Canadian Citizenship
To be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship, one must:
- Have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days in the five (5) years prior to submitting your application.
- Have filed income taxes (if required by the Income Tax Act) for any three (3) taxation years that are fully or partially within the five (5) years before you apply.
- Be able to speak and understand in English and/or French and demonstrate, in English or French, knowledge about Canada and the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship (unless you are 55 or older at the time your application is being submitted):
How to calculate time spent in Canada:
Only the five (5) years immediately before the date of the application are considered. Each day you were physically present living in Canada as an authorized temporary resident or protected person before you became a permanent resident count as half a day (up to a maximum of 365 days). Each day you were physically present in Canada after you became a permanent resident counts as one full day.
Apply for Canadian Citizenship with the Help of Leading Canadian Immigration Lawyers
To discuss this further and outline the particular facts of your situation, please contact one of the Canadian Immigration lawyers at our law firm, Guberman // Appleby Immigration Lawyers.
Apply for Canadian Citizenship FAQ
When you are applying for citizenship you need to file a complete application for Canadian citizenship and provide the correct application fee along with the relevant supporting documents.
The first step to becoming a Canadian citizen is to become a permanent resident. You typically must spend three of the five years prior to your application physically present in Canada before becoming eligible for citizenship, though this timeline is different for each applicant. If you first come to Canada as a permanent resident, you must spend three years in the country. If you arrived in Canada as a temporary resident (worker, student, visitor, protected person), then you can get 12 months of credit towards the three year requirement.
To become a naturalized Canadian citizen, you must first immigrate to Canada as a permanent resident. There are a number of requirements which Canadian permanent residents meet to be eligible for Canadian citizenship. Applicants must be able to prove that they have been living in Canada for three of the last five years (1095 days) preceding the submission of their application. During that five year period, the applicant must have filed their income tax in Canada for three years. Applicants must then pass a citizenship test demonstrating their knowledge of the requisite rights and responsibilities of a Canadian citizen. You also must then demonstrate your language ability, meeting the minimum level of either English or French.
Processing times for Canadian citizenship can vary depending upon backlogs at Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the current application intake volume.
First, you will need to ensure that you are eligible to apply. A Canadian Immigration Lawyer at Guberman // Appleby Immigration Lawyers, will request information from you and can make an assessment as to your eligibility. If it is determined that you meet the eligibility requirements to file a Canadian citizenship application, the application will be prepared and filed. After a file number is issued, you wait until such time that you are invited to write the Canadian citizenship test. Everyone between the ages of 18 and 54 must write the test. After the test, you may have an interview. If you pass the citizenship test and meet all other requirements for Canadian Citizenship, you will be invited to attend an Oath ceremony. All Canadian citizenship applicants over age 14 must attend the Oath ceremony. After the Oath ceremony, you will receive your Canadian citizenship certificate. You will need this certificate to make an application for a Canadian passport.
If you were not born in Canada and at least one of your parents was born in Canada, depending upon when you were born, you may very well be eligible to apply for Proof of Canadian Citizenship; however, your children will not be able to claim Canadian citizenship