How hard is it to become a Canadian Citizen?

[Argus]

Story in the Star I came across today on the failure rates of the newer, harder tests for citizenship. Officials are lamenting the fact the failure rate was a "shocking" 30%, compared to the previous 4%. Also, while many finished the old tests and were out the door in under 15 minutes, now most are "sweating it out" for a full 30 minutes!

Wow. A whole 30 minutes, huh? For those of us who remember the not-all-that-hard 2 hour tests from our college day this is kind of an eye opener. Then again, we didn't get to buy the answers, as apparently many do with the citizenship tests.

A test that only 2 or 3% fail? That's not a test, that's an automatic pass. By comparison, the failure rate for drivers license tests in areas with high immigrant populations is often over 40%

So of course, the officials have been scrambling to water down the test, to make it easier, and have gotten the failure rate down to 20%, but that's not considered acceptable.

I wonder if anyone there has considered that it SHOULD be hard to become a Canadian citizen? That maybe it should require a degree of effort and dedication that is, oh I dunno, at least comparable to trying to get a drivers license?

"Massive" Failure rates for new Citizenship Tests

Edited November 29, 2010 by Argus

[Michael Hardner]

Presumably, by the time the person is taking a test (are they in Canada at that point ?) then we are reasonably sure that they are a good catch, to put it in base fishing terms. The upstream filtering processes should reject most applicants by the time it come to testing, I would think.

[Oleg Bach]

Greetings Mike...keep doing the good work...later bud.

[nicky10013]

Presumably, by the time the person is taking a test (are they in Canada at that point ?) then we are reasonably sure that they are a good catch, to put it in base fishing terms. The upstream filtering processes should reject most applicants by the time it come to testing, I would think.

Yup, that and they throw up roadblocks AFTER you successfully pass the test. My friend went to school here, lives downtown and wanted to stay after she recieved her degree. She went through the process, took the test and passed with flying colours. Before the test she was told it was the last step to citizenship. After she passed, she was given 6 months more of paperwork.

[CANADIEN]

To position the test as to how easy or difficult is missing the point. The test should be about how well the applicants know the country and how well they know one of our official languages. No multiple choice questions, and this should be a test that most high school graduates who have been in Canadian schools all their lives would be expected to pass. If that makes the test too difficult, too bad. And if that makes the test too easy for some... Well, I am not very big on asking newcomers what wew wouldn't ask ourselves.

[bjre]

To position the test as to how easy or difficult is missing the point. The test should be about how well the applicants know the country and how well they know one of our official languages. No multiple choice questions, and this should be a test that most high school graduates who have been in Canadian schools all their lives would be expected to pass. If that makes the test too difficult, too bad. And if that makes the test too easy for some... Well, I am not very big on asking newcomers what wew wouldn't ask ourselves.

This is impossible.

The reason why immigrants are needed is Canada's un-sustainable economy. People educated in Canada are too lazy to do many real works. They have more intention to use benefit or work in government related - tax consuming jobs, or lawyers which do not create solid value, or work in banks that take interest from others based on nothing, or even go to street or go to jails. Canada need people to do real works, the foreign education is more successful in making people be able to do work the Canadian education system can not provide or can not provide enough. Otherwise the whole system will soon have no money to run. The working ability has little to do with language skills. That is the reason that immigrants are needed. That is the reason that your suggestion is impossible to use.

One of the reason of the poor education system is due to the political correctness and CAS and the family court system remove people's educating freedom and parent's human right to choose their own education method. Only government or privates dictator CAS has the privilege to tell you how to educate children even when their ability is only send most kids to correction systems.

Edited November 30, 2010 by bjre

[bjre]

One of the easy way to make economy sustainable is lay off 2/3 government related jobs include cops and CAS and jails. Let those people build and run power plant and compete with current monopoly power supply system to provide cheaper electricity.

That will significantly reduce tax expanse.

And build plant to produce gas instead of send oil to US and buy gasoline from US. That will significantly reduce robbery from US gasoline industry.

But in the real world, Canada is keep losing its industry. Notel fall, ATI becomes AMD... mean while, more tax expense, more police, more jails, more flu advertisements ask people to receive shot that "pay by government", more tax use to pay interest to private banks that the gov borrowed which bank need no money to lend.

When more people create real solid value, and less people just consume tax, the economy of the country will be more sustainable.

Edited November 30, 2010 by bjre

[guyser]

This is impossible.

2 +2 ? Yeah, I bet it is.

CAS.... CAS.......CAS

Sad that CAS cant come and confiscate your child like brain. Canada be much better off.

Canada Win.

China win when you left.

OK Argus, you're right , immigration needs to be reformed. Betw this guy and that mental midget from the western pacific.....<forehead slap> ...........

My question, and its rhetorical, is how well would the average born and bred Canuck would do on this same test.

[Argus]

To position the test as to how easy or difficult is missing the point. The test should be about how well the applicants know the country and how well they know one of our official languages. No multiple choice questions,

According to the article most people used to finish it in 15 minutes. Now its taking as long as 30 minutes! Whew! Exhausting!

In order to be a junior clerk with the federal government I had to pass a 2 hr test, then come back and do a second 2hr test which included answers which had to be written out in longhand - not multiple choice. Then I had to come back and pass an interview, then another interview.

Hell, for my half semester course in Accounting 101 I had to pass three 2 hr tests plus submit a bunch of assignments.

And your test to be a citizen doesn't last long enough to bother taking off your coat?

[Argus]

Presumably, by the time the person is taking a test (are they in Canada at that point ?) then we are reasonably sure that they are a good catch, to put it in base fishing terms. The upstream filtering processes should reject most applicants by the time it come to testing, I would think.

Upstream filtering? There's not a lot of that. Got enough money to invest in some GICs? You're a citizen! Got a relative willing to invite you over? You're a citizen!

This is how we come to have tens of thousands of so-called Canadian citizens living in Lebanon and Hong Kong.

[jbg]

Replying to How hard is it to become a Canadian Citizen?

Not hard enough.

[August1991]

I wonder if anyone there has considered that it SHOULD be hard to become a Canadian citizen? That maybe it should require a degree of effort and dedication that is, oh I dunno, at least comparable to trying to get a drivers license?

Uh, how hard is it to become a Canadian citizen? Anyone born in Canada is automatically a Canadian citizen. Anyone born anywhere in the world with one Canadian parent is also a Canadian citizen.

Sometimes, when the dark force takes over my soul, I think that we should force certain native-born Canadians to apply for citizenship and make them do a test too.

Or maybe, we should do as Americans and Athenians: Make republican citizenship a rite of passage.

Edited November 30, 2010 by August1991

[dre]

Not hard enough.

Harder than it is to become a natural born Canadian citizen though! All you have to do for THAT is get squirted out of your mothers vagina within a designated geographical boundary.

How about EVERYONE has to take the test. Maybe once every 10 years to make sure you still have maintained the 'test passing abilities' required to be a productive citizen.

I have a funny feeling that natural born Canadians just MIGHT fail that test at even higher numbers than immigrants Id like to feed 1000 random canadians through that filter and see how many of them qualify to be... uh... random canadians.

[bjre]

I have no idea how many percentage of natural born Canadian citizen can pass that test. If fail, where to send them? Maybe CAS has an idea.

[Shwa]

Uh, how hard is it to become a Canadian citizen? Anyone born in Canada is automatically a Canadian citizen. Anyone born anywhere in the world with one Canadian parent is also a Canadian citizen.

Sometimes, when the dark force takes over my soul, I think that we should force certain native-born Canadians to apply for citizenship and make them do a test too.

Or maybe, we should do as Americans and Athenians: Make republican citizenship a rite of passage.

Or maybe we do what Robert Heinlein suggested in 'Star Troopers' and only confer citizenship on people who have served in the military.

[Argus]

Uh, how hard is it to become a Canadian citizen? Anyone born in Canada is automatically a Canadian citizen. Anyone born anywhere in the world with one Canadian parent is also a Canadian citizen.

Sometimes, when the dark force takes over my soul, I think that we should force certain native-born Canadians to apply for citizenship and make them do a test too.

Or maybe, we should do as Americans and Athenians: Make republican citizenship a rite of passage.

I wouldn't mind a higher requirement for citizenry. But I think we'd have to redefine the word. What are you if you're born and raised here going back four generations but not a citizen? A tenant? I've said before there ought to be tests in order to vote.

Still and all, there's precious little we can do about the morons who are born here. We CAN choose who else we let in. We CAN be quite discriminating and require a degree of intelligence, education, skill and cultural adaptability far beyond what we ask now. So why do we continue to let in such, to blunt, inferior immigrants?

Edited November 30, 2010 by Argus

[jbg]

I have no idea how many percentage of natural born Canadian citizen can pass that test. If fail, where to send them? Maybe CAS has an idea.

To Citizenship Training School in Tuktoyutuk or Kugluktuk. Run sessions from November to March.

[bjre]

To Citizenship Training School in Tuktoyutuk or Kugluktuk. Run sessions from November to March.

Then you need more immigrants to give tax to support those schools.

[Smallc]

This thread assumes that the only step to citizenship is a test.....which isn't correct. It's a long process. I know people who have went through it.

[Argus]

This thread assumes that the only step to citizenship is a test.....which isn't correct. It's a long process. I know people who have went through it.

It's a long process which doesn't appear to be particularly interested in sifting the best possible applicants from amongst the numerous goat herders who want to come here. It's more interested in who has relatives here, or has established some sort of permancy because we let them in as refugees, or who has enough money to invest (a not very impressive amount by today's standards). It's a system which appears more concerned with being fair to all potential applicants all around the world than in getting the best possible immigrants for Canada.

Question 39

Your daughter bought a bikini. Do you.

A. Shrug and say that's Canada

B. Ship her back home to get a proper husband who will remind her of her place

C. Beat her until she promises never to do it again.

D. Strangle her and dump her body in a river.

[guyser]

Question 39

Your daughter in Edmonton bought a bikini. Do you.

A. Shrug and say that's Canada...now wear it all day today, and everyday until New Years.

Problem solved.

[bloodyminded]

I can live with that. Very chilly, but it's worth it.

[guyser]

I can live with that. Very chilly, but it's worth it.

ohhh the "chilly " aspect is something I forgot....hubba hubba

[wyly]

How about EVERYONE has to take the test. Maybe once every 10 years to make sure you still have maintained the 'test passing abilities' required to be a productive citizen.

I like it, everyone should take a test before they are allowed to vote or run for office...

I have a funny feeling that natural born Canadians just MIGHT fail that test at even higher numbers than immigrants Id like to feed 1000 random canadians through that filter and see how many of them qualify to be... uh... random canadians.

yup, my teenagers when in high school were required to take the test as part of the grade 12 social studies course, they and the majority of the class failed...they brought the test home for their dad the immigrant, I passed easily... Edited December 2, 2010 by wyly

[M.Dancer]

I have a funny feeling that natural born Canadians just MIGHT fail that test at even higher numbers than immigrants Id like to feed 1000 random canadians through that filter and see how many of them qualify to be... uh... random canadians.

Do they get top study, like the immigrants?

They had some sample questions in the paper a year ago. It was dead easy. Even an Dipper might pass.