ABSTRACT
Since the inception of Canada as a nation, immigrants and refugees have been an essential aspect of its foundation. They arrive with great hopes and expectations. These are informed by people's interconnecting identities; to name a few: class, religion, sexual orientation, race and ethnicities. Once immigrants and/or refugees become Canadian citizens, they have certain rights and privileges. Canadian citizenship allows access to certain countries without a visa, and to Canadian health care and pensions. This chapter discusses the legalistic notions of citizenship that emphasize civil, political and social rights toward an understanding of citizenship as a lived process, mediated by multiple axes of power, thus to contribute to the expanding literature on citizenship. It analyzes a particular case study related to immigrant groups' pathways and practices of everyday citizenship. The chapter examines how a specific group mobilized through civil society activism to challenge dominant practices and alter patterns of service design and allocation.
