◼ Canada has begun revoking citizenship from 3,100 people that the government said obtained it fraudulently, the country's immigration minister said Monday. - AP
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said that in most of the fraud cases, applicants paid a representative to prove they were living in Canada to establish residency when they were, in fact, living abroad.
Permanent residents must reside in Canada for three out of four consecutive years before applying for Canadian citizenship. To retain their status as permanent residents, they must live in Canada for two out of five years, with rare exceptions.
Criminal investigations by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Border Services Agency have found that a family of five could pay over $25,000 over four or more years to create the illusion of Canadian residence.
