Cochrane and area residents seeking to become Canadian citizens are encouraged to spend an evening learning about eligibility requirements and new immigration rules.
Rocky View Immigrant Services (RVIS), in partnership with Cochrane Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) and the Calgary Foundation, will be hosting a free workshop at Cochrane FCSS on April 18 from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
“I feel like a lot of people are toward the end of their journey,” said Fleeha Ahmad with RVIS, adding that there is a “handful” of Cochrane newcomers looking to start the application process to become a citizen.
Paul Singh, keen volunteer with Newcomers Cochrane, is a landed immigrant who is about to apply for his Canadian citizenship after six years of residency.
Singh said the workshop is a great opportunity to seek clarity on what to expect during the application process.
“There are things you need to know about – your English as a Second Language test, your tax info and other documentation,” said Singh, adding that the workshop will provide ample chance to ask questions big and small.
And while being a landed immigrant provides many great opportunities, “becoming a citizen is a dream come true.”
The programs that people may be coming out of as they apply for citizenship include family, government and private sponsorships; caregivers; skilled workers; and the Temporary Foreign Workers Program.
The new federal changes to the immigration process include accounting for time spent in the country before landed immigrant status is obtained, essentially fast-tracking the immigration process to roughly three from five years. Under the new rules, an applicant must be physically in Canada for 1,095 days within a five-year period.
The entire citizenship process now takes a maximum of 12 months.
Under the new rules, proof of English language exemption is now for those ages 55 (formerly 64).
Cochrane FCSS is located at 209 2nd Ave. West. To register for the workshop, contact FCSS at 403-850-2250 or email [email protected].
