Citizenship Application

To become a Canadian citizen, most applicants must

• be a permanent resident
• have lived in Canada for at least 3 out of the last 5 years (1,095 days)
• have filed their taxes
• pass a citizenship test
• prove their language skills in English or French

Other requirements may apply.

You must have lived in Canada for at least three years (1,095 days) out of the past five years before applying for Canadian citizenship (unless there are exceptional circumstances). Children under 18 must also have permanent resident status, but do not have to satisfy the three-year requirement.

Only permanent residents can apply for citizenship. The Permanent Residence (PR) card does not need to be valid at the time of application and it can still be applied with an expired PR card. Holding permanent resident status entails not being under review for immigration or fraud reasons, not being subject to a removal order, and not having unfulfilled conditions relating to the permanent resident status .

Those between the ages of 18 and 54 also need to show they can speak English or French at a Canadian Language Benchmarks(CLB) level of 4 or higher. IRCC assesses the language skills in a variety of ways, such as

• review the evidence you submit demonstrating your language skills
• IRCC may take note of how well you communicate with citizenship officials during the application process
• IRCC may assess your language skills during a hearing with a citizenship official, if necessary

One example of proof of your language skills is showing you attended a secondary or post-secondary educational program in English or French. IRCC will also accept the results of an English or French language test you completed. For example, this can have been completed as part of a language training program in Canada, or as part of your Canadian permanent residence application.

You cannot become citizen of Canada if :

• you’re in Canada
  • serving a term of imprisonment
  • on parole
  • on probation

• you’re serving a sentence outside Canada
• you’re charged with, on trial for, or involved in an appeal for an offence
  • under the Citizenship Act, or an indictable offence in Canada
  • committed outside Canada that’s equivalent to an indictable offence in Canada
• you’re under a removal order (Canadian officials asked you to leave Canada)
• you’re being investigated for, are charged with, on trial for, involved in an appeal for or have been convicted of
  • a war crime, or
  • a crime against humanity
• you had a citizenship application refused for misrepresentation in the past 5 years
• you had your Canadian citizenship revoked (taken away) because of fraud in the past 10 years
• you’ve been convicted of an indictable offence in Canada or an offence under the Citizenship Act, and
  • if we received your application after June 11, 2015, and this conviction took place in the 4 years before you apply
• in the 4 years before you apply, you were convicted of an offence outside Canada that’s equivalent to an indictable offence in Canada. This applies
  • even if you were pardoned or granted amnesty
  • regardless of when we receive your application
• while a permanent resident, you
  • were convicted of terrorism, high treason, treason or spying offences
  • served as a member of an armed force of a country or territory, or an organized armed group, that’s engaged in armed conflict with Canada