Consulting Services- Citizenship

Apply for citizenship

Determine your eligibility – Citizenship

To be eligible to become a Canadian citizen, you must meet the conditions in all these areas:

• age,
• permanent resident status,
• time you have lived in Canada,
• language skills,
• criminal history (prohibitions) and
• how well you know Canada.

As a result of 2014 changes to the Citizenship Act, if you have served in or with the Canadian Armed Forces, you might be able to apply through a fast-track process. We look at how long you have served our country, instead of how long you lived in Canada. Foreign military members do not need to be a permanent resident of Canada.

Age

You must be at least 18 years old to apply.

To apply for 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).

Permanent resident status

You must have permanent resident (PR) status in Canada. Your PR status must not be in question. That means you must not be:

• under review for immigration or fraud reasons, or
• under a removal order (an order from Canadian officials to leave Canada).

You do not need to have a PR card to apply for citizenship. If you have a PR card, but it is expired, you can still apply for citizenship.

Time you have lived in Canada

You must have resided in Canada for at least three years (1,095 days) in the past four years before you apply. This does not apply to children under 18.

You may be able to count time you spent in Canada before you became a permanent resident if it was during the past four years.

Use our online tool to find out if you have lived in Canada long enough to apply to become a citizen.

Language abilities

Canada has two official languages — English and French. To become a citizen, you must show that you have adequate knowledge of one of these languages. In general, this means you can:

• take part in short, everyday conversations about common topics;
• understand simple instructions, questions and directions;
• use basic grammar, including simple structures and tenses; and
• show that you know enough common words and phrases to answer questions and express yourself.

If you are between 18 and 54, you must send documents with your citizenship application that prove you can speak and listen in English or French at this level. Use our wizard to see if you have the proof we will accept. The citizenship application guide also contains the type of proof we will accept.

Second, we will note how well you communicate when you talk to the staff or the citizenship officer whom interviews you.

A citizenship officer will make the final decision on your application, including how well you can communicate in English or French.

Criminal history (prohibitions)

You cannot become a citizen if you:

• have been convicted of an indictable (criminal) offence or an offence under the Citizenship Act in the three years before you apply,
• are currently charged with an offence under the Citizenship Act,
• are in prison, on parole or on probation,
• are under a removal order (Canadian officials have ordered you to leave Canada),
• are being investigated for, are charged with, or have been convicted of a war crime or a crime against humanity, or
• have had your Canadian citizenship taken away in the past five years.

If you are on probation or are charged with a crime and waiting for a trial, you should wait until after the probation is done or your trial is over to apply to become a citizen.

Time in prison or on parole does not count as time you have lived in Canada. Time on probation also does not count if you were convicted of a crime.

If you were on probation due to a conditional discharge, that time may be counted toward the time you have lived in Canada. For details, contact the Call Centre.

How well you know Canada

To become a citizen, you must understand the rights, responsibilities and privileges of citizenship, such as voting in elections and obeying the law. You must also show you understand Canada’s:

• history,
• values,
• institutions and
• symbols.

If you are between 18-54 when you apply for citizenship, you will need to take a test to show you have adequate knowledge of Canada and the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship. All you need to know for the test is in our free study guide, Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship. We will send you a copy once we get your application. The questions in the citizenship test are based on this study guide.

After you apply: get next steps – Citizenship

You can check the status of your application online. You can also check the status of your application by contacting the Call Centre.

You may withdraw your application. If you do, you may be eligible for a refund.

Preparing for the citizenship test

If you are between 18-54 when you apply for citizenship, you must take the citizenship test. All the test’s questions are based on the content of Discover Canada. Study the guide carefully so you are ready to pass the test.

Closing or rejecting your application

• submit documentation;
• appear for your citizenship test or interview;
• appear for a hearing with a citizenship judge; or
• attend the citizenship ceremony;

If you do not appear for your citizenship test or interview, and have not contacted CIC to explain why, we will assume you have given up on applying for citizenship. The notices we will send you explain how to contact CIC.

If your application for Canadian citizenship is not approved, you will receive a letter explaining why and the options available to you.

Asking questions about your application

While they process your application, you should only contact CIC if:

• you change your address,
• you plan to leave Canada for more than two weeks in a row,
• you are charged with a crime or
• we do not contact you about your file within the posted processing times.

Before you ask about your application status:

• make sure you have allowed enough time for each step and
• make sure you have your receipt or file number when you access our online services.