Guide 8: Citizenship
GSB
SUMMARY
A person is a citizen of Canada if she/he is born in Canada, is born outside Canada to a Canadian citizen OR received Canadian Citizenship by applying for a grant of Citizenship.
Ready to take the next step towards your Canadian immigration journey? Fill out the form below and embark on your path to new opportunities.
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible to apply to become a Canadian citizen, you must meet the following requirements:
1- Permanent Residence in Canada
You must have Permanent Resident (PR) status in Canada when you apply for citizenship.
This means you must not:
- be the subject of an immigration or fraud review
- be under removal order (asked by Canadian officials to leave Canada)
- have unfulfilled conditions related to your PR status, such as: medical screening
You don’t need a valid PR card to apply for citizenship.
2- Residence in Canada
You must have resided in Canada for at least 1095 days or three (3) of the last five (5) years as a permanent resident. You might be able to include some of your time in Canada as a temporary resident or as a protected person. When calculating your physical presence, each day spent in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person within the last five (5) years counts as one half day. You can count up to 365 days spent in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person. If you were a Crown servant or a family member of a Crown servant, you may also include time spent outside of Canada. Time spent serving a prison sentence, on parole, or on probation does not count as time spent in Canada.
3- Filing Income Tax
You may need to file taxes in Canada for at least three (3) years during the five (5) years right before the date you apply.
4- Language Ability
If you are between the ages of 18 and 54 on the day you sign your citizenship application, you must demonstrate that you can speak and listen at CLB level 4 or higher in either English or French.
Your level of language proficiency may also be examined when you talk to a citizenship official anytime during the process or during a hearing with a citizenship official, if necessary.
Various certificates, diplomas, and tests may be accepted as proof of your language skills:
- Diploma, transcript or certificate as proof that you attended a secondary or post-secondary program in English or French
- One of the approved language test results. It can be expired or provided when you applied for permanent residence
- Completion of LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada) training
- Completion of a provincial language program in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario or Quebec
5- Ineligibility
If you committed a crime in or outside Canada you may not be eligible to become a Canadian citizen for a period of time.
WHAT STEPS SHOULD YOU TAKE?
Step 1: Submit your application
Citizenship applications may be submitted online or on paper:
- If you are an adult (an applicant 18 years of age or over), you can apply either online or on paper.
- If you are a minor or an adult applying with a minor, you can only apply on paper.
- If you are including time spent outside Canada as a crown servant or family member of a crown servant, you can only apply on paper.
- If you have a representative and want your representative to complete and submit your application for you, you can only apply on paper.
If your application is complete, you (or your representative) will receive an Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) and the processing of your application will start. The AOR contains your application number and unique client Identifier (UCI).
As soon as you receive your AOR, you should be able to check your application status (➨immilib.com/Check-Status).
Step 2: Submit Fingerprints
While your citizenship application is being processed, IRCC may request that you submit your fingerprints. You must submit your fingerprints within 30 days of being asked for them.
In Canada, your fingerprints must be taken electronically. You can have them taken by your local police department, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), or an RCMP-approved fingerprint company.
Fingerprints are used to conduct a criminal record check, and IRCC may request your fingerprints for other reasons, such as:
- Quality Control. In these cases, applicants are chosen at random and may be required to provide additional documentation.
- In case of similarity of identity information, fingerprints are used to differentiate you from other people with similar names and birth dates (specially someone with criminal records or refused application).
| Permanent Residence Application | |
| Apply Online: | |
| immilib.com/CIT-Online | |
| Apply on Paper: | |
| immilib.com/CIT-Paper | |
| Official Program Guide: | |
|
Adult (18 and over): Minor (under 18): |
|
| IRCC Application Fees: | |
| Adult Applicant 18 and over: | $630 |
| Minor Applicant under 18: | $100 |
| Processing Time: | |
| Approx. 23 months | |
| Document Checklist(s): | |
|
Adult (18 and over): Parent or guardian applying for a minor (under age 18): Minor without a Canadian parent applying alone: Adopted person: Adult – Canadian armed forces: Stateless person born to a Canadian parent: |
|
| Mailing Address: | |
|
Regular mail: Case Processing Centre—Sydney Citizenship Grants P.O. Box 7000 Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 6V6 Canada |
|
|
Courier: Case Processing Centre—Sydney Citizenship Grants 47–49 Dorchester Street Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 5Z2 Canada |
|
| Contact: | |
| 1-888-242-2100 (in Canada) | |
| 1-613-944-4000 (outside Canada) | |
| Web Form: | |
| immilib.com/web-form | |
| Visa Office: | |
| immilib.com/Visa-Offices | |
Step 3: Citizenship Test and Interview
Before being granted citizenship, you may be required to take the citizenship test and attend an interview. Whether you must take the test and/or attend the interview is determined by your age and application:
- All adults 18 to 54 years of age must take the test and go to the interview.
- Adults 55 and over are exempt from the test but must attend the interview.
- Minors under 18 are not required to take the test. Only minors 14 to 17 who are not applying along with a parent or do not have a Canadian parent, must go to the interview.
The citizenship test is to prove that you know enough about Canada. You will be asked 20 questions about the rights and responsibilities of Canadians and Canada’s history, geography, economy, government, laws and symbols. You need to get 15 correct answers to pass the test.
The questions are based on the official citizenship study guide: Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship (➨ immilib.com/DiscoverCanada).
Following the test, you will have an interview with a citizenship official. During the interview, the citizenship official will:
- provide you with the results of your test, if you took one
- assess your language skills, if you are between the ages of 18 and 54
- verify your application and original documents
- answer any questions we may have about your application, and
- ensure you meet all of the requirements for citizenship.
If you fail your first written test but meet all of the other requirements for citizenship, you will be scheduled a second test. The second test is usually performed 4 to 8 weeks after the first.
If you fail your second test, you must attend a hearing with a citizenship official. If you don’t pass the test after three (3) tries, your citizenship application will be refused and you can re-apply to try again.
Step 4: Oath of Citizenship and Ceremony
If you pass and meet the requirements for citizenship, you will be given the test results. A ceremony date and time will also be given to you at the same time or at a later date (usually about one (1) to two (2) weeks before the ceremony) by email or letter. The ceremony will usually take place within three (3) months after your test.
The final step in becoming a Canadian citizen is to take the Oath of Citizenship at a citizenship ceremony. Citizenship ceremonies are held throughout the country at all times of the year. On Canada Day and during Citizenship Week, there are special ceremonies.
Adults and children over the age of 14 must attend the citizenship ceremony and take the oath.
Parents will receive citizenship certificates for their children under the age of 14. Children under the age of 14 are not required to attend, but they are welcome to do so.
During your ceremony you will take the Citizenship Oath, obtain your certificate of citizenship, sing the national anthem (O Canada) and sign the Oath or Affirmation of Citizenship form.
The ceremony will be presided over by a citizenship judge or official, who will administer the Oath of Citizenship. Many people will join you in taking the oath. The oath will be administered in both English and French by the ceremony official. Following the official, you will repeat the words to the oath as a group. The oath must be repeated in at least one of the official languages, but we encourage you to say it in both. You will also be asked to sing the national anthem in both English and Spanish.
You will become a Canadian citizen after taking the Oath of Citizenship. A citizenship certificate will be issued to you as proof of your Canadian citizenship. It will display the date you became a citizen.
Being a Canadian citizen provides advantages that permanent residents do not have, such as access to restricted jobs, the right to vote and run for political office, and the ability to travel with a Canadian passport.
Paper Certificate or e-Certificate
Step 5: Get Your Passport
You can apply for your Canadian passport (➨ immilib.com/Passport). after you receive your citizenship certificate.
If you are a Canadian citizen, even if you have citizenship of another country, you can only enter Canada with a valid Canadian passport or a special authorization to board your flight to Canada (issued only under certain circumstances).
Ready to take the next step towards your Canadian immigration journey? Fill out the form below and embark on your path to new opportunities.
WELCOME TO THE CANADIAN FAMILY
Share: