Canadian Citizenship

Eligibility

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

• Be a permanent resident
• Have lived in Canada for 3 out of the last 5 years
• Have filed your taxes, if you need to
• Pass a test on your rights, responsibilities and knowledge of Canada
• Prove your language skills

Be a permanent resident

– Permanent residency of Canada is required to apply for citizenship.
– Your eligibility depends on the documents you received when you became a permanent resident.
– A valid PR card is not needed to apply for citizenship. An expired PR card can also be used to apply for citizenship

Have lived in Canada for 3 out of the last 5 years

You must have been physically present in Canada for at least 1095 days during the five years right before the date you sign your application.

Have filed your taxes, if you need to

Canadian tax filing of at least 3 years during the 5 years is required before you apply.

Pass a test on your rights

A citizenship test is required if you are between 18 to 54 years of age on the day you sign your application.

Language skills

If you are between 18 to 54 years of age on the day you sign your application, you need to meet the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) Level 4 or higher to become a Canadian citizen.

You are ineligible to apply for Canadian citizenship if:

• You are under review for immigration or fraud reasons
• You have a criminal record or are facing changes in Canada
• You are asked by Canadian officials to leave Canada (removal order)
• You have any unfulfilled conditions related to your PR status, for example: medical screening