Canadian Citizenship: Notice Out if Yous're Eligible | Costless Legal Consultation

Terminal updated: fourteen April 2022

Citizenshipeligibility

Canada offers ane of the virtually open citizenship policies in the globe. As such, hundreds of thousands of people get eligible for Canadian citizenship each year and over 85% of permanent residents become Canadians.

Becoming eligible for Canadian citizenship entails the likes of coming together residency requirements, beingness able to speak English language and/or French, and not having a criminal history considered prohibitive to becoming a denizen.

This comprehensive CanadaVisa page provides an overview of Canadian citizenship eligibility criteria.

Are you looking to utilize for Canadian citizenship? Contact Cohen Immigration Law for a free phone consultation!

Canadian Citizenship Eligibility Criteria

You need to meet several criteria to exist eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship:

  • Be a permanent resident
  • Meet Canada's physical presence requirements
  • File your taxes (if necessary)
  • Laissez passer a Canadian citizenship exam (if y'all are between the ages of 18-54)
  • Prove your linguistic communication skills (if you are between the ages of 18-54)

Permanent resident status

You must be a permanent resident to apply for Canadian citizenship. Your Permanent Residence (PR) carte does not need to be valid at the fourth dimension of your application and you can however apply with an expired PR bill of fare. Property permanent resident status entails not being under review for immigration or fraud reasons, not being subject to a removal order, and not having unfulfilled weather relating to your permanent resident status (e.g., you have yet to complete a medical screening).

Canada's physical presence requirements

You lot must have lived in Canada for at least three years (i,095 days) out of the by five years before applying for Canadian citizenship (unless there are exceptional circumstances). Children under 18 must also have permanent resident condition, but do not have to satisfy the iii-year requirement.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recommends y'all utilise with more than ane,095 days of living in Canada in case at that place is a problem with your calculation.

If you lived in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person before becoming a permanent resident, you lot tin can calculate some of that fourth dimension towards your concrete presence requirement. Each day yous spent in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person in the last five years tin can count equally a one-half solar day. You can use a maximum of 365 days equally a temporary resident or protected person towards your physical presence requirement.

Use CanadaVisa's Complimentary Canadian Citizenship Eligibility Calculator

File your taxes (if necessary)

If applicative to you, you lot may demand to file taxes in Canada for at to the lowest degree three years within the five years before you submit your Canadian citizenship awarding.

It may exist a requirement to file an income tax return, even if you lived in Canada for only office of a year, if y'all:

  • Need to pay tax for the year
  • Desire to merits a refund
  • Want to get do good and credit payments

Pass a Canadian citizenship test

If you are betwixt of ages of eighteen and 54 on the twenty-four hours you signed your Canadian citizenship application, y'all will demand to accept a Canadian citizenship test. The test is 30 minutes long and contains multiple-option and truthful or false questions. Y'all tin complete the test in English or French. The pass marking is xv out of 20.

The exam will ask questions on the rights and responsibilities of Canadians, Canada's history, geography, economy, government, laws, and symbols.

Prove your language skills

Those between the ages of xviii and 54 also need to prove they can speak English or French at a Canadian Linguistic communication Benchmarks (CLB) level of 4 or higher. IRCC assesses your language skills in a variety of ways, such equally

  • review the evidence you submit demonstrating your linguistic communication skills
  • IRCC may take annotation of how well you communicate with citizenship officials during the application procedure
  • IRCC may appraise your language skills during a hearing with a citizenship official, if necessary

One case of proof of your linguistic communication skills is showing you attended a secondary or mail service-secondary educational plan in English language or French. IRCC volition also take the results of an English or French linguistic communication test you lot completed. For example, this can take been completed every bit part of a language training program in Canada, or as part of your Canadian permanent residence application.

    Ineligibility

    Canadian citizenship will non be granted to applicants who:

    • Practice not meet the minimum required residency days in Canada;
    • Cannot speak either English or French;
    • Do not laissez passer their citizenship test and/or interview; or
    • Cannot provide the required proof of residency documentation.

    There are also multiple legal and criminality bug that may make yous ineligible for Canadian citizenship.

    If any of the post-obit use to you, you may non qualify for citizenship:

    • You take had your citizenship taken away within the by 5 years;
    • Yous have been convicted of a criminal offence in the past iii years;
    • You lot are in prison, on parole or on probation;
    • You are under removal order from Canada;
    • Yous are under investigation for, or take been bedevilled of a state of war law-breaking or a criminal offence against humanity.

    Contact Cohen Immigration Police for Canadian Citizenship Assistance

    Do you demand Canadian citizenship assistance? Cohen Clearing Police is here to help. Nosotros can assess your eligibility and submit your Canadian citizenship application to the Canadian regime. Cohen Immigration Constabulary offers over 45 years of expertise helping clients go Canadians.

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