There is nothing as good as having your Canadian citizenship application approved. It means that you become a legal citizen of Canada, enjoying more privileges than an immigrant with permanent residency. Some of the fundamental privileges that a person enjoys when granted Canadian citizenship include the right to vote and access to health care. However, there may be situations where you are denied Canadian citizenship but there is no need to feel frustrated and hopeless as you can file an appeal or re-apply for consideration. If there are valid reasons why you are not granted Canadian citizenship it may be advisable to forego such processes but if you feel that you were unfairly rejected you should definitely take steps to determine why you received this outcome. For those who have been denied Canadian citizenship, below are steps to take after receiving a rejection notification.
1. Evaluate why your application was denied
If your Canadian citizenship application is denied, it is easy to become discouraged but do not lose hope. This is quite normal and many applicants go through this experience with an approval often being the ultimate result. The first thing to do is to evaluate why your application for Canadian citizenship was denied. It could be as a result of mistakes arising from your side or because of mistakes arising from the Citizenship Offices. Sometimes it could be because you are not eligible for Canadian citizenship at the time that you applied or you applied under the wrong category. Evaluating why your application for Canadian citizenship was denied helps you to determine the best action to take.
2. Appeal
As mentioned, sometimes you may be denied Canadian citizenship as a result of mistakes arising from the Citizenship Office or from your end. If you strongly believe that you are eligible for Canadian citizenship and everything was correct and in order, the right thing to do is to appeal for reconsideration. Once you have been officially notified that your citizenship application has been denied and you have intentions to appeal, then you should do so within 60 days. The court will review your case and determine if any mistakes were made when your application for citizenship was rejected. The government will also examine any new information that you will submit in your appeal and this is advisable because it could increase your chances of an approval if the new information is favourable. It is also recommended that you seek the assistance of an immigration attorney who can help you through this process. They are skilled and knowledgeable and doing so will increase your chances of having the original decision reversed.
3. Re-apply for consideration
Being granted a citizenship is the dream of every immigrant residing in Canada and the good thing about Canada is that application for citizenship is open all the time and any eligible person can apply. Also there are few limits on the number of times that a person can re-apply for citizenship if initial applications are denied. Once you receive a formal notification that your application for Canadian citizenship was denied, it is prudent to re-apply for consideration if you know you are eligible. However, you need to make sure all your documents are in order and correct all the mistakes that could have made your initial application for citizenship rejected. You can seek help from an immigration lawyer from Canada to help you with the re-application to make sure everything is in order. This will increases chances of your application for Canadian citizenship being approved.