2007: Lifting Ban on “Singh & Kaur” at Immigration Canada

In 2007, it came to light that the Dept of Citizenship and Immigration in Canada had placed a ban on the use of the last names Singh and Kaur, preventing individuals with these surnames from immigrating to Canada. A spokesperson for Canadian Citizenship and Immigration confirmed that the ban had been in place for a decade.

The World Sikh Organization successfully advocated to Minister of Citizenship and Immigration for Canada and the policy was subsequently withdrawn.