How Canadian citizenship processes may change in the future

IRCC released details of its report on the citizenship program between 2013 and 2018.

A recent immigration department self-evaluation highlights areas where Canadian citizenship processes could be improved.
Cost of citizenship should be addressed
While increases to the application fee over the evaluation period did not have a major impact on overall uptake, IRCC noticed that it was a barrier for certain immigrants. Refugee and families with lower incomes were particularly affected.
Currently, there is no flexibility around citizenship application fees. They run about $630 for adults and $100 for minors under age 18.
IRCC wrote that there is a need to re-examine the fee structure to allow equitable access to citizenship.
In the 2019 federal election campaign, the Liberal Party promised to axe citizenship fees. They have not yet delivered on this promise.
People who are facing socio-economic challenges in Canada also face barriers to citizenship with the current knowledge and language requirements.
IRCC found that meeting these two requirements can be difficult, particularly for refugees and people with low language proficiency and education. These requirements can be waived on compassionate grounds, but the parameters are not well-defined for these cases. As a result, most waivers end up being issued on a medical opinion.

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