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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know Dr. Sudhir M. Parikh Founder, Chairman & Publisher Ilayas Quraishi Chief Operating Officer Ela Dutt Editor Archana Adalja Contributing Editor T. Vishnudatta Jayaraman Advisor Arun Shah Ahmedabad Bureau Chief Peter Ferreira, Deval Parikh, Freelance Photographers Bhailal M. Patel Executive Vice President Jim Gallentine Business Development Manager - U.S. Shahnaz Sheikh Senior Manager Advertising & Marketing Sonia Lalwani Advertising Manager Shailu Desai Advertising New York Muslima Shethwala Syed Sheeraz Mahmood Advertising Chicago Digant Sompura Consultant for Business Development Ahmedabad, India Hervender Singh Circulation Manager Main Office Editorial & Corporate Headquarters 1655 Oak Tree Toad, Suite 155 Edison, NJ 08820-2843 Tel. (212) 675-7515 Fax. 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Postmaster: Send address change to News India Times, 1655 Oak Tree Toad, Suite 155 Edison, NJ 08820-2843 Annual Subscription: United States: $28 Disclaimer: Parikh Worldwide Media assumes no liability for claims/ assumptions made in advertisements and advertorials. Disclaimer:The views and opinions expressed on this page are those of the authors and Parikh Worldwide Media does not officially endorse, and is not responsible or liable for them. Commentary News India Times (April 11, 2026 - April 17, 2026) April 17, 2026 3 P ledging allegiance to ice hockey, Celine Dion and poutine has just become easier for U.S. citizens. Late last year, the Canadian gov- ernment amended the Citizenship Act to grant Canadian citizenship to a wider pool of people seeking dual citizen- ship through their family lineage. Before the revised law went into effect on Dec. 15, the country limited Canadian citizen- ship to the first-generation children of a Canadian parent. Now, all generations who were born outside of Canada and have direct Canadian ancestry can be- come Canadian citizens, as long as they possess the correct documents and fall within the correct legal provisions. “The grandkids can get citizen- ship, and the great-grandkids can get citizenship from Canada, even if they never set foot in Canada,” said Basil Mohr-Elzeki, managing partner at Henley & Partners, a firm that specializes in residency and citizenship planning. The rule stems from a Decem- ber 2023 decision by the On- tario Superior Court of Justice that deemed the first-generation cutoff unconstitutional. The law restores citizenship to those beyond the first generation born abroad. “This means that in most cases you’re automatically a Canadian citizen if you were born before Dec. 15, 2025, out- side Canada to a Canadian parent,” the government’s immigration and citizen- ship division states on its website. A slightly different criteria applies to children born after Dec. 15. To qualify, the Canadian parent must spend at least 1,095 days in Canada before the child’s birth. The perks of dual citizenship Dual citizens share many of the same rights and benefits as Canadian Canadi- ans. (Some perks, such as universal health care, require residency.) They can live and work in the country (by comparison, tour- ists can’t stay longer than six months and must acquire a work visa or permit), vote and study under the universal education system, paying no or reduced tuition. They can also obtain a passport that grants them visa-free access in countries that do not extend the same exemption to U.S. citizens, such as China and Belarus. In addition, depending on the geopolitics in your destination, a Canadian passport might be less polarizing. “On the global scale, Canada doesn’t get as much limelight or pressure as the United States, so having the alternative Canada passport can certainly be a ben- efit,” Mohr-Elzeki said. “And in the event of travel restrictions on U.S. passports, they can always pick up their Canadian passport and travel the world.” Jacqueline Rose Bart, managing partner and a certified immigration law specialist with Bartlaw LLP in Toronto, said inquiries increased when President Donald Trump was first elected in 2016, spiked after he was reelected in 2024 and rose again in December, when the gov- ernment loosened its citizenship rules. She said 95 percent of her firm’s clients applying for citizenship under the new law are U.S. nationals or citizens. “This time, it’s been absolutely insane,” Bart said. “It’s been nonstop on immigra- tion, and now with citizenship, it’s been nonstop with citizenship.” Other countries tighten restrictions Canada is swimming against the tide of countries tightening requirements. Italy, much to the dismay of the great- grandchildren of nonnas and nonnos, passed a law in March 2025 restricting citizenship to only the descendants of a parent or grandparent. According to the Italian Consulate in Los Angeles, Italy will bestow citizenship to a descendant whose parent is an Italian citizen born in Italy or abroad and lived in Italy for at least two consecutive years before the applicant’s birth, or whose grandparent is an Italian citizen born in Italy. “Everyone wants that citizenship, but the experience is that the consulate is much more difficult,” Mohr-Elzeki said. “You have to prove ties to the country.” Romania has also raised the bar, Mohr- Elzeki said, requiring applicants older than 18 to be proficient in the national language. For years, Hungary has en- forced a strict language requirement, he said, a growing trend in Europe for citizenship by descent. “In the event you’re eligible for any citizenship-by-descent route, I would suggest moving soon because it’s likely not going to get easier,” he said. Canada, by comparison, is a breeze, especially for applicants with a Canadian ancestor whose documents don’t require a genealogical deep dive or a Rosetta stone to decipher. Eligible adults can ap- ply online for 75 Canadian dollars (about $50). A SURGE OF APPLICATIONS Since the change in qualifications, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has experienced a bump in applications. In January, the agency said it received 8,897 applications, up from 5,940 a year ago. Between Dec. 15, 2025, and Jan. 31, it processed about 6,280 applications, out of 12,430 received, and confirmed 1,480 new citizens by descent under the new act. The IRCC said the processing period is about 10 months. Bart said more complicated cases, such as ones re- quiring DNA testing and assistance from the firm’s staff genealogist, can stretch for years. A straightfor- ward application takes about a year or more, unless it is expedited, in which case it can take as little as a few weeks. Bart warned, how- ever, that the wait time could grow exponentially with the recent high demand. “Processing is really becom- ing backlogged because so many people are wanting to qualify,” she said. The government agency, which posts the estimated processing time online, also shares the number of people awaiting a decision – 56,300 on April 7. If Canadians are worried about an influx of new citizens, they shouldn’t be. Peter Spiro, a law professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, does not antic- ipate a rush of newly minted Canadians crossing the border. Spiro, who specializes in international, immigration and constitutional law, describes dual citizenship as a form of in- surance. You may never have to use your second citizenship, he said, but in case you need it, Canada will always welcome you home. WHY INDIA MUST STEP FORWARD India is uniquely positioned to serve as a credible and balanced mediator. As the world’s largest democracy, it holds both moral authority and diplomatic influence. Its long-standing relationships with the United States, Iran, Israel, and the Gulf nations provide it with access that few other countries have. India’s leadership in global forums such as BRICS and the G20 further en- hances its ability to bring together diverse stakeholders. Simultaneously, its role as a prominent voice of the Global South enables it to advocate for peace without appearing aligned with any specific bloc. - TheWashington Post By Andrea Sachs Want To Be A Canadian? It’s Never Been Easier PHOTO:ZEN RIAL/GETTY IMAGES Canadian and American passports.