After 76 years of traditional citizenship ceremonies, new Canadians will no longer have to publicly swear an oath to become a citizen as of July 1, under proposed changes to citizenship regulations.
In a Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, the federal Department of Citizenship and Immigration detailed amendments that would give the government “broad discretion to allow clients to take the Oath by other means and not necessarily before an authorized individual.”
Under the proposed new regulations, the government would “modernize” the program and “allow for self-administration of the Oath of Citizenship.”
“Clients would be able to take the Oath via a secure online solution, without the presence of an authorized person, which could eliminate up to three months of processing time, or at a ceremony in front of an authorized person,” says the document.
The regulations requiring a ceremony would be removed.
The Oath of Citizenship has been a legal requirement to become a Canadian since 1947.
Potential new Canadians must attend a public citizenship ceremony before a judge or other public official, raise their right hand, and state the following: “I swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III, King of Canada, his heirs and successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada including the Constitution which recognizes and affirms the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.”
The department noted that increased demand, in-person and paper-based processing, as well as COVID considerations, have resulted in processing times “well beyond the published service standard of 12 months.”
“In the 5 years from 2016–2017 to 2021–2022, citizenship grant applications have more than doubled, from 113 000 to 243 000. Immigration levels continue to rise, with a target of 500 000 permanent residents for 2025, which will contribute to ongoing increases in citizenship applications,” said the document.
The Immigration department says it had launched digital and online initiatives to modernize the program and reduce wait times. The government began offering electronic citizenship applications due to COVID-19 on April 1, 2020, and also provides online citizenship tests, an online tracker, virtual ceremonies, and electronic certificates of Canadian citizenship.
During lockdowns, 15,290 ceremonies were performed by videoconference over a two-year period.
The department said there will be a historic 300,000 new citizenship applications processed this 2022–2023 fiscal year, an increase of approximately 34 percent over the 202–2022 fiscal year, “as a result of these innovations, temporary funding, and additional hiring.”
