Privacy Impact Assessment Summary: C-14 Adoption

A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) was conducted for Bill C-14, which amends the Citizenship Act, to determine if any privacy risk is associated with the bill’s implementation. The new amendments make it possible for foreign-born children adopted by Canadians to apply for citizenship without having to become permanent residents first. The legislation came into effect on December 23, 2007.

In order to apply for citizenship under the new provisions, an applicant is required to provide personal information. The objective of this PIA is to determine whether the applicant’s personal information will be subject to any privacy risks, and if so, to provide recommendations on mitigating or eliminating those risks. This PIA is conducted to insure that all information collected is necessary for assessing this type of application.

This report demonstrates that the personal information collected for the purpose of assessing an Application for Canadian citizenship for a person adopted by a Canadian citizen (after February 14, 1977) is consistent with the Department’s policies, and with the Privacy Act and the Access to Information Act. According to the acts and IRCC’s policies, personal information collected by IRCC remains the property of IRCC and is stored according to its current policy. Where information needs to be shared with stakeholders that are not listed in the definition of “Consistent Use,” a written and informed consent is required from the applicant. In the case of an adopted person applying for citizenship, the applicant’s information is shared with provincial and territorial governments in order to assess the adoption, as adoption is under provincial and territorial jurisdiction. Once the applicant has given consent, the information may be shared with a Canadian consular section abroad in order to facilitate the prompt delivery of a Canadian passport.

The assessment did not identify any privacy risk.

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