Canadian Citizinship Eligibilty

A Canadian immigrant may apply for Canadian Citizenship after spending at least three years in Canada as a permanent resident. Currently, in order to be eligible for Canadian citizenship the following requirements must be met:

- Applicants must have Canadian permanent resident status and have lived in Canada for at least three years (1,095 days) out of the past five years before applying (unless there are exceptional circumstances). 

Note: Children under 18 must also have permanent resident status, but do not have to satisfy the three-year requirement.

- Applicants must be able to speak either one or both of Canada's two official languages (English or French) well enough to communicate in Canadian society.

Note: Individuals between the ages of 18 and 54 must submit proof of language proficiency. 

- Applicants cannot have a criminal history considered prohibitive to granting Canadian citizenship (as decided by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC).

- Applicants must be aware the rights and responsibilities of citizens and have a basic knowledge of Canada's geography, political system, and history.

- Applicants must submit a formal application to IRCC and pay a government processing fee and a right of citizenship fee.

Eligible candidates can apply for Canadian citizenship. Once approved, they will be required to take a citizenship test (for applicants between 18 and 54 only. Successful applicants must then attend a citizenship ceremony where they receive a certificate of Canadian citizenship and officially become new Canadian citizens.

Applying for Canadian Citizenship

You will need to satisfy several requirements to submit a Canadian citizenship application and may then need to take a Canadian citizenship test.

Canadian Citizenship Application Process

An application must be completed and sent to the appropriate IRCC office for review. When the application has been verified, the applicant will be sent a notice requesting that a citizenship test be taken.

Note: Applicants between 18 and 54 years of age are required to write a citizenship test, which tests the applicant's knowledge of Canadian history, geography, political process, and the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship. IRCC provides all citizenship applicants with a study guide entitled A Look at Canada. 

- The test generally takes 30 minutes to complete.
- On the day of the test, applicants are required to bring all original documents, including immigration documents, passport, photo identification, and any other documents relevant to the applicant's permanent residence in Canada.
- In compliance with regulations, some applicants are also asked to appear before a citizenship judge for an interview. Interviews are generally 15 to 30 minutes in length.
- Minors (under 18 years of age) are not required to sit the test.
- Applicants between the age of 18 and 54 are also required to pass a language test. In order to prove language proficiency, applicants must submit one of the following documents:

Note 1: Results from an approved third-party test; or

Note 2: Transcripts or a diploma from a secondary or post-secondary education in English or French; or

Note 3: Evidence of achieving Canadian Level Benchmark (CLB) 4 or higher in certain government language programs.

Successful applicants must then attend a citizenship ceremony where they receive a certificate of Canadian citizenship and officially become new Canadian citizens.

Canadian Citizenship Ineligibility

Note: It is important to review the documents provided to you when you first became a permanent resident in order to verify that all Terms and Conditions have been met. If any of these Terms and Conditions are still outstanding, you may not be eligible for Canadian citizenship.

Additionally, you may be ineligible for Canadian citizenship if you:

- have a criminal record or are facing criminal charges in Canada or outside Canada;
- have been ordered to leave Canada;
- have been refused Canadian citizenship as a result of misrepresentation; or
- have had your Canadian citizenship revoked.

Canadian Citizenship Ceremony

Once you are approved as a Canadian citizen, you can attend a Citizenship Ceremony to take Canada's Oath of Citizenship. What's the Citizenship Ceremony like?

Applicants who successfully complete the citizenship test and interview will be invited to a citizenship ceremony. All applicants are required to sing the Canadian national anthem and say the Oath of Citizenship to Canada in either English or French before a judge. Once complete, they will be granted their Canadian citizenship.

Rights and Responsibilities of Canadian Citizens

Once you obtain your Canadian citizenship, you will be entitled to all the rights and freedoms afforded to Canadian citizens.

These rights include:
- Legal rights
- Equality rights
- Mobility rights
- Aboriginal Peoples' rights
- The right to peaceful assembly
- The right to vote
- Freedom of thought
- Freedom of speech
- Freedom to practice religion

It is important to recognize that these rights and freedoms come with responsibility. These responsibilities include:

- To obey Canadian law.
- To express one’s opinions freely while respecting the rights and freedoms of others.
- To help those in your community, for example, through volunteering.
- To take responsibility to protect our environment and preserve our heritage.
- To eliminate discrimination and injustice.

Dual Citizenship

Dual (or multiple) citizenship occurs when a person is a citizen of two or more countries.

Some common ways to obtain citizenship are:

- Being born in territory considered to be of that country.
- Having one or more parents who are citizens of that country.
- Having married a person of that citizenship.
- Having gone through the legal process of earning citizenship via examination in a previously foreign country.
- Having lived in that country for enough time to qualify for citizenship.