As of 11,487 people acquired Canadian citizenship in the first quarter of this year, or 11.9 percent fewer compared to 96,207 registered in the first quarter of last year.
According to the figures of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the number of people who became new Canadian citizens from the beginning of this year until March 31 was 84,720, VisaGuide.World reports.
Among the most significant decreases when it comes to new Canadian citizenships numbers in the first quarter of this year was noted in the number of French nationals (1,408), Iranians (1,061), Filipinos (1,134), Syrians (2,075) as well as Ukrainians (1,056), in comparison to the figures of the same period last year.
At the same time, the most notable increase was noted in the number of Indians (1,169) and Nigerians (1,196) compared to the statistics of the first three months of last year.
According to a report by Immigration Canada, last year, a total of 375,355 immigrants acquired Canadian citizenship, accounting for a significant increase compared to 137,119 registered in 2021.
Canada celebrates its annual Citizenship Week from May 22 until May 28. During this period, all persons are invited to celebrate it by attending citizenship ceremonies taking place across the country.
“It is a great honor to participate in welcoming new members to our Canadian family,” Immigration Minister Sean Fraser pointed out in this regard.
In recent years, authorities in Canada applied several changes to their citizenship application processes, also taking into account the launch of its Citizenship Application Tracker, introduced in 2021, in order to help candidates learn about the status of their citizenship request and also be aware of any required next steps in order to complete it.
“As part of our efforts to modernize our services, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has made great strides when it comes to citizenship through online testing, virtual citizenship ceremonies, and an online application tracker that helps clients stay up to date on their files” the statement reads.
Through a statement, the government stressed that it is proud that Canada has surpassed its citizenship goals this past year, with about 364,000 new Canadian citizens.
In addition to the Citizenship Application Tracker, authorities in Canada also introduced an online application process for some clients interested in applying for a grant of citizenship, getting proof of citizenship, or looking for citizenship records.
Authorities in Canada are looking forward to bringing to the country a more significant number of internationals. The government of Canada said that there are about 100 citizenship ceremonies planned that will open the doors to about 13,00 new Canadians during this year’s Citizenship Week.
