As early as June, new Canadian citizens will be able to swear themselves in without a judge.
The Canadian Gazette, a federal government agency, recently reported that as one of the plans to modernize the immigration process, it is discussing a plan to reorganize the citizenship oath so that applicants can proceed on their own.
This kind of attempt is to improve the immigration screening backlog that has been exacerbated through the pandemic. As the government’s various administrative processes were paralyzed due to the corona crisis, there were situations in which those who passed the citizenship test could not take the oath ceremony.
The Federal Immigration Department expects that the waiting time will be reduced by about three months if the oath ceremony is liberalized.
Currently, citizenship ceremonies are held face-to-face or non-face-to-face on weekdays or Saturdays. However, many applicants feel burdened when the oath ceremony is held during weekday working hours.
According to the 2021 census, only 45.7% of permanent residents obtained citizenship within 10 years. This is a steady decline compared to 75.1% in 2001 and 60% in 2016, showing that citizenship is waning in popularity.
However, some argue that the citizenship ceremony is not a simple event, but a milestone for a sense of belonging and commitment to Canada, and that the autonomous ceremony undermines the value of citizenship.