Skip to main content

Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act

November 21, 2014 — Ottawa

Today, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced the coming into force of certain changes under the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act that will further protect the safety and security of Canadians and the integrity of Canada’s immigration system.

The Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act is expediting the removal of foreign criminals from Canada, while making it harder for those who pose a risk to Canadians to enter the country. 

The new changes will deter and prevent abuse of the immigration system and safeguard Canadians by:

Increasing the penalty for misrepresentation from a two- to a five-year period of inadmissibility, as well as a five-year ban on applying for permanent resident status. This change will help deter fraudulent applications and sends a strong message to those who would abuse our system that giving false or misleading information has serious consequences.

Barring temporary entry to immediate family members of those who are inadmissible to Canada on the most serious grounds, including national security, human or international rights violations or organized criminality. This new measure will ensure that individuals who pose a serious danger are unable to use their relatives to expand their networks in Canada.

Quick facts

Because of the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act:

Convicted criminals sentenced to more than six months imprisonment in Canada are now being removed more quickly as they no longer have the right to file an appeal to the Immigration and Refugee Board’s Immigration Appeal Division.

As well, those who have a foreign conviction or committed an action outside Canada that carries a maximum sentence of at least 10 years in Canada are also barred from filing an appeal.

Foreign nationals who are inadmissible on the most serious grounds, including national security, human or international rights violations or organized criminality, no longer have access to a program that is meant for cases deserving of humanitarian and compassionate consideration.

Quote

“Canada continues to facilitate legitimate trade and travel however we will not tolerate abuse of our immigration system or put our country at risk. The new measures introduced by our government under the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act increase our ability to protect the safety and security of Canadians.”

Chris Alexander, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Immigration Corner | What is an Authorisation to Return to Canada?

Immigration Corner | What is an Authorisation to Return to Canada? : Dear Miss Powell, I used to live in Canada, but I was sent home. My cousin is getting married and I have an invitation to attend the wedding. Can I reapply for a visitor’s visa? What are the chances of my application being successful? Thank you Dear WW, A foreign national who has contravened the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and its regulations can be the subject of a removal order from Canada and may need to apply for an Authorization to Return to Canada (ARC), and a Temporary Resident (visitor’s) visa. The success of your application depends on the reason that you were “sent home”, the type of removal order that was issued against you, the length of time that has passed, as well as your current social and economic situation. At the time of your departure from Canada, did you notify the Canadian Border Services Agency? Did they give you a letter confirming your departure? You should have received...

Immigration Corner | Good news for truck drivers, nurse aides

  BOOK A ZOOM CONSULTATION Dear Mrs Powell, I am a 28-years-old truck driver, and my wife is a nurse aide. We have one son. We are interested in moving to Canada, but we are not sure how to go about applying. We read your articles all the time and we are hoping you would answer our question in  The Gleaner . We are law-abiding and have been saving our money to make sure we have the required savings. We are just not sure if our occupation would qualify us to apply. Please let us know how we could qualify. Thank you. CW Dear CW, There are various programmes available for individuals and couples who are interested in living and working in Canada. The key is to apply for the correct programme based on your work experience, education, and other credentials. The most popular route to apply to become a permanent resident is via the Express Entry System. This portal manages applications from individuals who can demonstrate that they are eligible to enter the pool of eligible candidate...

Immigration Corner | Married to a Canadian, will they harass me?

Immigration Corner | Married to a Canadian, will they harass me? : Dear Miss Powell, I am married to a Canadian citizen. Before we were married, I had my visitor’s visa, so I was going back and forth, and he did the same. That works out good for both of us as we are very busy with our work, plus my husband says he... The immigration officer will not “harass” you because you are now married. However, you should expect to provide explanations about the reason for your visit and whether you are considering living or working in Canada. You should be honest with them as you could be barred from Canada for approximately five years for misrepresentation and have difficulties with future applications.