The Canadian citizenship oath could just be a click away

01 Mar 2023

加拿大公民宣誓只需点击一下即可 拟议的修正案将允许公民在线进行宣誓要求，而无需由授权个人主持的仪式。 The Canadian citizenship oath could just be a click away Proposed amendments will allow citizens to do the oath requirement online without a ceremony led by an authorized individual.

自 1947 年以来，宣誓就成为成为加拿大公民的法定要求。宣誓是入籍申请者为遵守加拿大法律，履行公民义务而作出的庄严誓言。通常，新公民必须在虚拟或当面仪式上在公民身份法官面前宣誓或确认誓言。 Since 1947, swearing an oath is a legal requirement to becoming a Canadian citizen. Swearing an oath is a solemn vow taken by citizenship applicants to abide by Canadian laws and fulfil their duties as citizens. Typically, new citizens must swear or affirm the oath before a citizenship judge at virtual or in person ceremonies.

这些仪式通常安排在工作日和工作时间。移民部门称，许多新公民必须请假参加入籍仪式，而这个时间不一定由雇主支付。 These ceremonies are usually scheduled on weekdays and during work hours. The immigration department claims that many new citizens must take time off work to attend citizenship ceremonies, and this time is not necessarily paid by employers.

加拿大移民、难民和公民部 (IRCC) 宣布，正在提议对《公民条例》进行修正，这将为公民宣誓提供灵活性。最早从 2023 年 6 月开始，未来的加拿大公民可能可以在没有公民法官在场的情况下自行宣誓。 Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced that amendments to the Citizenship Regulations are being proposed that would provide flexibility with the citizenship oath. Starting as soon as June 2023, future Canadian citizens may be able to take the oath on their own, without the presence of a citizenship judge.

根据拟议的条例，移民部长将拥有广泛的自由裁量权，允许公民通过其他方式宣誓，而不必在授权人面前宣誓。客户将能够通过安全的在线解决方案宣誓。这种宣誓的“自我管理”将允许公民在没有证人在场的情况下在线签署书面证明。 Under the proposed Regulations, the Immigration Minister would have broad discretion to allow citizens to take the oath by other means not necessarily before an authorized person. Clients would be able to take the oath via a secure online solution. This “self-administration” of the oath taking would allow citizens to sign a written attestation online without a witness present.

据 IRCC 称，这种灵活性将改善客户服务。最值得注意的是，提议的更改是为了减少申请积压和处理时间。 IRCC 表示，这一变化最多可减少三个月的处理时间，将目前的公民身份处理时间从 24 个月缩短至 21 个月。 According to IRCC, this flexibility would improve client service. Most notably, the proposed change is an attempt to reduce application backlogs and processing times. IRCC says the change could eliminate up to three months of processing time, reducing the current citizenship processing time of 24 months to 21 months.

当前处理积压 Current processing backlogs

每年，成千上万的人申请加拿大公民身份。需求增加和 COVID-19 大流行等因素导致申请处理时间远远超过 12 个月的服务标准。 Every year, thousands of individuals apply for Canadian citizenship. Increased demand and factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in application processing times well beyond the service standard of 12 months.

尽管如此，预计到 2025 年，加拿大将引进 50 万新永久居民。有关拟议修正案的监管影响分析声明指出，目前公民申请库存为 358,000。预计随着新的永久居民的到来，这一数字会增加，处理时间可能会受到影响。 Nonetheless, Canada is expected to bring in half a million new permanent residents by 2025. The Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement concerning the proposed amendment provides that the citizenship application inventory is currently at 358,000. This is expected to grow with the new permanent residents and processing times will likely be affected.

这不是 IRCC 第一次使用技术来帮助解决处理时间长的问题。旨在使公民计划现代化的其他举措在过去一年中取得了成果。这些举措包括以电子方式提供和处理公民身份申请、进行在线公民身份测试以及举行虚拟公民身份仪式。 This is not the first time that IRCC has used technology to help address long processing times. Other initiatives aimed at modernizing the Citizenship program have shown results in the past year. These initiatives include providing and processing citizenship applications electronically, conducting online citizenship tests, and holding virtual citizenship ceremonies.

由于这些举措，IRCC 有望在 2022-2023 财年处理创纪录的 300,000 份新公民申请，高于 2021-2022 财年的 34%。 As a result of these initiatives, IRCC is on track to process a record 300,000 new citizenship applications during the 2022-2023 fiscal year, up from 34% from the 2021-2022 fiscal year.

公众有 30 天的时间就拟议的监管变更发表评论并提供反馈。 The public has 30 days to comment and provide feedback on the proposed regulatory change.

入籍资格标准 Citizenship eligibility criteria

为了有资格获得加拿大公民身份，您必须： In order to be eligible for Canadian citizenship, you must:

• 成为永久居民 - Be a permanent resident
• 报税（如有必要） - File your taxes (if necessary)
• 通过加拿大公民考试（如果您的年龄在 18 至 54 岁之间） - Pass a Canadian citizenship test (if you are between the ages of 18 and 54)
• 证明您的语言能力（如果您的年龄在 18 至 54 岁之间） - Prove your language skills (if you are between the ages of 18 and 54)
• 满足加拿大的实际存在要求 - Meet Canada’s physical presence requirements

为满足加拿大的实际居住要求，在申请加拿大公民身份之前，您必须在过去五年中至少在加拿大居住三年或 1,095 天。 To meet Canada’s physical presence requirements, you must have lived in the country for at least three years or 1,095 days out of the past five years before applying for Canadian citizenship.

如果您在成为永久居民之前曾作为临时居民或受保护人居住在加拿大，您可以将这段时间的一部分用于满足您的实际居住要求。在您申请之前的五年中，作为临时居民或受保护人在加拿大度过的每一天都算作半天，但您最多只能使用一年或 365 天来满足要求。 If you were living in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person before becoming a permanent resident, you can use some of that time toward your physical presence requirement. Each day spent in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person in the five years prior to your application would count as a half day, but you can only use a maximum of one year or 365 days towards the requirement.

IRCC 会免除公民申请费吗？ Will IRCC waive citizenship application fees?

在 COVID-19 大流行之前不久，加拿大政府宣布将免除新的加拿大公民申请者的费用。 Shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian government announced that it would waive the fees for new Canadian citizenship applicants.

加拿大移民部长肖恩·弗雷泽 (Sean Fraser) 在他的授权书中概述了费用减免。授权书是一份重要的移民政策文件，概述了部长在执政期间应追求的优先事项。 Sean Fraser, Canada’s immigration minister, outlined the fee waiver in his mandate letter. The mandate letter is an important immigration policy document that outlines the priorities the minister is expected to pursue during his time in power.

在 2022 年接受 CIC 新闻采访时，弗雷泽表示，IRCC 没有确定免除公民申请费的日期。日期尚未确定的原因是因为 IRCC 当局不存在免除公民费的决定。相反，权力在于联邦预算程序，并且没有为下一个联邦财政年度做出任何决定。 When asked in an interview with CIC News in 2022, Fraser said there is no date set for IRCC to waive citizenship application fees. The reason the date has not be determined is because the decision to waive citizenship fees does not exist within IRCC authority. Rather, the authority lies with the federal budgetary process and no decisions had been made for the next federal fiscal year.

FCGvisa translated, © CIC News All Rights Reserved.