RACIST BLUR RUINS IRELAND CITIZENSHIP CARNIVAL!

 


RACIST GRAFFITI HAS been daubed outside the Convention Centre in Dublin on the day that citizenship ceremonies were taking place inside.

The graffiti seems to have been painted overnight and is on both sides of the bridge on North Wall Quay.

Today, 3,860 people from 123 different countries were being made naturalised Irish citizens with the Immigrant Council of Ireland saying it has “placed a cloud over what should be a celebration”.

“It is unacceptable that once again racist graffiti has appeared overnight in a city centre location, in this case opposite the main Department of Justice Office at Burgh Quay which handles immigration applications,” says Denise Charlton of the ICI.
The appearance of hate messages on hoardings and public buildings in central Dublin is now a regular occurrence and those responsible are not only acting with apparent immunity but are becoming more brazen.



In May and February there were two separate incidents of xenophobic writing being painted in Dublin, incidents that are by no means isolated, with the ICI arguing that simply painting over them is not enough.

The group say that one out of every 10 reports of racism they receive involves graffiti and damage to property, saying that those responsible should be found and prosecuted.

Today’s ceremonies are the first to be officiated by the new Minister for Justice and Equality Frances Fitzgerald. The minister said that wait times for the successful granting of citizenship is down from over 2.5 years to six months or less in some cases.

Fitzgerald said that her first such ceremony meant that it was a “special day” for her, adding that it is the responsibility of Irish people to welcome new citizens.

For many years Irish people the world over who travelled far from their homes benefited from, in that wonderfully evocative phrase, “the kindness of strangers”. It is now our turn as a people and as a nation to return that kindness and to say to you and all qualifying applicants; come and be part of our nation.

CANADA PASSES NEW CITIZENSHIP RULES.

 
Controversial new rules aimed at strengthening the requirements for access to Canadian citizenship have now been passed into law.

The aim of the changes is to make certain that those applying for citizenship are fully prepared for integration and participation in Canadian society. The government is hoping that the requirements will help foster a better understanding of the country’s traditions and value systems..

According to Immigration and Citizenship minister Chris Alexander, an important benefit of the new law will be faster processing for citizenship applications. Applications which formerly comprised three steps and took several years will now only involve one step and should be completed within less than a year by 2015/2016.

Speeding up the process is expected to clear around 80 per cent of the current backlog. A major change to residency requirements will include the maintaining of applicants’ actual physical presence in Canada for the period required before citizenship is granted.

More applicants than under the previous rules will now need to pass a knowledge test as well as meeting stricter language requirements, thus preparing new citizens for participation in local communities. ‘Lost’ Canadians born pre-1947 and their children born outside the country will enjoy automatic citizenship, and applicants with strong ties to the country will benefit from new provisions.

The amended Citizenship Act will also include harsher penalties for misrepresentation and fraud, with fines of up to CA$100,000 and jail terms of up to five years. Grounds for refusing citizenship are being expanded, with Alexander stating that the move will help strengthen the integrity of the programme.

Alexander defended the most controversial element of the new programme, the amendment which permits the removal of citizenship from dual nationals convicted of serious crimes harming to the state. Permanent residents convicted of spying, terrorism or treason, he said, will be deported and their citizenship revoked.
See more at: http://www.emigrate.co.uk/news/20140627-9551_new-canadian-citizenship-laws-passed#sthash.4DqYa49v.dpuf</div>

CANADA TOUGHENS CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENTS.

Canada toughens up on citizenship requirements 

The Canadian Conservative Party has tabled amendments to citizenship legislation aimed at strengthening the perceived value of citizenship in the country.

Referring to Canadian citizenship as the country’s most precious commodity, Immigration Minister Chris Alexander unveiled the changes in a recent speech.The changes are the first to be made to citizenship requirements for at least a generation.

The new law will increase the residency requirement by a year to four years, and will triple the cost of application to CA$300. Both the required knowledge about Canada and the necessary language abilities are to have more stringent standards applied.

Applicants for citizenship will now need to have applied to file income tax returns in the country, and prove they have fully committed to living in Canada. Penalties for residency fraud, in which immigrants falsely claim to be resident in order to keep their residency status as a means to qualify for citizenship, will by increased to a massive CA$100,000 from just CA$1,000..

According to Alexander, the Canadian government wants to strengthen the perceived value of being a Canadian citizen by encouraging people to embrace the rich Canadian culture and values and become active, committed members of their local communities. Citizenship, he added, gives both rights and duties as well as responsibilities and opportunities.

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