After 76 years of traditional citizenship ceremonies, new Canadians will no longer have to publicly swear an oath to become a citizen as of July 1, under proposed changes to citizenship regulations.
In a Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement published in the Canada Gazette on Feb. 25, the federal Department of Citizenship and Immigration detailed amendments that would give the government “broad discretion to allow clients to take the Oath by other means and not necessarily before an authorized individual.”
Under proposed new regulations, the government would “modernize” the program and “allow for self-administration of the Oath of Citizenship.”
“Clients would be able to take the Oath via a secure online solution, without the presence of an authorized person, which could eliminate up to three months of processing time, or at a ceremony in front of an authorized person,” says the document….