The federal government is introducing a series of sweeping reforms to the Citizenship Act that are designed to reduce processing times, tighten residency requirements and crack down on fraud — measures that will make it tougher for many to become Canadian.

“Our government is strengthening the values of Canadian citizenship,” Chris Alexander, the minister of citizenship and immigration, said Thursday.

“Canadians understand that citizenship should not be simply a passport of convenience. Citizenship is a pledge of mutual responsibility and a shared commitment to values rooted in our history.”

Under the changes — the first major revamp of the Citizenship Act since the 1970s — permanent residents will have to have a “physical presence” in Canada for four years out of six years, compared to the current three out of four years.

The bill will also expand the age range for those required to demonstrate language proficiency and pass a knowledge test, from the current 18-54 to those aged 14-64.

The processing system will also become a one-stop process rather than a three-step assessment process, with citizenship officers making the decisions in most cases rather than citizenship judges.

And it includes changes that allow citizenship to be revoked from dual nationals who are convicted of terrorism, high treason and spying offences, or those who take up arms against Canada. Permanent residents who commit these acts will also be barred from applying for citizenship.

The legislation, Bill C-24, “Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act,” was introduced in Parliament on Thursday.

Political foes as well as refugee advocates were quick to criticize many of the amendments.

The Canadian Council for Refugees said it was worried about “increasing barriers” to citizenship, particularly for refugees — and that it was particularly opposed to the new powers to revoke citizenship in certain cases.

“Citizenship is a fundamental status — not something that is ‘deserved,’ ” said Loly Rico, president of the CCR. “It is wrong to use citizenship rules to punish people for wrongdoing — that’s the role of the criminal system.”

Lorne Waldman, president of The Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, echoed that concern. “As Canadians, we make our citizenship feeble and fragile if we let government ministers seize the power to extinguish it,” he said.

Liberal and NDP Immigration critics were equally concerned. “I don’t trust the Conservatives to get this right, as their record of immigration reforms is horrible,” said NDP immigration critic Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe.

“They claim they are going to do something about waiting time . . . ,” said Liberal immigration critic John McCallum. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Others such as Bronwen Evans, managing director of the True Patriot Love Foundation, applauded a proposed change that calls for fast-tracking Canadian citizenship for permanent residents serving with — and individuals on exchange with — the Canadian Armed Forces.

Overall, the bill is consistent with the direction of the government when it comes to citizenship issues, said Andrew Griffith, former director general of Citizenship and Multiculturalism at Citizenship and Immigration.

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“This package of measures essentially makes citizenship harder to get, but easier to lose. That’s what they’ve essentially done.”

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There are currently about 320,000 citizenship applications waiting to be processed with wait times ranging from 24 to 32 months, according to immigration officials who briefed media about the changes.

But when the proposed changes take effect, they are expected to cut the waiting list 80 per cent by 2016. Processing times for new applications will be reduced to less than one year under the amendments.

Other changes include:

<bullet> Fees for applications for citizenship will go up from $100 to $300 so that an applicant for citizenship would pay a total of $400, including the fee for the right of citizenship for all successful applicants.

<bullet> Legislation is also being proposed to tighten regulations against fraud with a $100,000 fine or up to two years in prison for an unauthorized individual who knowingly represents or advises on a citizenship application or hearing for a fee.

<bullet> Any individual who commits citizenship fraud faces a fine of up to a $100,000 and or five years in prison. The penalty for a summary offence would include a fine of up to $50,000 and/or two years in prison.

<bullet> The minister of citizenship and immigration will be given the power to give citizenship to some individuals in extraordinary circumstances. And he will be given sole authority to revoke citizenship for those who obtained citizenship by fraud — either through residence fraud, concealing criminal inadmissibility or identity fraud.

The creation of a body that supervises immigration consultants and holds them to a series of professional standards;