Changes are needed to birthright citizenship policy: poll
Credit to Author: Canadian Immigrant| Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2019 05:43:08 +0000
Most would not extend birthright citizenship to babies born to those in Canada on tourist visas
Which babies born on Canadian soil should be granted automatic citizenship?
It’s a question that has appended itself to the Canadian political narrative in this election year; and one on which Canadians share some areas of consensus and others of deep division, according to a new public opinion poll from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute.
Today, most Canadians feel this concept — that anyone born in Canada is a citizen — goes a bit too far. Almost two-thirds (64 per cent) say a child born to parents who are in this country on tourist visas should not be granted Canadian citizenship, and six-in-10 (60 per cent) say changes to Canada’s citizenship laws are necessary to discourage birth tourism.
That said, more Canadians are inclined to believe birthright citizenship is a good policy (40 per cent) than a bad one (33 per cent).
READ MORE: Conservatives would stop ‘passport babies’
Canadian opinions of when to grant citizenship changes with various scenarios offered. For example, 55 per cent say a child born to two parents in Canada on work visas should be conferred citizenship. This drops to 40 per cent if both parents are in Canada on student visas.