How can Canadian citizenship be revoked?

Canadian citizenship can be revoked under the federal Citizenship Act only on grounds of fraud or misrepresentation in the original citizenship application or in the immigration history that led to permanent-resident status. Revocation is governed by sections 10 to 10.7 of the Citizenship Act and is initiated by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Citizenship cannot be revoked for criminal conduct after the grant of citizenship, for political views, or for any of the broader grounds that some other countries permit.

The current revocation framework was established by Bill C-6 of 2017, which substantially restored procedural protections that had been removed by the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act of 2014. Under the 2014 Act, the Minister could revoke citizenship based on a paper review without an oral hearing, and certain dual citizens convicted of treason, terrorism, or espionage could lose their citizenship. Both provisions were criticised as creating two-tier citizenship and were challenged in Hassouna v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) (2017), in which the Federal Court held that the no-hearing revocation procedure violated section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Bill C-6 (which received Royal Assent on June 19, 2017) restored two key protections. First, citizens facing revocation are entitled to a hearing before the Federal Court (rather than a paper review by the Minister). Second, the provisions allowing revocation for post-citizenship criminal conduct were repealed, restoring the principle that all Canadian citizens (whether by birth or naturalisation, single or dual) have equal status. The Bill C-6 regime came into force in stages between 2017 and January 24, 2018.

The Federal Court hearing on revocation considers whether the person obtained citizenship by false representation, fraud, or by knowingly concealing material circumstances. If the Court finds revocation justified, it issues a declaration. The person reverts to permanent-resident status (or, in cases involving fraud in the permanent-residence application, to foreign-national status) and may then face removal proceedings under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Cases involving revocation for fraud have included those of suspected war criminals, persons who concealed criminal histories, and persons who concealed material facts about residency or identity. Revocations remain rare, with about 50 to 100 cases per year on average.