Same for so many other countries. Whatever is given away too cheaply, debases the product. Ten years ago the term citizenship of convenience didn't exist, now it does, for good reason.



Changes would take away automatic citizenship | Canada | News | Toronto Sun





Changes would take away automatic citizenship

51

By Mark Dunn ,Senior National Reporter First posted: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 05:46 PM EST | Updated: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 07:23 PM EST



http://www.torontosun.com/2012/02/22/changes-would-take-away-automatic-citizenship#


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OTTAWA - Immigration Minister Jason Kenney says the government is considering citizenship law changes to prevent so-called anchor babies from automatically becoming citizens.

Kenney says his department is not sure how widespread the problem is of foreign women duping the system by coming to Canada on tourist and visitor visas for the sole purpose of having a child.

"This is not a new phenomena. We have been aware of this happening for some time," Kennedy said in Vancouver where he announced changes to speed up the recognition of foreign credentials.

"In fact ... hospital administrators in Montreal have raised the problem with me ...in that they have seen a growing number of people ostensibly as visitors giving birth to children and immediately leaving without paying their hospital bill."

Kenney was reacting to reports in Canada and Asia that pregnant Chinese women are coming to Canada to have a baby so the child is a citizen.

The Chinese fraud is mostly based in Hong Kong where bogus immigration agents are coaching wealthy mainlanders how to keep their pregnancies hidden while entering Canada.

All babies born in Canada are considered citizens - meaning they could return later in life as students, for example, and sponsor their parents under family reunification applications. Many other countries do not grant automatic citizenship to babies born to foreigners.
Kenney could not say if the problem is widespread outside the Chinese community.

"We don't want people to get the idea that citizenship is a way to get a passport of convenience, that Canada is a country to be exploited," he said.

Opposition politicians said any changes being considered should be brought before Parliament, and not left for the minister to arbitrarily implement as he has done in the past.

"Allow politicians from all political parties to weigh in on the issue as opposed to 'Gee whiz, I hear about this, I want to glorify the issue and I want to talk tough,"' said Liberal immigration critic Kevin Lamoureux.

Kenney's officials say the matter will be brought before the Commons citizenship and immigration committee before changes are made.
 

B00Mer

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same argument in the USA with Anchor Babies.

I disagree, where do they cut off the line, and who want's to be a citizen of China anyhow, they come here in ship containers.

Canada and the USA are above this..

Born here, you are a Canadian.. period.
 

EagleSmack

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Born here, you are a Canadian.. period.

Not entirely true...

Section 3(2) of the Current Act states that Canadian citizenship is not granted to a child born in Canada if, at the time of his/her birth, neither of his/her parents was a Canadian citizen or Canadian permanent resident and either parent was a diplomatic or consular officer or other representative or employee of a foreign government in Canada or an employee of such a person.
However, should the immigration status of the parents of such persons change to permanent resident, they may be granted citizenship immediately, or when the parents acquire citizenship through naturalization, at the discretion of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
 

dumpthemonarchy

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same argument in the USA with Anchor Babies.

I disagree, where do they cut off the line, and who want's to be a citizen of China anyhow, they come here in ship containers.

Canada and the USA are above this..

Born here, you are a Canadian.. period.

That is too arbitrary, too automatic. It's a once size fits all approach, it doesn't allow judgement. It didn't happen much in the old days, but now with jet travel, it can happen all too easily. Like pot, citizenship has to be regulated for maximum benefit and the least harm for Canadians. The world is now a more complicated place.

People from many countries want to work in China and do business, western countries are not the only places where the unemployed want to work and look for opportunity.
 

Spade

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Not entirely true...

Section 3(2) of the Current Act states that Canadian citizenship is not granted to a child born in Canada if, at the time of his/her birth, neither of his/her parents was a Canadian citizen or Canadian permanent resident and either parent was a diplomatic or consular officer or other representative or employee of a foreign government in Canada or an employee of such a person.
However, should the immigration status of the parents of such persons change to permanent resident, they may be granted citizenship immediately, or when the parents acquire citizenship through naturalization, at the discretion of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Thank you for clarifying this issue for posters of convenience.
 

TenPenny

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Not only that, but if you are a Canadian who was adopted after being born in a foreign country, and gained your Canadian citizenship in that country, ie, before coming to Canada, and you have any children while in a foreign country, they are not automatically Canadians.
 

Cannuck

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My brother was born in Germany, in a military hospital, while my dad was stationed there. He is not a Canadian Citizen. Bureaucrats tell him he should be but....
 

DaSleeper

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I think I may have posted it before; A good friend that I worked with for 40 years happened to be born in Detroit in the '40s while his father was working there....they came back to Canada before he was a year old.
He was baptized in Canada got his social insurance number (When they were first issued in the '60s your employer looked after that, and you didn't have to show a birth certificate)
Since I'm a year older, I went through the CPP application first, so I knew the paperwork necessary and told him that he better check on it before the time comes....
Well, he had to get his long form birth certificate from Detroit M. Go to Timmins to finally get sworn in as a Citizen....The whole process took almost a year.
 

IdRatherBeSkiing

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I think it reasonable to not grant citizenship to babies born in Canada unless one of their parents is a Canadian citizen. I would even say or landed immigrant as well. Seems the problem is the travelling pregnant women.
 

karrie

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Citizenship should be for which country AND culture they'll be raised in, not which piece of land they fell out on. Birth place should be a factor, the citizenship of the parents should be a factor, their desire for the child's citizenship should be a factor, as well as where the child will actually be residing. I'm just not sure what the 'necessary' combination should be.
 

Corduroy

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Seems the problem is the travelling pregnant women.

Mmhmm, they're everywhere. Just the other day I saw one give birth on a bus. She was wearing a sombrero and a burqa. Kid popped out and you know the first thing that happened? Well, after the mother strapped a suicide bomber vest to him.... Michaelle Jean (a black immigrant!) came by and awarded him the Order of Canada, the first of an annual cheque for $30,000, a job (your job!) and Canadian flag diaper. He shat in the diaper instantly. Then mom and baby took their money back to Saudi Uzmexistan laughing "those foolish Canadians" all the way home.
 

dumpthemonarchy

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I think it reasonable to not grant citizenship to babies born in Canada unless one of their parents is a Canadian citizen. I would even say or landed immigrant as well. Seems the problem is the travelling pregnant women.

The bueaucrats make problems for children whose parents are Canadians, but born outside Canada. Yet, tourists having kids born in Canada get automatice citizenship? The accidental tourist can get citizenship on a red carpet, yet those Canadians who run afoul of bureaucratic rules get stonewalled. But Canadians who have commitment and history on their side get short shrift.

Seems like the govt wants to eliminate abuses by targetting the wrong people, so eliminating automatice tourististic citizenship would put the govt at ease.The govt seems draconian against us, when they don't need to be. Be draconian against non-Canadians.
 

EagleSmack

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The bueaucrats make problems for children whose parents are Canadians, but born outside Canada. Yet, tourists having kids born in Canada get automatice citizenship? The accidental tourist can get citizenship on a red carpet, yet those Canadians who run afoul of bureaucratic rules get stonewalled..

Not according to Canada's laws. Visiting tourists who have babies in Canada are not automatically Canadian citizens. That doesn't mean to say that Canada kicks them out or they don't find their way into the Canadian safety net.
 

dumpthemonarchy

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Not according to Canada's laws. Visiting tourists who have babies in Canada are not automatically Canadian citizens. That doesn't mean to say that Canada kicks them out or they don't find their way into the Canadian safety net.

I suppose the babies don't get citizenship immedialtely via twitter, fax or email, but they can get it. You are obfuscating here.

People are getting citizenship who have no idea or commitment to the country. Citizenship isn't free, culurally, emotionally, or financially. We have a lot of free lunchers on this topic.