Citizenship Application

The process of becoming a Canadian Citizen begins by submitting a citizenship application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Eligibility Requirements

To become a Canadian Citizen, you must:

• be a permanent resident
• have lived in Canada with qualifying permanent resident status for 3 years during the preceding 5 years.
• have filed taxes for any 3 taxation years within the five years prior to applying.

Other obligations: –

Citizenship Test: Applicants meeting the above eligibility requirements must pass the citizenship test demonstrating their knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of Canadians and Canada’s history, geography economy, government, laws, and symbols. It is a 30-minute test in either English or French language.

Applicants under the age of 18 do not need to take the test.

Language skills: If the applicants are between 18 – 54 years of age then they must fulfil the language requirements. They need to demonstrate effective communication skills in one of the Canadian languages – English or French.

Applicants can also provide: –

• A transcript of post-secondary studies in English or French.
• Language proficiency test results
• Proof of meeting Canadian language benchmark (CLB) Level 4 or higher

Citizenship will not be granted if the applicant: –

• Is guilty of committing a crime inside or outside of Canada.
• has not fulfilled permanent residency requirements.
• There has been a refusal of the citizenship application on account of misrepresentation in the last five years.

If IRCC isdoubtful of the applicant’s ability to meet the residency requirements, it requests the applicant to fill a Residence Questionnaire. This questionnaire questions the applicants about their time spent in Canada, their trips outside Canada, their employment both inside and outside Canada. It also takes into account their daily expenses and visits to the doctor or dentist.

It takes around 12 months to complete the process. Some applicants may also need to appear for an interview before a Citizenship judge. Once all the requirements are met and tests are cleared, applicants are invited to attend a Citizenship ceremony where they receive their certificate of Canadian citizenship.