Citizenship

You must be at least 18 years old to apply.

To apply for citizenship for a child under 18:

• you must be the child’s parent, adoptive parent or legal guardian,
• the child must be a permanent resident, and
• one parent must be a Canadian citizen or apply to become a citizen at the same time (this also applies to adoptive parents).

You must have permanent resident (PR) status in Canada, have no unfulfilled conditions related to that status, and your PR status must not be in question. You do not need to have a PR card to apply for citizenship. If you have a PR card, but it is expired, you can still apply for citizenship.

You must have been physically present in Canada as a permanent resident for at least 1,460 days during the six years immediately before the date of your application. You must also be physically present for at least 183 days during each of four calendar years that are fully or partially within the six years immediately before the date of application. These requirements do not apply to children under 18.

You must have met your personal income tax filing obligations in four taxation years that are fully or partially within the six years immediately before the date you apply.

You must declare your intent to reside during the citizenship application process. Once you become a Canadian citizen, you have the right to enter, remain in, or leave Canada, one of the basic rights of citizenship.

Canada has two official languages—English and French. To become a citizen, you must show that you have adequate knowledge of one of these languages. In general, 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; and
• show that you know enough common words and phrases to answer questions and express yourself.

To become a citizen, you must understand the rights, responsibilities and privileges of citizenship, such as voting in elections and obeying the law. You must also show, in English or French, that you understand Canada’s:

• history,
• values,
• institutions, and
• symbols.

If you have committed a crime in or outside Canada you may not be eligible to become a Canadian citizen for a period of time. For example if you:

• are in prison, on parole or on probation in Canada, or are serving a sentence outside Canada,
• have been convicted of an indictable offence in Canada or an offence outside Canada in the four years before applying for citizenship, or
• are charged with, on trial for, or involved in an appeal of an indictable offence in Canada, or an offence outside Canada.

Time in prison or on parole does not count as time you have lived in Canada. Time on probation also does not count if you were convicted of a crime.