News East West
TORONTO: More than 16,000 immigrants became Canadian citizens in January in 244 oath ceremonies held in various cities across the country, according to Citizenship and Immigration minister Chris Alexander.
This figure is twice the number of people who became Canadian citizens in January 2013, and is a huge jump over 10,745 which is the average number of people who took Canadian citizenship each month 2013.
These new immigrants come from 190 countries.
In a statement, the immigration minister said, “Our government views citizenship as a pledge of mutual responsibility and a shared commitment to values rooted in our history. We are proud to have welcomed more than 16,000 new Canadian citizens this past month and we look forward to their full participation in Canada’s economy and Canadian society.
“We will continue to improve Canada’s citizenship program to ensure deserving applicants can become citizens more quickly.”
Canada admits over 250,000 new immigrants each year as permanent residents, and 86 percent out of these take Canadian citizenship.
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