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This case is only the beginning. The RCMP has targeted about 11,000 people from more than 100 countries suspected of fraud by misrepresenting their residency in Canada.

RCMP identified more than 3,000 citizens and 5,000 permanent residents under suspicion in ongoing large-scale fraud investigations. Most are residency claims like in this case.

After questions from officials, nearly 2,000 other people have withdrawn their applications, said Nancy Caron, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration.

“Canadian citizenship is not for sale. The government of Canada is taking steps to revoke citizenship from those who have obtained it fraudulently by misrepresenting their residence in Canada while continuing to live abroad most, or all, of the time,” said Ms. Caron.

“There is no statute of limitation on the revocation of citizenship.”

The crackdown was announced by then minister Jason Kenney in 2012 and reiterated this year by current minister, Chris Alexander.

“My understanding is that the government didn’t, in the past, go after cases like this in this way and now they are,” said Robert Rastorp, a Toronto lawyer who represented the family in court.

“I think there is a strong political direction coming, ultimately from the minister’s office, to pursue these cases very aggressively.

“I don’t think this is the last case like this we are going to see.”

‘The government of Canada is taking steps to revoke citizenship from those who have obtained it fraudulently’

A spokesman for the Minister’s office declined to comment on the case. A spokeswoman for the citizenship ministry confirmed the case stemmed from the 2012 crackdown that has been moving through the system.