I was catching up on the news today. I often do that on Shabbat. As the week goes on, I get busy, and the newspaper goes unread. Shabbat is the day I get to sit with 2, 3, 6 days worth of papers, and see what catches my eye.
Today it was a short new item at the bottom corner of page 7, not in a important spot, but important to me. Canada has changed the language proficiency requirements for those who wish to be citizens. After going through the ridiculous language test, which was in no way geared for me, I figured it made sense that Canada would make it's citizenship process more stringent.
So here it is: those wishing to become Canadian citizens must prove proficiency in English or French by
1) passing the IELTS language exam- check; done. This was required to become a permanent resident.
2) reaching language proficiency in a government class here in Canada, which I didn't need since I am a native English speaker, or
3) completing a degree at an English or French speaking post-secondary or graduate university- been there; done that.
Wow, you mean the multiple degrees from Brandeis University and Jewish Theological Seminary, which were not good enough to become a permanent resident, are good enough for me to become a citizen. Amazing! I'm so glad to know my years at top American institutions can be trusted.
What a relief to know that when I do apply for citizenship I won't have to prove I speak English. Three degrees (or even one) are good enough for Canada. Too bad they weren't good enough to move here.
No comments:
Post a Comment