Immigration Department suspends citizenship for 67 'lost Canadians' as it reviews program

Immigration Department suspends citizenship for 67 'lost Canadians' as it reviews program

Guidance for applicants and officers was 'unclear,' department says

The federal government suspended 67 citizenship certificates issued under its "lost Canadians" legislation, while acknowledging that its guidance on acceptable documentation had been "unclear."

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reviewed all of the approximately 6,500 applications it received for citizenship by descent after Bill C-3 passed late last year, the department said on Tuesday.

As a result of the review, the department "found that guidance on acceptable documentation for both officers and applicants was unclear and may have contributed to certificates being issued without sufficient evidence."

CBC News reported on the suspensions two weeks ago, but until now the government had declined to say exactly how many certificates were affected.

The 67 suspended certificates represent "roughly one per cent of total certificates issued under C-3 to date," IRCC said.

The department said it is now confirming their eligibility or requesting additional information.

Thousands of people around the world — half of whom are Americans — received Canadian citizenship as a result of the change allowing applications from those with verifiable Canadian ancestry.

Prior to Bill C-3, Canadian citizenship by descent was limited to the first generation born or adopted outside Canada to a Canadian citizen. That limitation was struck down by the courts as unconstitutional.

'Insufficient supporting documentation'

In a news conference last week, Immigration Minister Lena Diab said she had told her department to investigate when she became aware that "something" had happened to trigger a wave of citizenship document recalls.

Diab would not specify what led to this review, but said IRCC was temporarily pausing applications pending an audit.

"We are not finalizing any new applications and all applications are being reviewed," she said. "Those that are deemed to be OK are being told you're fine."

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IRCC now says it had initially identified 100 citizenship certificates issued under C-3 with "potentially insufficient supporting documentation," prompting the review of all applications.

A third of those certificates were automatically reinstated upon "confirming that the applicant met the legal requirement for citizenship," it said.

To ensure adequate documentation is submitted in future, IRCC said it has now "reinforced guidance to our officers and provided clearer information for applicants about what documentation is required from them in this process."

Campbell MacDiarmid is a reporter with the CBC Ottawa bureau