IN ORDER TO APPLY FOR CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP YOU MUST:
- Be over 18 years of age
- Provide proof that you know how to speak and write in 1 of Canada’s official languages (either English or French)
- Be a Permanent Resident (PR)
- Have lived in Canada as a PR for at least 3 years out of the 5 years before you apply
- Have filed your taxes for at least 3 years during the last 5 years and any income tax you may owe must be paid
IRCC will return your application as incomplete if you do not send acceptable proof that you have adequate knowledge of English or French.
You can use the Residence Calculator to find out if you have been in Canada long enough as a PR to apply for citizenship. If you have not been in Canada long enough, it will tell you when you will be eligible to apply.
A parent, adoptive parent or legal guardian must apply for anyone under 18 years of age. The applicant must be a Canadian citizen or be applying to become a Canadian citizen. Minors do not need to meet the residency requirement.
If one of parents was a Canadian citizen when the child was born , you may already be a citizen. If that is true, to be recognized as a Canadian citizen you need to apply for proof of citizenship.
You cannot become a Canadian citizen if you have recently been or are in prison, on parole or probation, are serving a conditional sentence or have been charged or convicted of an indictable crime. If you are under a deportation order, you also cannot apply.
Spouses of canadian citizen:
You don’t automatically become a citizen when you marry a Canadian. If you’re a spouse of a Canadian citizen, you:
- Don’t need to meet any special requirements
- Must meet the same eligibility requirements as other adults
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