Compared to major Western countries, Canada has one of the highest percentages of immigrants who obtain citizenship. Are you thinking to emigrate to Canada? Here are some advantages of becoming a Canadian citizen.
Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Canadian citizens are protected by the Canadian government under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Charter guarantees rights such as the freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion without infringing on other people’s lives.
Becoming a Canadian citizen also allows people to gain the right to vote and participate in Canadian politics. This means Canadian citizens can be elected as Members of Parliament and participate in managing the different levels of government that exist in Canada. You or your children could also someday become Prime Minister of Canada if you lead a major political party!
Canadian Passport
With a Canadian passport, you can travel to many countries without applying for a visa which makes travel way easier. According to the Henley Passport index, Canada ranks 7th for the number of visa free destinations a Canadian passport can access. That’s 185 countries a Canadian Citizen can travel to without needing to apply for a visa first before travelling there.
A Canadian citizen doesn’t have to fulfill a residency requirement in order to live in Canada, either; they can live wherever they want in Canada or, if they wanted to, anywhere in the world and they’d still be a Canadian citizen.
A PR, on the other hand, needs to fulfill a residency obligation, however, which is living in Canada at least 730 days in the past 5 years. Plus, a PR needs to renew a PR identification card regularly, whereas a citizen usually only needs to renew their passport every 10 years, but only if they want to hold a passport.
Post-Secondary Education
Have you ever thought about going back to school to study for a new career? Or maybe it’s your first time enrolling in college or university. Either way, being a post-secondary student can be expensive. International students pay a lot more than Canadian Citizens at college or university, sometimes up to three or four times more than a Canadian Citizen!
You’re never too old to go back to school, so if you meet the requirements why not save some money and become a Canadian Citizen first before finishing that master’s or doctorate.
Canadian Citizenship is Passed to the Next Generation
Stay comforted in the fact that if you are already a Canadian citizen and you’re expecting a new addition to your family, when your child is born in Canada they will also be an immediate Canadian and enjoy all the same benefits as you without needing to file huge amounts of paperwork and paying any fees.
If your child happens to be born outside of Canada, but you or your partner is a Canadian citizen, then you will need to file some papers and pay to prove the child’s Canadian heritage.
Keep in mind, this only applies to the first generation of children born outside of Canada. If your children have children, then they should make sure to return to Canada if they want them to automatically become Canadian citizens.
