Assault can be treated as indictable offence or summery convinction. Get a good criminal lawyer. The lawyer should be able to drop off your charges if this is the first time you got charged or he can get you summery convinction. The last thing you want is convicted for indictable offence. If your charges drop or you get summery convinction there is a very good chance to get your citizenship. I suggest to go see a lawyer first and describe your situation.
I did not see this before my post above. I also largely agree with this.
But given your more recent post I do so with some caveats.
Your application for citizenship doesn't get denied because you got charged! You are innocent unless it is proved otherwise. Even if you get convicted it is important to know that Summery convinction has no impact on your citizenship application. If you get convicted on indictable offence then that's the time you need to get worried. BUT still that is not the end of the world! You need to get a good lawyer to present your case and still there is a chance to get your citizenship.
As soon as an applicant for citizenship is CHARGED with an Indictable Offence, that individual is indeed prohibited from a grant of citizenship and continues to be prohibited while the charge is pending. And has an obligation to timely give IRCC notice this has happened. Presumption of innocence in the Criminal case does NOT have any effect on this. See Section 22.(1) b. in the Citizenship Act which imposes a prohibition "while the person is
charged with, on trial for, subject to or a party to an appeal relating to an [indictable offence]." (emphasis added) See
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-29/page-6.html#docCont
As noted before, a conviction for an Indictable Offence results in a FOUR year prohibition.
It is correct that assault is what is called a "hybrid" offence, meaning it can be charged and prosecuted as either a Summary offence or an Indictable offence.
However, it is NOT correct that a Summary Offence will necessarily have "no impact" on eligibility for citizenship. If a period of probation is imposed, the individual is also prohibited from a grant of citizenship. See Section 22.(1)(a)(i) in the Citizenship Act.
Any probation order results in a prohibition during the period of probation. And here too, an applicant for citizenship is obligated to timely give IRCC notice of this.
At the latest, regardless of the outcome of the charges, the applicant should disclose the charges to IRCC at the interview. At the latest. Unless the charges are totally dismissed or there is a final disposition resulting in a conviction for a Summary Offence AND NO PROBATION. Even if the latter, my inclination would be to disclose the matter at the interview . . . indeed, I would be sure to obtain an official copy of the court's disposition and take that to the interview.
MOSTLY LAWYER-UP.