Becoming a Canadian Citizen is a monumental experience and milestone for an immigrant. We take this very seriously and personally, and utilize our extensive experience, knowledge, and connections to ensure applications are processed smoothly and without undue complications or unnecessary mistakes causing delay. Contact us today to go over your options or get the process started.
To become a Canadian Citizen, you must meet the following requirements:
To be eligible to become a Canadian citizen, you must meet all conditions, including:
- Age
- Permanent resident status
- Time you have lived in Canada
- Income tax filing
- Intent to reside
- Language skills
- How well you know Canada
- Prohibitions
Age
You must be at least 18 years old to apply for Canadian citizenship.If your child is under 18, you may apply for them if you are their biological parent, adoptive parent or legal guardian and they’re a permanent resident and eligible for citizenship.
Permanent resident status
If you’re applying for citizenship, you must have PR status in Canada and no unfulfilled conditions related to your PR stats. You must not be under review for immigration or fraud reasons or have a removal order. You don’t need a valid PR card to apply for citizenship. If you have an expired PR card, you can still apply for citizenship.
Time you have lived in Canada
You must have been physically present in Canada as a permanent resident for at least 1,460 days during the six years right before the date you sign your application and 183 days during each of four calendar years that are fully or partially within the six years right before the date you apply. When calculating how long you have lived in Canada, you can only count time spent after you became a permanent resident.These requirements don’t apply to children under 18.
Income tax filing
You must meet your personal income tax filing obligations in four tax years that are fully or partially within the six years right before the date you apply.
Intent to reside
You must declare your intent to live in Canada during the citizenship application process.
This means that to become a citizen, you must plan to live in Canada. Once you become a Canadian citizen, you have the right to enter, remain in, or leave Canada as a basic right of citizenship.
Language abilities
Canada has two official languages: English and French. To become a citizen, you must show that you can speak and listen in one of these languages at a basic level. This means you can:
- take part in short, everyday conversations about common topics
- understand simple instructions, questions and directions
- use basic grammar, including simple structures and tenses
- show you know enough common words and phrases to answer questions and express yourself
If you’re 14 to 64 years old, you must prove you can speak and listen in English or French at this level. Citizenship staff will decide how well you can communicate in English or French during your interview. A citizenship officer will make the final decision on your application.
How well you know Canada
To become a citizen, you’ll need to take a test to meet the knowledge requirement for citizenship. You’ll need to answer questions about Canada’s:
- values
- history
- symbols
- institutions
- rights, responsibilities and privileges of citizenship, such as voting in elections and obeying the law
The tests are:
- in English or French
- given to applicants 14 to 64 years old
- made up of questions based on the Discover Canada study guide
- usually in a written format, unless you need to take it orally with a citizenship officer
Everything you need to know for the test is in Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship.
Prohibitions
If you have committed a crime in or outside Canada, you may not be eligible to become a Canadian citizen for a period of time. Time in prison, on parole or on probation doesn’t count as time you have lived in Canada.