A number of townhomes in Vancouver are a bed and breakfast – with a catch. The homes act as an incubator for pregnant foreigners who travel to Canada for the purpose of giving birth within our borders.
Room and board are offered for under $100 a day and, in return, the mother-to-be can wait to deliver a child, who will automatically receive Canadian citizenship and a passport.
These foreign mothers, and the entrepreneurs that support them, are among the growing number of people taking advantage of an out-of-date loophole in Canadian citizenship policy.
Canada and the U.S. are the only developed countries that grant citizenship to any child born within their borders, regardless of the citizenship of the parents, or how long they have been in the country.
Luckily, the myriad of negative consequences that come with this outdated policy have not eluded Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenny who wants to scrap the policy by the end of this year.
Critics say that eliminating the loophole would be complicated and expensive. Some immigration lawyers claim that it would be impossible to revoke citizenship status given to babies born through birth tourism.
Critics argue that unless the government gathers family trees from all citizens,and then conducts immigration investigations to revoke status given to foreign nationals, there would be both “legitimate” and “illegitimate” Canadian passports and birth certificates floating around.
That’s like saying there’s no point in shutting the gate when the horses are already out. But can’t we add a latch for the future? We can, and should, make the change and start applying it now.
Yes, it may be a hassle to ask for proof of citizenship from parents at the time of birth. But, imagine the cost to the health-care system as a result of our hospitals covering the delivery fees for people who might hop on a plane the very next day. Destination: home, with a brand new Canadian baby and no hospital bills.
This Canadian citizen can return to Canada at any time when he or she is in need of free education or health-care benefits. To give these privileges to people who have not lived in, or contributed to, our society sends the message that we do not place a high value on our citizenship.
Passport babies can also use their citizenship to sponsor family members to immigrate to Canada, which cuts corners on our established immigration process.
Canadian citizens enjoy many freedoms and advantages and in 2010 we opened our doors and shared these privileges with 280,636 people who were willing to go through the necessary immigration steps.
The application process is there for a reason – to ensure commitment to Canadian values and contribution to our society. In order to receive citizenship, immigrants should have something to offer in return, or have a legitimate cause for refugee status.
Canadians need to start asking how much value we place on our nationhood, because, right now, we’re handing out citizenship for the cost of a plane ticket and a cheap hotel room.