{"id":437,"date":"2019-10-18T21:28:17","date_gmt":"2019-10-18T21:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/?page_id=437"},"modified":"2022-06-17T15:48:18","modified_gmt":"2022-06-17T15:48:18","slug":"am-i-eligible-for-citizenship","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/faqs\/am-i-eligible-for-citizenship\/","title":{"rendered":"Am I Eligible For Citizenship?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.immigroup.com\/PDFS\/PDF.php?action=sign&amp;fid=300&amp;refererid=4&amp;cid=1550968994.1623076189\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">thinking of applying for Canadian citizenship<\/a> you are almost certainly already living in Canada and have permanent resident status. Because this is such an important decision \u2013 applying for and successfully obtaining Canadian citizenship \u2013 the first thing you should do, however, is ensure that you are eligible to apply.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Canadian Citizenship Eligibility<\/h2>\n<p>You are eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship if<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>you are a <a href=\"https:\/\/prcardcanada.ca\/faqs\/what-is-permanent-residence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">permanent resident<\/a> who <a href=\"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/faqs\/what-is-the-residence-requirement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">meets the residence requirements<\/a><\/li>\n<li>you can prove you paid your taxes<\/li>\n<li>you can <a href=\"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/faqs\/what-is-the-language-requirement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">prove you can communicate effectively in one or both of Canada&#8217;s official languages (English and French)<\/a><\/li>\n<li>you can prove you have knowledge of Canada on a citizenship test (if applicable)<\/li>\n<li>you are not prohibited from applying for citizenship (see the bottom of this page).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Getting the facts straight on who is eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship will help you avoid applying too early and being turned down out of hand. It will also show you what steps you must take to fulfil the requirements to become eligible if you aren&#8217;t already.<\/p>\n<p>The eligibility rules are currently as follows:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Age Requirements for Canadian Citizenship<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>As of June 2017, the age requirement was lifted so minors can now apply for Canadian citizenship with or without their parent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>There is no age requirement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Canadian Permanent Resident Status Requirement for Canadian Citizenship<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You <strong>must<\/strong> have PR status in Canada. As a result:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your status\u00a0<strong>cannot<\/strong> be under review due to immigration issues or fraud issues;<\/li>\n<li>You <strong>cannot<\/strong> be under a removal order (for example, a notice of deportation);<\/li>\n<li>You must have <strong>NO unfulfilled conditions<\/strong> regarding your PR status;<\/li>\n<li>You <strong>do NOT need to have a PR card<\/strong> to apply for Citizenship. If your PR card has expired, you can still apply for citizenship as long as you meet all the requirements listed on this page.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/faqs\/what-is-the-residence-requirement\/\">Canadian Citizenship Residence Requirement:<\/a> Time lived in Canada<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In addition to meeting <a href=\"http:\/\/prcardcanada.ca\/faqs\/what-is-the-residency-obligation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the PR Residency Obligation<\/a>, you will have to show that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>For the <strong>5 years<\/strong> immediately before the date you apply for Citizenship, you must have been <strong>physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>If you were a temporary resident of Canada (i.e. in Canada as a visitor, or on a work or study permit) during the past five years, <strong>you can count these days as half days (.5) up to 365 days<\/strong> (i.e. if you were here as a temporary resident for two years in the last five years, you are credited a full year of residence)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.immigroup.com\/physical-presence-calculator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">See if you meet the residency requirement with this calculator<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Canadian Citizenship Income Tax Requirement<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You must have filed income taxes in <strong>3 tax years<\/strong> that are completely or partially within the 5 years prior to the date of your application for citizenship.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Intent to Reside Requirement for Canadian Citizenship<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>As of June 2017, the &#8220;intent to reside&#8221; has been repealed<\/strong>. You no longer need to state that you intend to reside in Canada as a citizen.<\/p>\n<p>This repealed provision was entirely unenforceable anyway but now you don&#8217;t have to claim you intend to reside in Canada.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/faqs\/what-is-the-language-requirement\/\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Language Ability Requirements for Canadian Citizenship<\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>You must display adequate knowledge of English and\/or French. This means the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You must be able to engage in brief, everyday conversations about normal topics.<\/li>\n<li>You must understand simple instructions and questions.<\/li>\n<li>You must be able to construct simple sentences, using the basic elements of English or French grammar.<\/li>\n<li>You must be able to understand and answer common questions.<\/li>\n<li>If you are <strong>18 \u2013 54<\/strong> years old, you will have to submit proof of your language abilities with your citizenship application. These include:\n<ul>\n<li><em>Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program<\/em> (<strong>CELPIP<\/strong>) General Test: CELPIP-G test; OR, CELPIP General LS (listening &amp; speaking) test (NOT the academic test)<\/li>\n<li><em>International English Language Testing System<\/em> (<strong>IELTS<\/strong>) General Training test (NOT the academic test)<\/li>\n<li><strong>TEF<\/strong> (<em>Test D\u2019Evaluation de Francais<\/em>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>You will also have to communicate verbally with an immigration official during an interview where you will be assessed by the officer on your language skills.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Knowledge of Canada Requirements for Canadian Citizenship<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/faqs\/what-is-the-citizenship-test\/\">You will have to take a citizenship test<\/a> if you are <strong>18 \u2013 54<\/strong> years of age. You should read <em>Discover Canada: the Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship<\/em> to study for this test which includes questions on:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Canada\u2019s history,<\/li>\n<li>Canada\u2019s values,<\/li>\n<li>Canada\u2019s institutions,<\/li>\n<li>Canada\u2019s symbols.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Go <a href=\"http:\/\/www.immigroup.com\/application-pdfs\/citizenship\/discover_canada.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a> for more information on <em>Discover Canada: the Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"http:\/\/www.immigroup.com\/tools\/citizenship-test\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Practice for the Citizenship test!<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If you meet all the above requirements, you can <!--<a href=\"\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/forms\/citizenship-application.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">--><a class=\"pdftrackingmarker\" href=\"\/\/www.immigroup.com\/PDFS\/PDF.php?action=sign&amp;fid=300&amp;refererid=4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">apply for citizenship<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Ineligibility for Canadian Citizenship<\/h2>\n<p>Any one of the following may make you ineligible for Canadian citizenship:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you are in prison, on parole, or on probation in Canada;<\/li>\n<li>If you are serving a sentence outside Canada;<\/li>\n<li>If you have been convicted of an indictable (i.e. serious) offence in Canada;<\/li>\n<li>If you have been convicted of an offence outside Canada;<\/li>\n<li>If you are charged with an indictable offence in Canada;<\/li>\n<li>If you are on trial for an indictable offence in Canada;<\/li>\n<li>If you are appealing an indictable offence in Canada;<\/li>\n<li>If you are charged with an offence outside Canada;<\/li>\n<li>If you are on trial for an offence outside Canada;<\/li>\n<li>If you are appealing an offence outside Canada.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--<a href=\"\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/forms\/citizenship-application.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">--><a class=\"pdftrackingmarker\" href=\"\/\/www.immigroup.com\/PDFS\/PDF.php?action=sign&amp;fid=300&amp;refererid=4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apply for Canadian Citizenship!<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>What happens if I applied for citizenship for myself but not for my child, and now I&#8217;m a citizen but my child is still a permanent resident?<\/h2>\n<p>You can apply for your child&#8217;s citizenship now.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>If I meet the PR Residency Obligation but don&#8217;t meet the residence requirements for citizenship, can I still apply?<\/h2>\n<p>Normally, you will not be approved for citizenship unless you meet the residency requirements for citizenship. However, there are <a href=\"\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/faqs\/what-is-the-residence-requirement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">some exceptions to this rule<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>How do I prove I paid my taxes to apply for Canadian citizenship?<\/h2>\n<p>You can submit your Notices of Assessment that you receive annually from Canada Revenue after you submit your tax returns. If you don&#8217;t have paper copies, you can get copies of them from CRA&#8217;s website. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.immigroup.com\/news\/can-you-afford-bring-your-parents-canada#account\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">This article has a complete guide to setting up an account and printing off tax information<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>How do I prove that I intend to reside in Canada?<\/h2>\n<p>As of June 2017, you no longer have to state that you intend to live in Canada once you are granted citizenship.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Do I have to take a language test for Canadian Citizenship?<\/h2>\n<p>No, if you can prove that you were educated in an English-speaking country or a French-speaking country, or you can prove you were educated at a school whose primary language of study was either English or French, then you do not need to take a language test and submit the results to IRCC.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/faqs\/become-citizen\/\">How to Apply for Canadian Citizenship<\/a><\/h2>\n<h2>Ask your question here<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wpforms-container wpforms-container-full\" id=\"wpforms-1136\"><form id=\"wpforms-form-1136\" class=\"wpforms-validate wpforms-form wpforms-ajax-form\" data-formid=\"1136\" method=\"post\" enctype=\"multipart\/form-data\" action=\"\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/437\" data-token=\"37f9c9f8a912b38a4f43455055c05754\"><noscript class=\"wpforms-error-noscript\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.<\/noscript><div class=\"wpforms-field-container\"><div id=\"wpforms-1136-field_1-container\" class=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-text\" data-field-id=\"1\"><label class=\"wpforms-field-label\" for=\"wpforms-1136-field_1\">Name<\/label><input type=\"text\" id=\"wpforms-1136-field_1\" class=\"wpforms-field-medium\" name=\"wpforms[fields][1]\" ><\/div><div id=\"wpforms-1136-field_2-container\" class=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-number\" data-field-id=\"2\"><label class=\"wpforms-field-label\" for=\"wpforms-1136-field_2\">Phone number<\/label><input type=\"number\" pattern=\"\\d*\" id=\"wpforms-1136-field_2\" class=\"wpforms-field-medium\" name=\"wpforms[fields][2]\" placeholder=\"4165551234\" ><\/div><div id=\"wpforms-1136-field_3-container\" class=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-email\" data-field-id=\"3\"><label class=\"wpforms-field-label\" for=\"wpforms-1136-field_3\">Email<\/label><input type=\"email\" id=\"wpforms-1136-field_3\" class=\"wpforms-field-medium\" name=\"wpforms[fields][3]\" spellcheck=\"false\" ><\/div><div id=\"wpforms-1136-field_7-container\" class=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-textarea\" data-field-id=\"7\"><label class=\"wpforms-field-label\" for=\"wpforms-1136-field_7\">(optional) More information<\/label><textarea id=\"wpforms-1136-field_7\" class=\"wpforms-field-medium\" name=\"wpforms[fields][7]\" ><\/textarea><\/div><\/div><!-- .wpforms-field-container --><div class=\"wpforms-recaptcha-container wpforms-is-recaptcha\" ><div class=\"g-recaptcha\" data-sitekey=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/admin\/site\/596231487\/setup#:~:text=6Lc_xYkjAAAAALaAYm9WM9lDlArC3TF_s4RvNWr\" data-size=\"invisible\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpforms-submit-container\" ><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"wpforms[id]\" value=\"1136\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"wpforms[author]\" value=\"4\"><button type=\"submit\" name=\"wpforms[submit]\" id=\"wpforms-submit-1136\" class=\"wpforms-submit\" data-alt-text=\"Sending\u2026\" data-submit-text=\"Submit\" aria-live=\"assertive\" value=\"wpforms-submit\">Submit<\/button><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/wp-content\/plugins\/wpforms\/assets\/images\/submit-spin.svg\" class=\"wpforms-submit-spinner\" style=\"display: none;\" width=\"26\" height=\"26\" alt=\"Loading\"><\/div><\/form><\/div>  <!-- .wpforms-container -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you are thinking of applying for Canadian citizenship you are almost certainly already living in Canada and have permanent resident status. Because this is such an important decision \u2013 applying for and successfully obtaining Canadian citizenship \u2013 the first thing you should do, however, is ensure that you are eligible to apply. &nbsp; Canadian&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":405,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/437"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=437"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/437\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1159,"href":"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/437\/revisions\/1159"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadian-citizenship.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}