Canadian Citizenship

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Blog by Life Ashore Immigration Consultancy Inc.

Eligibility Criteria to become a Canadian Citizen:

  1. Be a permanent resident.
  1. Physically reside in Canada for 3 out of the last 5 years

    In your calculation, you may be able to include some of the time you spent in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person (Maximum of 365 days) or outside Canada if you were a person employed in or with the Canadian Armed Forces, the federal public administration or the public service of a province or territory and includes your family member. Foreign citizens hired in their own countries by the Canadian government to support Canadian offices abroad are not considered.

  1. File your taxes.

    Find out if you need to file taxes.

  1. Pass a citizenship test.

    Require 75%
    Applicable for persons between age group of 18 to 54
    It will be on rights and responsibilities of Canadians and knowledge of Canada.

  1. Prove your language skills (the Canadian Language Benchmarks Level 4 or higher)

There are additional requirements if you are:

  • applying for a minor (under age 18)
  • a Canadian applying for your adopted child born outside Canada.
  • a current or former Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) member applying under the fast-track process.
  • a past Canadian citizen who want your Canadian citizenship back (including current and former CAF members)

If you committed a crime in or outside Canada:

  • Not eligible to become a Canadian citizen for a period.
  • Time spent serving a term of imprisonment, on parole, or on probation does not count as time you have lived in Canada.

You cannot become a citizen if you are prohibited under the Citizenship Act.

For example, if you had a citizenship application refused for misrepresentation in the past 5 years or you had your Canadian citizenship revoked because of fraud in the past 10 years

Application Packages

There are different application packages as per your situation:

  • Adult (age 18 or older)
  • Parent or guardian applying for a minor (under age 18)
  • Minor without a Canadian parent applying alone.
  • Adult who served with the Canadian Armed Forces
  • Adoption by a Canadian citizen
  • Stateless person born to a Canadian parent.

If your application is complete, you will receive your unique client identifier (UCI) as the acknowledgement of receipt letter.

You and your family can apply for citizenship together by including your applications in one envelope. Your applications will be processed together. If one or more of the applications are missing necessary information or documents, all the applications in the envelope will be returned.

After receipt of necessary information and documents, you will be invited to write Citizenship test. After the test, you or a family member may be asked to:

  • re-write the written test; or
  • attend a hearing with a citizenship officer or a citizenship judge.

Taking the Oath of Citizenship at a citizenship ceremony is your final step to become a Canadian citizen.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  1. Do I become a Canadian citizen when I marry a Canadian?

    No, if you want to become a Canadian citizen, you must follow the same steps as everyone else. There is not a special process for spouses of Canadian citizens.

  1. I am citizen of another Country. Will I lose that citizenship if I become a Canadian?

    Under Canadian law, you can be both a Canadian citizen and a citizen of another country. However, some countries will not let you keep their citizenship if you become a Canadian citizen.

    The consulate or embassy of your other country of citizenship can tell you whether this applies to you.

  1. What can I do if my citizenship application is refused?

    You can apply for Canadian citizenship again. This new application must include all the required forms and documents, including a new application fee. There is no waiting period before you can reapply. However, you should make sure you meet the requirements for Canadian citizenship before you reapply.

    If your citizenship application is refused, you may also seek judicial review of the decision by the Federal Court of Canada. This is not an appeal of the decision. You have thirty (30) days from the date on the refusal letter to apply.

  1. What is a non- routine application?

    Application is considered non routine if there is change of personal information, you miss a test or hearing, extra documents like fingerprints are required or you fail a test.

  1. If I am applying for citizenship, do I still have to submit physical presence calculator if I submit the travel journal?

    Yes, submit a printed copy of the online physical presence calculator or paper physical presence filled by hand. Travel journal is for personal use only so not required to be submitted.

  1. Can I apply if my PR Card is expired?

    You do not need a valid PR card to apply for citizenship. You can apply with an expired PR card.

For more information, please contact Life Ashore Immigration Consultancy Inc.

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