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Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has recently proposed changes to the language requirements for Canadian citizenship.
The current process requires citizenship applicants to show they are able to communicate in one of Canada's two official languages, French or English, by taking a multiple choice test, and by demonstrating language ability to immigration officials by answering simple questions and understanding basic statements. Federal officials believe the current test does not adequately test listening and speaking skills.
Canadian Immigration's new rule would require applicants for Canadian citizenship to provide documentation confirming their stated language abilities.
"The ability to communicate effectively in either French or English is key to the success of new citizens in Canada," said Kenney in a recent interview with the Canada Gazette.
According to a press release by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, under the new rule, citizenship applicants will be able to prove their language proficiency in one of three ways:
- Successful completion of a third party language test
- Evidence of completion of secondary or post-secondary education in English or French
- Evidence of achieving basic proficiency in certain government funded language training programs
"This change will encourage applicants to ensure that they can speak English or French when they apply for citizenship, thereby improving the integrity and effectiveness of the citizenship program for Canada and for new Canadians alike," he added.
Under the current system, if officials report issues with an applicant's language abilities, the applicant must report to a citizenship judge who will then test the applicant's language skills. This causes major delays in the system; It is hoped that the proposed new requirements with documentation proving English ability having to be provided right at the beginning will result in faster processing of citizenship applications.
In order to apply for Canadian citizenship, immigrants must be permanent residents in Canada for at least three years. New immigrants should practice their French or English language skills ahead of applying for Canadian citizenship. The proposed changes would apply to all adult citizenship applications.
