Canada, featuring its rich economic opportunities, cultural diversity and superior education, has long been attractive to immigrants. The rights and privileges that individuals can enjoy in Canada might vary from person to person. Canadian citizens have more benefits than temporary foreign employees and students. However, if you want to get the most out of the country, it is recommended to “upgrade” your status from permanent to citizenship. In this passage, we are going to introduce Canadian citizenship application, requirements, fees, processing time, etc. Finally, we will make a comparison between it and permanent residency.
Who Can Apply for Canadian Citizenship
Before submitting the application, you have to check the following conditions to see whether you are eligible for it.
- You are a permanent resident of Canada.
- You have lived in Canada for 3 years in the past 5 years.
- You have filed your taxes if you are required to.
- You can prove your language skills.
- You must pass a citizenship test.
- You must take the oath of citizenship
image resource: canada.ca
Additional Requirements for Minors
If you are applying for minors under 18, there are different requirements.
- A minor with a Canadian parent or a parent applying for Canada citizenship at the same time.
They are not required to pass the citizenship test and satisfy the language requirements
They are not required to be physically living in Canada for 3 years in the last 5 years.
They are not required to have filed income tax.
They are not required to take the Oath of Citizenship if below 14 years old.
- A minor without a Canadian parent or a parent applying for Canada citizenship at the same time.
They are not required to pass the citizenship test and satisfy the language requirements
They are required to be physically living in Canada for 3 years in the last 5 years.
They are required to have filed income tax if needed.
They are not required to take the Oath of Citizenship if below 14 years old.
Additional Requirements for Intercountry Adoption
- For a child below 18
The adoption must be for the best benefit of the child.
The adoption generates a real parental relationship.
The adoption complies with the laws of where it happens and where the adoptive parents reside.
The adoption must not be intended to acquire status or privilege related to immigration or citizenship.
undefined The adoption must not circumvent the legal requirement for international adoptions.
- For a person aged 18 or older
There was a genuine parental relationship between the person and the adoptive parent before the person reached 18 years old and at the time of the adoption.
The adoption complies with the laws of where it happens and where the adoptive parents reside.
The adoption must not be intended to acquire status or privilege related to immigration or citizenship.
The adoption must not circumvent the legal requirement for international adoptions.
Additional Requirements for Current/Former CAF Member
Permanent residents as Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and foreign military members who currently or have ever been attached or seconded to the CAF are eligible to request citizenship under a fast-track process. You must:
- satisfy all the standard requirements except for the residency
- have served in CAF for 3 years within a period of 6 years.
- have filed personal income tax for three taxation years within a period of 6 years.
Please note that CAF member who was not honourably released cannot use the fast-track. Foreign military members exchanged with CAF don’t need to be a PR or fulfill tax filing obligations.
Additional Requirements for Former Canadian Citizens
If you have ever renounced your Canadian citizenship, you can resume it if:
- you have become a Canadian permanent resident after renouncing Canada citizenship.
- you don’t have any unfinished permanent resident obligations.
- you have been living in Canada as a permanent resident for at least 1 year in the last 2 years.
- you have fulfilled your income tax filing obligations.
Please note that you are not eligible to get back citizenship if it was revoked, or if you were under a removal order or prohibited from gaining citizenship.
How to Apply for Canadian Citizenship
After confirming your eligibility, let’s move on to start your application. The Canadian citizenship application can be done online or on paper. To apply online as a family or a group, for a minor under 18 years old or apply with a representative, you have to create an account on the official website of the Canadian government and follow the instructions step by step. Please note that you are supposed to complete your application within 60 days after creating an account. Otherwise, the account will be deleted.
Currently, supposing that you are a crown servant or a family member of a crown servant, or you are representing a client to apply, you can only apply on paper through the following steps.
Gather Required Documents
The Canadian government provides application packages for different groups of applicants, such as
- adults
- parents or guardians applying for a minor
- minors with non-Canadian parent
- CAF members
- adoptive persons of Canadian citizens
- stateless persons born to a Canadian parent
There is an instruction guide, document checklist, application forms, and citizenship photo specifications inside the package, so please make sure to choose the right one according to your situation. General supporting documents are listed below.
- Proof of stay
You can use the online calculator to figure out how long you’ve been in Canada and print out the results. You can also submit Form CIT 0407 alternatively.
Minors are exempt from this evidence if they are below 18, permanent residents of Canada, and born to at least one Canadian parent or have parent(S) applying for Canadian citizenship together.
- Photocopy of your passport or travel document
The photocopy must be colored and all pages should be involved. If you fail to provide these documents or the validity period is interrupted, please explain it question 14 on the application form.
- Photocopies of 2 IDs
The identification documents can be a copy of the biographical page of your passport/travel document, permanent resident card, driving licence, health insurance card, senior citizen ID card, age of majority card, or foreign identity documents.
- Proof of English or French language ability (photocopies)
This is required when you are aged between 18-54. It could be a language test from a third party, a diploma/certificate/transcript from education programs learning in English or French, or proof of at least Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4. If you request a waiver of the language ability, please include the evidence of compassionate grounds, Waiver Request Form, or Medical Opinion Form for Citizenship Waivers.
2 identical photos are required. They must satisfy the official specifications, or your application will be returned.
- Payment receipt
A copy of your payment receipt will be sent to your email. You should print it out and attach it to your paper application.
Fill Out the Application Form
There are 19 questions on the form, including language, special needs, Unique Client Identifier (UCI), full name, marital status, home address in Canada, representative information, physical presence and 5-year eligibility period, work and study history, income taxes information, immigration/PR status/citizenship in other countries, language requirement, etc. Please complete the form according to the instruction guide in the application package. Remember to sign and date the form at the end.
Pay the Application Fees
It consists of the processing fee and the right of citizenship fee, which depends on the age of the applicants. It costs S$630 ($530 for processing fee, $100 for right of citizenship fee) to apply for an adult and $100 (all for processing fee) for a minor. Please pay online when you are ready to submit the application and include the payment receipt in your application. It is acceptable to pay with a credit or prepaid card from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB or UnionPay.
Submit Application
After signing and dating the application form, please send it to the citizenship office along with all supporting documents as soon as possible, or it will be returned if the authority receives it 90 days after the date on the form.
undefined For regular mail, please send to
Case Processing Centre – Sydney
Citizenship Grants
P.O. Box 7000
Sydney, NS B1P 6V6
undefined For courier service, please send to
IRCC Digitization Centre – Citizenship
3050 Wilson Ave
New Waterford, NS B1H 5V8
Prepare for Canadian Citizenship Test or Interview
After submitting your application, wait for the result of the review. If the application is incomplete, you will receive a letter explaining the reasons and telling you how to fix it. If complete, you will receive an acknowledgment of receipt and a citizenship study guide.
Applicants aged 18-54 should prepare for citizenship test while the authority is processing the applications. The test is about your knowledge of English or French, citizens’ rights and responsibilities, Canada’s history, geography, economy, government, and laws. It will be conducted in English or French. Therefore, you should continue to improve your language abilities.
You will receive a notice to take the Canadian citizenship test unless you request a knowledge waiver and are approved. Furthermore, you may also be invited to attend an interview and/or hearing. Just bring what is listed on the invitation.
Comparison Between Canadian Citizenship and PR
As we can see, one of the requirements to apply for Canada citizenship is becoming a permanent resident. Both citizenship and permanent residency (PR) are two different immigration statuses in a country. Although they sometimes are featured with similar benefits, they do have something different.
| Feature | Canadian Citizenship | Permanent Residency |
| Status | Permanent | Temporary |
| Rights and Privileges | ● Vote in federal elections ● Run for federal office or government jobs ● Apply for Canadian passports ● Access all social benefits or education opportunities available to citizens ● live and work in Canada permanently | ● live and work in Canada temporarily ● enjoy certain social benefits ● Access certain education opportunities |
| Eligibility requirements | ● be a permanent resident, have lived in Canada for at least 3 out of the last 5 years ● file taxes obligations ● passe a citizenship test ● prove language skills | Satisfy the requirements of the immigration program concerning skills, education, working experience, etc. |
| Validity | Permanent | 5 years |
FAQs: Canadian Citizenship Application
Q: Does Canada allow dual citizenship?
A: Yes. You can obtain foreign citizenship while keeping your Canadian citizenship.
Q: Does my non-Canadian spouse need to apply for Canada citizenship after we get married?
A: Yes. Spouses of Canadian citizens are not automatically granted citizenship.
Q: How much does it cost to apply for Canadian citizenship?
A: It costs S$630 for an adult application and $100 for a minor application.
It costs S$630 ($530 for processing fee, $100 for right of citizenship fee) to apply for an adult and $100 (all for processing fee) for a minor.
Q: How long is the processing time for citizenship application?
A: It takes up to at least 12 months after submitting a complete application.
Q: What if I fail my Canadian citizenship test?
A: You will be scheduled to retake the multiple-choice test after the first failure. If you fail again, there will be an interview in which the citizenship judge will ask you some questions in the form of multiple choice, T/F or question and answer.
Summary
Now you must have learned about Canadian citizenship application, let’s make a summary. To apply for it, one must gain permanent residency in Canada first. Canadian citizens can enjoy more rights and privileges than permanent residents. Other requirements might vary due to the applicants’ status, including period of residency, tax obligations, language ability, etc. If you are eligible for Canada citizenship, you can either apply online or on paper by submitting application forms, supporting documents (passport, identification documents, citizenship photos, payment receipt, etc), taking a Canadian citizenship test, attending an interview, and taking the oath.
Erin Lo