CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP

To be eligible for Canadian citizenship, you must, prior to applying:

• Be a permanent resident
• Have physically stayed in Canada as a permanent resident for 1,095 days in the last 5 years prior to applying. 
• Time spent outside Canada counts towards your physical presence requirements, if you:
  • Were a permanent resident employed in or with the Canadian Armed Forces, federal public administration, public service of a province or territory
  • Lived outside Canada with your Canadian or Permanent Resident spouse or common-law partner or parent who was employed with the Canadian Armed Forces, federal public administration, public service of a province or territory.
• Have filed your taxes for a minimum of 3 taxation years in the past 5 years
• If you are between 18 to 54 years of age on the day you sign your application, you must demonstrate you can speak and listen in English or French.  
• You need to meet the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 4 or higher.
• If you are 18 to 54 years of age on the day you sign your application, you need to take the citizenship test.  You will need to answer questions on the rights, responsibilities and knowledge of Canada.

You will be considered ineligible if the following applies:

• You committed a crime in or outside Canada (Time spent serving a term of imprisonment, on parole, or on probation doesn’t count as time you have lived in Canada).
• You are on parole or on probation or serving a term of imprisonment in Canada
• You have been issued a removed order to leave Canada
• Have had a citizenship application refused for misrepresentation in the past five years
• Have had your Canadian citizenship taken away because of fraud in the past ten years
• You have not fulfilled the conditions of your PR status