Canadian Citizenship

PREPARE FOR YOUR CITIZENSHIP TEST AND INTERVIEW

Eligibility

• Have permanent resident status
  • You can apply with an expired PR card. However, you must not:
    • Be under review for immigration or fraud reasons.
    • Be asked by Canadian officials to leave Canada (removal order)
    • Have unfulfilled conditions related to your PR status, for example: medical screening.

• Time you have lived in Canada (physical presence)
  • You must have physically lived in Canada for at least 1095 days (3 years) during the 5 years before the date you sign your application.
  • You may be able to include some of the time you spent
    • In Canada as a temporary resident or protected person
    • Outside Canada, if you were a Crown Servant or a family member of a Crown Servant

• Filing Income Tax
  • You may need to file taxes in Canada for at least 3 years during the 5 years right before the date you apply

• Language Skills
  • Canada has two official languages: English and French. If you’re 18 to 54 years of age on the day you sign your application, you must meet the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 or higher. This means you can:
    • take part in short, everyday conversations about common topics
    • understand simple instructions, questions and directions
    • use basic grammar, including simple structures and tenses
    • show you know enough common words and phrases to answer questions and express yourself
  • Your language skills are measured by:
    • Noting how well you communicate with a citizenship official anytime during the process
    • Assessing your language level during a hearing with a citizenship official, if necessary
    • Certificates, diplomas and tests are accepted as proof of language skills

• Pass a citizenship test
  • If you are between the ages of 18 to 54 on the day you sign your application, you need to take the citizenship test. You will need to answer questions about the rights and responsibilities of Canadians and Canada’s
    • History
    • Geography
    • Economy
    • Government
    • Law
    • Symbols
  • The test is:
    • Based on the official citizenship guide: Discover Canada
    • In English or French
    • 30 minutes long
    • 20 questions (pass mark: 15 correct answers)
    • Multiple choice and true or false questions
    • Usually written, but may be oral

• Spouses of Canadian citizens
  • You don’t automatically become a citizen when you marry a Canadian.
  • If you are a spouse of a Canadian citizen, you must meet the same requirements listed above

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