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Caribbean 360 is reporting that Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said he is reinforcing the government’s commitment to tackling citizenship fraud through measures proposed in Bill C-24, the “Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act.” An ongoing “large-scale” fraud investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) identified more than 3,000 citizens and 5,000 permanent residents linked to major investigations.
In an effort to “reinforce the value of citizenship” and “ensure new Canadians are fully prepared to participate in Canadian life and have a stronger attachment to Canada” the government will have stronger penalties for those who commit fraud.
The article states:
“Under the new legislation, the Canadian government will have the authority to develop regulations to designate a regulatory body whose members would be authorized to act as consultants on citizenship matters.
The proposed measure includes stronger penalties for fraud and misrepresentation (a maximum fine of CAN$100,000 and/or five years in prison); expanding the grounds to bar an application for citizenship to include foreign criminality, ‘which will help improve program integrity’; and making it an offense for unauthorized individuals to ‘knowingly represent or advise a person on a citizenship application or hearing for a fee.’”
Two thousand individuals linked to the citizenship fraud investigations have withdrawn their applications.
Read more at Caribbean 360.
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