Canadian Citizenship: Immigrant Eligibility Requirements

In comparison to other nations, Canada has the highest percentage of immigrants becoming citizens. 85% of conversions were successful. Given that tens of thousands of lawful permanent residents apply to become citizens each year, this is an impressive percentage.

You can live, work, and pursue your education in one of the world’s most peaceful nations if you become a citizen of Canada. In addition, Canada takes pride in having a fairly stable social, political, and economic environment. In addition, you will get one of the strongest passports in the world and voting privileges.

You must adhere to the following requirements if you want to apply for citizenship:

Become a permanent resident
being physically present in Canada as necessary
Do your taxes as necessary.
passing the citizenship test for Canada
Show that you can communicate in both French and English.

Status as a Permanent Resident

You must be a permanent resident of Canada in order to be able to apply for citizenship. No matter their age, everyone is subject to this rule. Because you have a permanent resident status, you are neither the target of a removal order or under investigation by the Immigration Department of Canada for fraud or abuse of your PR card. You must also meet all requirements for your permanent resident status in order to become a citizen. These prerequisites include passing your medical examination.

You may submit a citizenship application even if your PR card has expired.

Canadian requirements for physical presence

You must have lived physically in Canada for at least three years (1095 days) before you can apply for citizenship. Between the day you start your permanent residency and the day you sign your citizenship application, a five-year window during which you must spend these days must pass. In order to be in a better position if there is a problem with your calculation, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) encourages applicants to apply with a larger number than the minimal needed.

Protected individuals and those who temporarily reside in Canada can figure out how many days they have been there to meet the residence requirements. However, each day that a temporary resident spends in Canada counts as half a day. When determining your physical presence, you can add 365 days, for example, if you have resided there for two years.

Regardless of how you have physically lived in the nation, the IRCC only allows temporary residents or protected persons to add up to 365 days to their time spent in Canada. Foreign tourists, employees, students, and those with permission to temporarily reside in the nation are a few examples of temporary residents.

However, they are defending those who the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) has identified as convention refugees or as needing protection. Protected individuals also include those who received a favorable judgement from the IRCC about their Pre-removal Risk Assessment.

There are several exceptions, even though the duration of the requirement for physical presence in Canada is taken into account. For instance, it may be possible for a permanent resident who works in the US to consider the days they spend there as part of their physical presence. This is provided that they live in Canada or visit for a brief period of time.

File Your Taxes

In some cases, you must have filed taxes for at least three of the five years prior to qualifying for citizenship. You might need to file an income tax return even if you only stay in the nation for a small portion of the year. If you wish to file taxes and get a refund or owe taxes for the year, you must do so. When you wish to get benefits and credit payments, you must also file your taxes.

The Citizenship Test is Passed

A citizenship test is required of all applicants for citizenship who are between the ages of 18 and 54. The examinations cover geography, governance, the economics, symbols, laws, and the history of Canada in addition to the rights and obligations of Canadian citizens. The 30-minute exam can be completed in either English or French. It includes true-false and multiple-choice questions. You must correctly answer 15 out of the 20 questions on the test in order to pass.

Show off your Language Abilities

Additionally, individuals between the ages of 18 and 54 must demonstrate proficiency in speaking and listening in either French or English at a particular level. You must prove that you meet the Canadian Language Benchmarks level of at least four in order to fulfill this requirement. The IRCC evaluates candidates for citizenship’s language skills in a number of methods, including:

Assessing your language abilities throughout the hearing
Evaluating your communication skills when you speak with citizenship officials during the application procedure

The proof of your language proficiency that you present with your application will also be examined. Documents that attest to your completion of secondary school or post-secondary education are a fantastic example. Both of the official languages of Canada, English and French, must be used in the instruction. You may have received your education in a nation inside or outside of Canada. Educational qualifications or a transcript supplied in either French or English might be used as proof. The IRCC also accepts the results of any English or French language tests you may have taken while living in Canada when you apply for permanent residency.

Canadian Citizenship: Immigrant Eligibility Requirements