APPLICATION FOR CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP
Subject to the Citizenship Act, a person is a citizen if they were:
- Born in Canada after February 15, 1977; or
- Born outside of Canada after February 14, 1977 and at the time of his/her birth, one of his/her parents, other than a parent who adopted him/her, was a Canadian citizen; or
- He/She has been granted or acquired citizenship.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC, formerly CIC) is the federal department that manages Canadian citizenship, both for those applying for citizenship and for current Canadian citizens.
Many of these newcomers are in the process of becoming Canadian citizens, and many more will apply for Canadian citizenship in the future. When that process is complete, they take loyalty oaths pledging their commitment to the responsibilities and privileges of Canadian citizenship.
Canada permits dual citizenship. However, not all countries permit their citizens to hold Canadian citizenship (i.e. countries who do not permit dual citizenship) if they become a Canadian.
Individuals who are applying to become a Canadian citizen are required to submit an application and to write a citizenship test. Children under the age of eighteen (18) and adults over the age of sixty (60) are not required to write the test. The test requires knowledge of English or French, a general knowledge about Canada’s history, geography and political system.
Citizenship Canada has produced a book called “A Look at Canada”, which prepares one for the test.
IN ORDER TO APPLY FOR YOUR CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS:
- Be 18 years of age or older.
- Be a permanent resident (landed immigrant) in Canada.
- You must have been physically present in Canada as a permanent resident for at least 1,460 days during the six years immediately before the date of your application. You must also be physically present for at least 183 days during each of four calendar years that are fully or partially within the six years immediately before the date of application. Only the time you resided in Canada after you became a permanent resident is counted. Please note that children below the age of 18 years are not required to meet the residency requirement.
- Have basic knowledge of the English or French language.
- Have adequate knowledge about the history of Canada, its geography, government, values, institutions, symbols and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship to pass the citizenship test (Children under the age of eighteen (18) and adults over the age of sixty (60) are not required to write the test).
- Persons with a criminal record, facing criminal charges or subject to immigration enforcement action may be ineligible for citizenship.
- You must have met your personal income tax filing obligations in four taxation years that are fully or partially within the six years immediately before the date you apply.
TO APPLY FOR CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP FOR A CHILD UNDER 18:
- You must be the child’s parent, adoptive parent or legal guardian,
- The child must be a permanent resident, and
- One parent must be a Canadian citizen or apply to become a citizen at the same time (this also applies to adoptive parents).
WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION?
- You must have permanent resident (PR) status in Canada, have no unfulfilled conditions related to that status, and your PR status must not be in question. This means you must not:
- Be subject to any prohibition under the Citizenship Act; or are in prison, on parole or have been convicted of a war crime or a crime against humanity
- Be under review for immigration or fraud reasons
- Be under a removal order (asked by Immigration Canadian officials to leave Canada).
OUR SERVICES
- A routine Canadian citizenship card application can take 10-12 months as per Citizenship and Immigration Canada timelines.
- We will calculate your citizenship residency eligibility, as this a complex calculation.
- We will help you to create your citizenship application package.
- We will submit your complete application with CIC.
- We will inform you once we receive the citizenship certificate.
WHAT DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED FOR CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION?
Our experts will help you with preparing your application and a complete list of the documents required.