Resuming your Canadian Citizenship

Giving up Your Canadian Citizenship

There are some situations where you have to give up your Canadian Citizenship. However, there are so many benefits associated with Canadian citizenship. For example, you have the right to vote or to participate in political elections. Furthermore, you do not have to constantly worry about having expiration dates of your visa, permanent resident card, or a permit. Last but not least, you children will automatically be Canadian citizens, if you have Canadian citizenship. Of course, there are many more benefits of having Canadian citizenship, and those benefits may attract people who have renounced their Canadian citizenship to resume it. In this blog, you will learn about relevant information about how to resume your Canadian citizenship.

Understand the Term “Canadian Citizen”

If one of the following conditions applies to you, then that means you are a Canadian citizen:

• You were born in Canada
• You were naturalized (a naturalized Canadian citizen)
• You received your Canadian citizenship as a minor, when a parent or legal guardian naturalized you by applying for your citizenship
• You were born outside Canada and at least one of your parents was a Canadian citizen

Eligibility

First and foremost, you will have to have been a Canadian citizen. You also have to have become a permanent resident of Canada after you lost your Canadian citizenship. Please note, you cannot have unfulfilled conditions relating to your status as a permanent resident. That being said, you must:

• have been physically present in Canada as a permanent resident for at least 365 days in the two years immediately before you apply, and
• have met your personal income tax filing obligations for the taxation year immediately before you apply

Who is Not Eligible to Resume Canadian Citizenship

There are three scenarios where you are not eligible to resume your Canadian citizenship. If you have had your Canadian citizenship revoked, rather than have had your Canadian citizenship voluntarily renounced your Canadian citizenship, then you are not eligible to resume your Canadian citizenship. If you are under a removal order, which is a notice from the Canadian government ordering you to leave Canada, you are also not eligible to resume your Canadian citizenship. The last scenario is that, if you are prevented or prohibited from being granted citizenship, you are not eligible, either. More specifically, you may be prevented or prohibited from being granted citizenship if you have possessed security risk to Canada or provided misleading information to Immigration, refugees, and Citizenship Canada:

• you are on parole or on probation or serving a term of imprisonment in Canada
• you are serving a sentence outside Canada
• you have been convicted of an indictable offence in or outside Canada or an offence under the Citizenship Act in the four years before you apply
• you are 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
• you have been convicted of terrorism, high treason, treason, or spying offences while you were a permanent resident
• you have had a citizenship application refused due to misrepresentation in the past five years
• you have had your Canadian citizenship revoked because of fraud in the past ten years
• you were a permanent resident and served as a member of an armed force of a country or organized armed group and that country or group engaged in armed conflict with Canada

What Documents Do I need

The documents will vary, depending on your application history.

If this is your first Citizenship Application

You must send original or certified true copies of all your documents. An authorized person, who may be a commissioner of oaths, a notary public or a justice of the peace, must swear or affirm that the copies are true copies of the originals.

If this is not your first citizenship application

The most important document is the proof that you were once a Canadian citizen. This can be a birth certificate or a Canadian citizenship certificate. You must also provide proof that you have renounced your Canadian citizenship. For example, the can be a foreign naturalization certificate or a written notification issued by the Canadian Citizenship authorities advising that you are no longer a Canadian citizen. If you have a Permanent Resident Card, you will need to send a photocopy of both sides of it, alongside your Record of Landing or your Confirmation of Permanent Residence. Last but not least, you must send two photo IDs, which can be your health card and your driver’s license.

Please note, documents that are not written in English or French originally need to be translated to English or French. The translated documents need an affidavit from the person who completed the translation, along with a certified copy of the original document.

Contact Akrami and Associates

Filling out forms for resuming your Canadian citizenship may require legal assistance in order to obtain the necessary information and allow for the application process to go as smooth as possible. If this sounds like a headache, don’t worry! Here at Akrami & Associates, we are experienced in providing legal aid for individuals who are applying to resume their Canadian citizenship and can be your legal assistance for anything required from these forms. If you have further questions or concerns, you can contact us at our office number: (416) 447-2545. We can provide legal assistance or consultation with immigration professionals in order to assist you to the best of our ability!

With Akrami & Associates, there is always a way!