Ottawa to revoke citizenship for 3,100 naturalised Canadians

MONTREAL (AFP) - Ottawa has begun revoking the citizenship of thousands of naturalised Canadians who allegedly pretended to live in the country while really residing overseas, the immigration minister said on Monday.

"We have identified up to 3,100 Canadian citizens who may have obtained their citizenship fraudulently and we will pursue revocation for those who have," said Mr Jason Kenney, the country's immigration minister.

"We are taking action to strip citizenship and permanent residence status from people who do not play by the rules and who lie or cheat to become Canadian citizens," Mr Kenney told reporters.

"Most of these individuals are believed to be outside the country and have never really lived here," he added.