Canada Lists 3 Exceptional Grounds for Granting Foreigners Citizenship Outside Normal Rules

• Canada's immigration authority confirmed a discretionary citizenship process exists for rare and exceptional cases under subsection 5(4) of the Citizenship Act
• The Canadian government outlined three specific grounds under which foreigners may receive citizenship without meeting standard naturalisation requirements
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said each application is assessed individually and the bar for approval is intentionally high

Canada's Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has revealed that foreigners can receive Canadian citizenship through a special discretionary process, entirely separate from the country's standard naturalisation pathway.

The details emerged from IRCC's written response to a question posed by MP Larry Maguire at the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration on 20 March 2023.

The response was formally published on 5 December 2024 and applies to cases handled under the current legal framework.

3 Grounds for Discretionary Citizenship in Canada

Under subsection 5(4) of the Citizenship Act, the federal government can grant citizenship outside normal requirements in only three defined situations:

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1. Special and unusual hardship
2. Statelessness
3. Exceptional service to Canada

IRCC stressed that the threshold for qualifying under this provision is deliberately set very high, with grants described as occurring "only in very exceptional cases." Each application is considered individually on its own merits, meaning there is no template or automatic pathway that applicants can follow.

Canada: How processing times work

Because of the unique nature of each application, IRCC does not track standard processing times for discretionary citizenship cases.

Several factors influence how long a file takes to resolve, including how promptly an applicant or their representative submits the required documents and whether security screening, criminal background checks, or fingerprint results from partner agencies remain outstanding.

For urgent matters, IRCC noted that turnaround depends on whether sufficient documentation has already been provided and whether any legal prohibitions exist that would prevent the grant of citizenship.

The agency also acknowledged that some files initially categorised as belonging to so-called "lost Canadians", individuals who lost or never received citizenship due to historical provisions in the law, may later be found not to qualify under that category after a closer review.

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IRCC confirmed it continues to prioritise subsection 5(4) cases, including those involving lost Canadians, minors, and individuals who lost their citizenship status under Section 8 of the Citizenship Act.

Source: YEN.com.gh