On June 19, 2017, the federal government passed Bill C-6, changing the rules for obtaining and keeping Canadian Citizenship. This bill has been a hot-button political issue, because it removes the citizenship system brought in by the previous Conservative government, in which dual citizens could have their citizenship revoked for some serious criminal offences. However, for most immigrants to Canada, the other changes contained in the bill will be more important. They will mean fewer hurdles on the pathway to

“Please, can you help us bring over our daughter?” the couple asks. They hand me a photo of the three of them together—parents and young daughter, all grinning for the camera. They hand me the adoption certificate from the country overseas that makes her legally their daughter. They tell me about the regular visits, the Skype calls, the repeated questions from their daughter wondering why she cannot come and live with Mommy and Daddy yet. And finally, they hand me