An American man who became a Canadian citizen says he was told he may not be one after being asked to surrender his certificate of citizenship.
Shawn Davis Mooney, who lives in Victoria, British Columbia, said he was thrilled to become a Canadian citizen before receiving an email from the immigration department last weekend asking him to surrender his certificate.
“It’s like winning the lottery. They give you the money, you spend it all, and then they come and knock on your door and say, ‘oh, you’ve got to give it all back,’”Mooney told Global News on Wednesday.
Mooney, a U.S. veteran, moved to B.C. from California with his husband. He has a Canadian grandparent and said he was told last February that under new legislation, he was eligible to become a citizen.
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“I presented the documents, I did what was asked. I trusted in the laws of Canada,” he said.
The law changed last year, allowing Canadians born outside the country to pass on their citizenship to future generations born abroad after years of court battles.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Lena Metlege Diab said each applicant must link their ancestry generation by generation through verified authentic documents.
“We’ve been very clear from the beginning each applicant must link their ancestry, generation per generation, through verified authentic documents,” she said.
The federal government said it is aware of a limited number of cases and that the files are under review, but would not say how many people are affected.
Immigration lawyer Chantal Desloges said a surge in applications may have led to mistakes.
“When they all of a sudden started receiving tens of thousands of applications, that really caught them by surprise. And when you’re in those kinds of conditions, it can be easy to make mistakes,” she said.
Mooney is waiting to find out whether Canada can remain home.
“Our lives are here now because you said we could live here. You said I could be here,” he said.