Canada Publishes 3 Exceptional Reasons Foreigners May be Granted Citizenship outside Normal Rules
- Canada's immigration body has stated that discretionary citizenship grants exist outside the standard application process
- It is noteworthy that the grants are reserved for cases involving special hardship, statelessness, or exceptional service to Canada
- IRCC said processing times for these rare cases vary widely due to documentation, security checks, and case complexity
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Canada's Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has disclosed that foreigners can be granted citizenship through a discretionary process reserved for rare and exceptional circumstances, bypassing the country's standard naturalisation rules.
The details were outlined in IRCC's response to a question raised by MP Larry Maguire at the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration on March 20, 2023.
Source: Getty Images
The response was published on December 5, 2024, and applies to cases processed under the current framework.
3 grounds for discretionary citizenship in Canada
Under subsection 5(4) of the Citizenship Act, the federal government can grant citizenship outside the normal rules in only three situations:
1. Special and unusual hardship.
2. Statelessness.
3. Exceptional service to Canada.
IRCC said each application under this provision is assessed individually on its own merits, and the bar for approval is intentionally high.
The grants are described as applying "only in very exceptional cases," meaning most applicants will not qualify under this route.
Canadian citizenship: Processing times vary widely
IRCC said it does not track standard processing times for these cases because of how different each one is. The time needed to resolve an application depends on several factors, including how quickly an applicant or their representative submits the required documents, and whether security and criminal background checks or fingerprint results from partner agencies are still pending.
For urgent cases, the agency said turnaround depends on whether the applicant has already provided sufficient documentation and has no legal prohibitions that would bar them from receiving citizenship.
IRCC added that some files initially flagged as belonging to so-called "lost Canadians" — people who lost or never received Canadian citizenship due to historical provisions in the law — may later turn out not to qualify under that category after a closer review.
The agency said it continues to prioritise subsection 5(4) cases, including those involving lost Canadians, minors, and people who lost citizenship under Section 8 of the Citizenship Act.
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that Canada had published three reasons a person's citizenship application will be returned without processing.
How to confirm your Canadian citizenship application was received
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Canada had explained how to confirm that your citizenship application was received.
The guidance covers several categories of citizenship applications, including becoming a Canadian citizen, obtaining a citizenship certificate, searching citizenship records, resuming citizenship, and formally renouncing it.
The process for confirming receipt differs based on the submission method used for the Canadian citizenship application.
Source: Legit.ng
