Immigration and Citizenship Law

Prof. Ayelet Shachar was quoted in a Reuters article on buying citizenship ("Passports... for a price," Feb. 13, 2012). Prof. Shachar notes:

"The idea that someone can gain fast-tracked citizenship in a country they have no ties to based on a wire transfer of funds or cash is a far cry from the vision of equal and participatory membership in a political community that is still reflected in many citizenship and naturalization laws," says Ayelet Shachar, a professor of law, political science and global affairs at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law.

In the "Room for Debate" section of The New York Times, Prof. Ayelet Shachar has contributed to a discussion about "Can Dual Citizens Be Good Americans?" Shachar argues that "the strategic value of dual nationality is immense," pointing to advantages for nations both sending and receiving immigrants ("The Solution to ‘Brain Drain’," May 22, 2012).

Read the full commentary on The New York Times website.

By Louis Century, JD/MGA student and Research Assistant at the David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights

On April 30 of this year, Prof. Audrey Macklin made submissions on behalf of the Asper Centre before the House of Commons' Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. The Committee was considering Bill C-31, Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act, a sweeping piece of legislation with far-reaching changes to refugee determination, detention of newcomers and family reunification, among other issues.

SJD student Y.Y. Brandon Chen has written a commentary in the Toronto Star looking at the impact on provincial health-care systems of the federal government’s recent decision to scale back temporary health-care coverage for refugees and refugee claimants ("Refugee health-care cuts threaten everyone’s access," May 23, 2012).

Read the full commentary on the Toronto Star website.

Prof. Audrey Macklin was part of a panel on TVO's The Agenda with Steve Paikin on the topic of "Realigning Canadian Immigration" (April 13, 2012). 

Watch the program on the TVO website.

In a commentary in the Toronto Star, Prof. Audrey Macklin and Lorne Waldman, president of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, take issue with the federal government's proposed refugee bill, Bill C-31 ("Ottawa’s bogus refugee bill," February 22, 2012).

Read the full commentary on the Toronto Star website.

Prof. Audrey Macklin was interviewed on the CBC Radio 1 program Here and Now about "The Changing Face of Canada." New census say immigrants could solely account for Canada's population growth in the coming decade, and Prof. Macklin discusses how this could have an impact on future public policy.

Listen to the full interview on the CBC website.