Canadian Officials Claim Stolen Citizenship
Forms Pose No Threat

September 24, 2002
By JASON TCHIR-- Canadian Press

Immigration officials say missing citizenship forms do not represent a security threat because the government knows which ones are phonies.

At least 11 people were nabbed trying to enter Canada with stolen citizenship documents since 1996, immigration officials said yesterday. "We can spot (the stolen documents) and we do spot them," said Canada Immigration spokesman Rene Mercier. "We stopped 10 people trying to enter Canada from overseas ... and one at the border."

Mercier downplayed a Toronto Sun report that a three-year government investigation failed to find stolen IMM 1000 citizenship forms, which give a person landed-immigrant status.

Officials have serial numbers for all the forms, which were stolen from immigration offices and reportedly had a street value of $3,000 to $5,000, Mercier said, but would not provide further details of the thefts or arrests.
The Sun was also told yesterday that a recent probe into a Scarborough citizenship office found no evidence that citizenship cards were given to anyone who shouldn't have received one.

Staff at the Town Centre Court office had been accused of giving immigrants Canadian citizenship in exchange for cash, gifts and trips.

http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWS/forms_sep24-sun.html