The most important requirement you must meet in order to be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship is to obtain the status of Canadian Permanent Resident. You must fulfil a few requirements and prerequisites before you can submit an application for Canadian citizenship. Depending on your age, you might need to pass a citizenship test to prove you're qualified to become a citizen of Canada:
Being a resident permanently
No matter your age, this is true. You also need to have met all requirements for Canadian permanent residence at the time you submitted your application. You should look at this if you require more details.
Have spent at least 1095 days (3 years) in Canada in the five years prior to your application. Minors who are applying jointly with a parent or who have a Canadian parent are exempt from this criterion. It does apply to minors who are not applying with a parent or who do not have a Canadian parent.
Pay Taxes
You must have filed taxes in Canada for at least three years in the five years prior to your application, if you were required to.
Meet the requirements for language proficiency
Candidates between the ages of 18 and 54 must demonstrate proficiency in either of Canada's two official languages, English or French. If you want to become a citizen, you must have at least the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) Level 4 proficiency. This implies that you must be able to follow directions, have a simple conversation, use basic syntax, and be able to communicate. When you first arrive, you should present language proficiency ratings (even if they are outdated) or a diploma from an English- or French-speaking secondary or postsecondary institution in Canada to demonstrate your linguistic proficiency.
Possess familiarity with Canadian history and culture.
How to Apply for Canadian Citizenship
The Canadian government allows you to download all required documentation and a list of required documents from the IRCC website (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada). The forms must be electronically filled out, printed, and then submitted.
Along with your application materials, you will receive the address(es) to which you should send your completed application. You must mail all forms and papers in an envelope to the address provided.
What follows the application process?
When the staff members reviewing your application determine that you have provided all the necessary information, they will issue you an acknowledgment of receipt (AOR). Along with your AOR, you will also receive a special client identity (UCI).
They will send the form back to you with a request that you complete it if there is anything missing. You must then resubmit your application.
After receiving the receipt, you will then get a call inviting you to an interview and citizenship test a few weeks later.
Examination and Interview for Citizenship
Candidates must pass a citizenship examination between the ages of 18 and 54, which gauges their knowledge of Canada's:
- History
- Geography
- Economy
- Government
- Laws
- Symbols
You will be informed four weeks before the day of your exam.
Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship is the study guide used to prepare for the exam. This can be downloaded, listened to online, or read aloud. You can ask for a printed version as well.
The exam will include 20 questions (you need 15 correct ones to pass). Responses can be multiple-choice or true/false, and it can be given in either English or French. It is usually written down, but it can also be spoken.
The office that sent you the exam notice must be notified if you have exceptional requirements.
You'll probably be required to show up for an interview the same day as the test afterward. All applicants over 18 (even those over 54), as well as 14 to 17-year-olds applying without a parent or without a Canadian parent, must attend the interview.
Rarely, Canadian authorities may also ask for the presence of children who are not required to be there. They do so if they have specific questions. The parents will also be there if they want them to be.
succeed on the citizenship test
You must take the citizenship test if your age at the time of application submission is between 18 and 54. You'll be quizzed on Canadian history, geography, economics, government, laws, and symbols, as well as on the rights and obligations of Canadian citizens.
Either English or French can be used to take the test. It has twenty multiple-choice and true/false questions and lasts for thirty minutes. You need to correctly answer 15 out of the 20 questions to pass. The test can be completed in writing or orally.
Show off your language abilities.
Additionally, applicants between the ages of 18 and 54 must show that they can communicate in English or French at a CLB level 4 or higher. Your language skills are assessed by IRCC in a number of ways, including:
Take into account the evidence you offer as to your language ability.
In the course of the application process, IRCC may assess your ability to communicate with citizenship authorities.
Your language skills may be assessed by IRCC during a citizenship officer interview, if necessary.
One way to demonstrate language proficiency is to have successfully completed a secondary or post-secondary education programme in either English or French. The IRCC will also accept the results of a language test in either English or French. For instance, this could have been done as a requirement for a Canadian language programme or as part of an application for permanent residence.
