Canadian citizens enjoy many rights however these rights come with certain responsibilities.
Current Canadian Citizenship Act
- Physical presence for 3 (1095 days) out of 5 years preceding the date of the application.
- For every day during which the applicant was physically present in Canada as a temporary resident (worker, student, visitor, protected person) before becoming a permanent resident, the applicant accumulates half of a day of physical presence, up to a maximum of 365 days of credited time.
- Applicants aged 18-54 must meet language requirements and pass a language test.
- Applicants aged18-54 must pass a knowledge test.
- File Canadian income taxes (if required to do so under the Income Tax Act) for 3 taxation years out of 5 years preceding the date of the application.
- Time spent serving a conditional sentence order cannot be counted towards meeting the physical presence requirement.
- Applicants who are serving conditional sentence orders cannot take the oath of citizenship and are prohibited from being granted Canadian citizenship.
- Canadian citizenship officers do have authority to seize fraudulent documents submitted as part of the Citizenship application.
How can we help?
We can help you complete the full citizenship application package, including application forms, physical presence calculator, and all supporting documents. We always go that extra step and apply our extensive knowledge of the Citizenship Act to prepare a perfect submission. Making sure that your application is complete and free of any errors can reduce your odds of receiving the Citizenship Residential Questionnaire (RQ).
We will submit the application on your behalf and act as your authorized representative. Our full representation does not end with the application submission – we will guide you step by step through the whole process and communicate with IRCC on your behalf. In the unlikely event that you are asked to fill out a residential questionnaire, we will offer our assistance (additional fees may apply).
Useful links
Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship (Official Citizenship study guide)
Prepare for the citizenship ceremony