Residency requirements for Canadian citizenship

What are the residency requirements for Canadian citizenship?

If moving to Canada is a dream of yours, rest assured that the country has one of the world’s most simple and straightforward immigration policies. The Canadian government intends to welcome more than 200,000 new immigrants from around the world each year. This makes Canada the most ideal country for newcomers to move to Canada and secure Permanent resident status in Canada, here are the residency requirements for Canadian citizenship.

Eligibility to obtain permanent resident status application in Canada

When applying for permanent resident status in Canada, there are some residency requirements for Canadian citizenship that must be met.

Permanent resident status

If you want to apply for citizenship, you must be a permanent resident (PR) in Canada, regardless of your age.

This implies that you must not:

• be under investigation for purposes of immigration or fraud
• A Canadian official must not ask you to leave (removal order)
• having unmet requirements relating to your PR status, such as medical examination
• Before applying for citizenship, check sure you’re qualified by reviewing the paperwork you received when you became a permanent resident.

You don’t need a valid PR card to apply for citizenship in Canada if you meet the residence criteria. You can apply even if your PR card has lapsed.

How long have you been a resident of Canada? (physical presence)

During the five years before the day, you sign your application, you (and certain minors, if appropriate) must have spent at least 1,095 days (3 years) physically in Canada.

If there is a difficulty with the computation, we recommend applying with more than 1,095 days in Canada.

You may be able to incorporate part of the time you spent in your calculations. If you were a Crown servant or a family member of a Crown servant, you may work in Canada as a temporary resident or as a protected person outside of Canada.

Filing income tax

You should have been submitting taxes in Canada for at least three years in the five years before the application date.

Language skills requirement

The official languages of Canada are English and French. You must prove that you can communicate and understand at a given level in one of these languages if you are 18 to 54 years old on the day you sign your application. You can enhance your chances of satisfying the residence criteria for Canadian citizenship by focusing on language skills. The ways we measure your language skills in English or French include:

• reviewing the proof, you send with your application
• noting how well you communicate when you talk to a citizenship official anytime during the process
• assessing your language level during a hearing with a citizenship official, if necessary

To become a citizen, you need to meet the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) Level 4 or higher. This means you can:

• 1) Engage in brief, daily discussions on popular subjects.
• 2) be able to follow simple directions, inquiries, and instructions
• 3) Employ fundamental grammar, such as simple forms and tenses.
• 4) Demonstrate that you are familiar with enough common terms and phrases to respond to queries and explain yourself.

Various certificates, diplomas and tests are accepted as proof of your language skills.

Passing a citizenship test

You must take the citizenship exam if you are between the ages of 18 and 54 at the time you sign your application. You’ll be asked about Canadians’ rights and duties, as well as Canada’s history, geography, economy, government laws, and symbols.

The test is as follows:

• Either in English or in French
• 20 questions in 30 minutes (pass mark: 15 correct answers)
• Based on the official citizenship study guide, there are multiple-choice and true/false questions: Discover Canada is generally written, but it can also be verbal.

Prohibition

If you have committed a crime in or outside of Canada, it may have an impact on your application for citizenship in the following ways.

• you may not be eligible to become a Canadian citizen for a period of time

• Time spent serving a term of imprisonment, on parole, or on probation doesn’t count as time you’ve lived in Canada.

Find out about situations that may prevent you from becoming a Canadian citizen:

• If you’re not sure whether the situations apply to you, contact your lawyer or arresting police officer.
• Wait until the situation no longer applies before you apply for citizenship.
• Your application will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

You can also schedule a Free Consultation with our team by calling at +1 (647) 500 0730 or visit us now at 8 Melanie Dr Unit-201, Brampton, ON L6T 4K8.