Canadian Citizenship Requirements

Applying for Citizenship is indeed a momentous occasion for many eager permanent residents of Canada who have been patiently waiting for the day to arrive. In order to become a Citizen of Canada, you must meet the basic residency obligation to do so. That is, being physically present in Canada for 1,095 days in the past four years before you apply. Aside from this, your application will be assessed against 5 other conditions:

1. Age,
2. Permanent resident status,
3. Time you have lived in Canada,
4. Language skills,
5. Criminal history (prohibitions) and
6. How well you know Canada.

Of these factors, the most significant might be considered any preclusions, or reasons why you might not be able to obtain your citizenship status.

Preclusions might be any criminal inadmissibility and your permanent resident status.

You cannot become a citizen if you:

Have been convicted of an indictable (criminal) offence or an offence under the Citizenship Act in the three years before you apply,

• Are currently charged with an offence under the Citizenship Act,
• Are in prison, on parole or on probation,
• Are under a removal order (Canadian officials have ordered you to leave Canada),
• Are being investigated for, are charged with, or have been convicted of a war crime or a crime against humanity, or
• Have had your Canadian citizenship taken away in the past five years.

If you are on probation or are charged with a crime and waiting for a trial, you should wait until after the probation is done or your trial is over to apply to become a citizen.

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.

Your PR status must not be in question. That means you must not be:

• Under review for immigration or fraud reasons, or
• Under a removal order (an order from Canadian officials to leave Canada).

Aside from these factors, your time in Canada, age and language abilities speak for themselves.

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For further information with respect to your Canadian immigration we invite you to contact our experienced immigration representatives.