Yes, that's right.
Under the citizenship legislation, our officers currently do not have the authority to seize a suspicious document. Bill C-6, which is before Parliament, actually includes that authority now. If that were to be approved, then our officers could do so.
Under the immigration legislation, officers have the authority, or under Canada Border Services under the immigration legislation, we can seize documents, but if a citizenship officer suspects that a document has been altered or is fraudulent, they can't actually take control of the document. That has led to inconsistencies in terms of our citizenship officers and what to do in those kinds of cases when they suspect that a document actually has been altered. We have updated our guidance to officers, and now, if an officer suspects there is a problem with a document, there are procedures. They can actually go to a CBSA officer or to an immigration officer in the same office. Basically, if it is an immigration document, then in fact the authority under the immigration legislation can be used to seize the document.
In the absence of an immigration-type concern, in fact, what we have now done to make sure there's consistency across the regions is that we have given guidance to our officers. Basically, they can in fact look at the document, and if they suspect there is an issue with the document, they can ask a client whether we could take control of the document.
If a client refuses, the procedures require that official copies be made of the document. We make official photocopies of the document. We alert our case management branch that is responsible for following up on issues of this nature. We put a red flag in our system, and we do not continue processing that particular applicant for citizenship until we have actually been able to verify that in fact there is no issue with respect to an identity document or a travel document that has been submitted.
As I say, we're hoping that if the legislation is passed this clarity of the authority for citizenship officers will be in place. Otherwise, we have other procedures that we've tried to put in place to address that concern.