Citizenship Applications

I Deserve to be a Canadian

We provide the following services:

  1. Adult Applications (age 18 or older)
  2. Parent or guardian applying for a minor (under age 18)
  3. Minor without a Canadian parent applying alone
  4. Adult who served with the Canadian Armed Forces
  5. Adoption by a Canadian citizen
  6. Stateless persons born to a Canadian parent

1

Eligibility

To be eligible to become a Canadian citizen, you must:

a. be a permanent resident of Canada. You can still apply for citizenship even if your permanent resident card has expired.

b. have lived in Canada for 3 out of the last 5 years.

c. have filed your taxes, if you need to- Note there are periods required for this.

d. Pass the language test– certain persons are excluded from the language test. You are generally required to do the language test if you are between 18- 54 years. 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 show that you can speak and listen at a specific level in one of these languages. To become a citizen, you need to meet the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) Level 4 or higher. You do not have to take the language test if you have proof that you can adequately speak French or English language or both. Educational documents such as diplomas and certificates can be used as proof of your language skills, more so if there are obtained in Canada.

e. You must also Pass a citizenship test– If you’re 18 to 54 years of age on the day you sign your application, you need to take the citizenship test. You’ll need to answer questions about the rights and responsibilities of Canadians and Canada’s:
• history
• geography
• economy
• government
• laws
• symbols

2

Situations that can prevent you from becoming a Canadian citizen.

You cannot become a citizen of Canada, if you’re prohibited under the Citizenship Act. For example, if

a. You’re in Canada

  • Serving a term of imprisonment
  • On parole
  • On probation

b. You’re serving a sentence outside Canada

c. You’re charged with, on trial for, or involved in an appeal for an offence

  • Under the Citizenship Act, or an indictable offence in Canada
  • Committed outside Canada that’s equivalent to an indictable offence in Canada

    d. You’re under a removal order (Canadian officials asked you to leave Canada)
    e. You’re being investigated for, are charged with, on trial for, involved in an appeal for or have been convicted of
  • A war crime, or
  • A crime against humanity

f. You had a citizenship application refused for misrepresentation in the past 5 years

g. You had your Canadian citizenship revoked (taken away) because of fraud in the past 10 years

h. You’ve been convicted of an indictable offence in Canada or an offence under the Citizenship Act, and

  • If we received your application after June 11, 2015, and this conviction took place in the 4 years before you apply
    i. In the 4 years before you apply, you were convicted of an offence outside Canada that’s equivalent to an indictable offence in Canada. This applies
  • even if you were pardoned or granted amnesty
  • regardless of when we receive your application

j. while a permanent resident, you

  • were convicted of terrorism, high treason, treason or spying offences
  • served as a member of an armed force of a country or territory, or an organized armed group, that’s engaged in armed conflict with Canada

3

Practical Tips!

a. Time you’ve lived in Canada is the time counted (The law emphasizes on physical presence). Therefore Extra days spent abroad due to COVID-19 will not count as days in Canada. You must still meet the physical presence requirement for your citizenship application.

b. Track your time- You (and some minors, if applicable) must have been physically in Canada for at least 1,095 days (3 years) during the 5 years before the date you sign your application. To avoid any dispute in calculation apply when you are at least over 1095 days

c. In your calculation, 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.

d. 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.

e. Prohibitions- If you committed a crime in or outside Canada, you may not be eligible to become a Canadian citizen for a period of time – time spent serving a term of imprisonment, on parole, or on probation doesn’t count as time you’ve lived in Canada

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