2.1 Definition

A. Citizenship refers to the country that the individual has citizenship.²

B. Citizenship or immigration status refers to a person’s status according to the following Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) categories: permanent residents, convention refugees, Canadian citizens, refugee claimants, open work permits, closed work permits, student visas, and visitor.^{3, 4}

2.2 Considerations and Limitations

Citizenship or immigration status can be used to understand:

• Requirements for eligibility of programs, employment, etc.^{5, 6}
• Certain supports that are available to immigrants or refugees.^{7, 8, 9}
• Eligibility for citizenship application.¹⁰

Citizenship and immigration status cannot be used to understand:

• Place of birth as that may differ from a person’s country of citizenship or residence.
• Citizenship journey.
• A person’s needs outside of immigration or refugee programs (e.g., employment or housing programs).⁷
• Whether a person is new to a country. Self-identification of newcomers may be of interest for program eligibility, reporting, or planning purposes. Whether a person is considered a “newcomer” depends on context ^{11, 12, 13, 14, 15} and there is no consensus about how many years a person is in Canada before they are no longer considered an “newcomer”.
• The indigeneity of a person. Indigenous peoples in Canada include First Nations (original inhabitants of what is now Canada), Métis (people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry), and Inuit (Indigenous peoples who inhabit the northern regions of what is now Canada)^{16, 17, 18}. Questions of indigeneity and Canadian citizenship are complex ^{19, 20} and currently, work is underway to “explore the relationship between traditional and Indian Act forms of governance systems as it relates specifically to citizenship.” ²¹ As well, please see the Datapedia entry on Indigenous peoples in Canada including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit.

Additional Considerations:

• Effective follow-up with newly landed clients after a certain time frame to allow for an adjustment period. ²²
• Citizenship status does not reflect an individual’s employment and income levels. ²³
• Culture may be an important consideration to ask about separately. ²⁴
• Whether to ask at all? Is it relevant to the supports that agencies are providing to clients? ²⁵
• If not a necessary question, ask follow-up questions or provide definitions for specific categories if clients do not understand. Sometimes there may be possible language barriers. ²⁶

2.3 Suggested Collection Methods

The minimum suggested data collection method, or “basic” option below reflects a synthesis of practices, considerations from nonprofit stakeholders, and recognized standards in capturing demographic data. The “basic” question is modeled after what might be asked on an intake form during an initial meeting with a client. The process by which intake or registration occurs can vary widely depending on the context within which you are working. For example, the way questions are asked and data are recorded will vary for clients in crises, as compared to walk-in or drop-in sessions, or when

registering for a program that requires people to meet certain eligibility requirements. In those cases, the suggested collection method can be used as a starting point but adapted to fit the needs of the context within which the data are being collected.

As a standard practice we suggest always including an option for people to write in an answer that may not fit within the options provided, along with an option not to answer. These are both important for creating inclusive demographic questions.^{1, 27, 28}

2.3.1 Basic Question(s)