Some 'Lost Canadians' told to surrender new citizenship certificates

Some 'Lost Canadians' told to surrender new citizenship certificates7 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleNadine YousifSenior Canada reporterSupplied/Shawn Davis MooneyShawn Davis Mooney relocated from California to Canada permanently. Now he says he is unsure of his status in Canada.A number of Americans who recently received proof of Canadian citizenship are being asked to surrender their new certificates pending further review, sparking confusion and disappointment among those affected and their lawyers. Letters sent by Canada's immigration ministry and shared with the BBC state that recipients "may not be entitled" to their certificates of citizenship and ask for them to be returned.The letters were sent to an unknown number of people who obtained citizenship via an ancestral tie to Canada under a law enacted in December.In a statement to the BBC, an immigration ministry spokesperson confirmed "a limited number of files" are being reviewed.The review "concerns the processing of individual cases", the spokesperson said, and that those who received surrender letters will have the opportunity to provide additional evidence to support their citizenship case. "If the review confirms that the individual is entitled to the certificate, it will be returned," the spokesperson said.Shawn Davis Mooney, who recently relocated permanently from California to Victoria, British Columbia, with his husband was alarmed when he received his letter. "It has devastated me beyond imagination," he said. Mooney applied for Canadian citizenship after the so-called "Lost Canadians" law came into effect late last year.With the help of a lawyer, he said he submitted 114 pages of documents showing a great-great-grandparent was born in the province of New Brunswick. He was approved for urgent processing and granted a citizenship certificate in February, he said. Now, he is unsure of his status in Canada. &quo...