IRCC celebrates Citizenship Week each year as a way to honor and reflect on the importance of Canadian identity and its new citizens.
Today, the Honorable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, announced the start of Citizenship Week, which runs from May 22 to May 28, 2023. Vancouver, British Columbia, and Halifax, Nova Scotia, will host citizenship ceremonies with the Minister present. Canadian citizens will soon number in the thousands. Citizenship ceremonies can be a meaningful experience for those who have achieved this milestone. It confers both the benefits and obligations of being a Canadian.
As a way to commemorate Citizenship Week, everyone is welcome to attend citizenship ceremonies taking place across the country. As well as watching the broadcast from Halifax, Canadians can watch it on May 24. A significant number of improvements in the citizenship area have been made by the IRCC through the use of online testing, virtual citizenship ceremonies, and online application trackers.
Over 364,000 new citizens became citizens of Canada in 2017, exceeding the country’s target for citizenship. The number of new residents in Canada has already reached 85,000 in the first three months of 2023. Approximately 19% of the new citizens (around 44%) are Indians, while 54% of them are Filipinos, Nigerians, Syrians, Pakistanis, Iranians, Chinese, Americans, and British.
Canadian citizenship week celebration – What is it?
After passing the citizenship test and interview, you will be invited to a citizenship ceremony to become a Canadian citizen. In the ceremony, participants take the Oath of Citizenship to signify. They accept the rights and responsibilities of becoming a Canadian citizen. This process is usually overseen by a citizenship judge.
Over the course of this period, over 30,000 people took the Oath of Citizenship on average per month, surpassing pre-COVID-19 numbers. Approximately 13,000 new Canadians are expected to be welcomed in nearly 100 citizenship ceremonies during Citizenship Week.
Canadian citizenship – Who is eligible for it?
IRCC allows permanent residents to apply for citizenship after physically residing in Canada for three years out of the five years immediately prior to the application.
Since Canadian citizens are not required to reside in the country, being a Canadian has benefits. A Canadian passport is also available to them. As well as the right to vote at all levels of government, including local, provincial, and federal levels.
