CANADIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Canada Celebrates Citizenship Week 2009

Monday, 26 October 2009

The week of October 19-23 is Canadian Citizenship week - this week in ceremonies across the country Canada will welcome hundreds of new citizens and hundreds more will reaffirm their commitment to Canada.

The theme of this year's Citizenship week is Our Citizenship. It is meant to help all Canadians remember that no matter where you have come from - if you were born Canadian or have become a citizen - Canadian values have become yours as well as the part you play in Canadian history.

In 1947, Canada became the first Commonwealth to gain its own citizenship legislation, and the first citizen of Canada was Prime Minister Mackenzie King, Canada's tenth Prime Minister. Before this, all Canadians were considered British subjects living in Canada.

Since 1947, when the first citizenship act was put in place more than 6.5 million people have been granted Canadian citizenship. According to the 2006 census close to 85% of those eligible for Canadian citizenship have become citizens; thus giving Canada one of the highest naturalization rates in the world, with 176,000 immigrants becoming citizens of Canada.

"Canadian citizenship is highly valued. Citizenship Week 2009 is an opportunity for all Canadians to celebrate our citizenship," said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. "It is a time to reflect on what it means to be a Canadian and to be grateful for the rights and freedoms that we enjoy. We should also take this opportunity to acknowledge our responsibilities to our country and to our communities large and small."

If you are interested in Visas to Canada, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Canada.