PART - 1
WARNING: LONG POST
Hello everyone!
Hope you are all doing good and staying safe in these uncertain times.
Its about time – A few people have been requesting me for a detailed post for citizenship (like my post on
Express Entry /
OINP HCPS). Also, it is almost my time to apply for citizenship (I’ll be applying later this year). Like always, I will do my best to be as correct and accurate as possible, if you find something to be incorrect, PLEASE let me know.
Since (unfortunately) I can't make this as a single post, I'll split it into 6 parts.
IMPORTANT:
This post covers the information required for adults to apply for regular citizenship. There are other processes like fast-track process for Armed Forces personnel and the like but they are out of the scope of this post.
If you are applying as a family and have a minor child, please follow the
procedure to apply for citizenship for minor children IN ADDITION to the steps in this post.
Use this guide as a reference - I will provide links where necessary - It is important to actually open and read the links on the IRCC website. I cannot stress this enough.
Use this guide as a supplement to the IRCC's
Instruction Guide . Like I did for my Express Entry post, I will split my post into phases.
- Pre-Application Phase -> Getting ready to apply / Pre-requisites for submitting a citizenship application
- Application Phase -> Filling out your application / Gathering Documents / Submitting your application package / Tips
- Post-Application Phase -> AOR / Additional Document Requests / Test / Oath and next steps
Pre-Application Phase
Irrespective of how we first moved to Canada (student / work / PR / refugee) most of us who moved here have had a goal – applying for Canadian Citizenship. The time is nearing and it is important to understand the process in detail and try not to make any mistakes. The process is a little time consuming – do it once and do it right.
Let’s get to the basics.
Minimum requirements to be able to apply for citizenship:
1. Be a Permanent Resident of Canada
- Your PR status must be in good standing (You should not have a fraud investigation / removal order or the like against you). In other words, your PR status should not be in question.
- Note: If your PR card has expired, you can still apply. Your PR status is NOT affected if your PR card expires.
- Naturally, you should have maintained your PR status by being physically present in Canada for at least 2 years in a 5-year period.
2. Time spent in Canada
- Most people should have spent at least 3 years (1095 days) in a 5-year period (physically present in Canada) immediately preceding the date you are signing the citizenship application.
- Every day spent inside Canada in the last 5 years (physically present in Canada) as a Permanent Resident counts as one day towards physical presence.
- Every day spent inside Canada in the last 5 years (physically present in Canada) as a Temporary Resident (Student / Work Visa, for instance) can be calculated as half a day towards physical presence up to a maximum of 365 days only.
- For instance:
- Arthur came in on a work visa on Jan 02 2014.
- He got his PR on Jan 03 2016. He never left the country.
- The number of days as a temporary resident is 730 days.
- He spends 2 years (730 days) in Canada as a permanent resident.
- Arthur can sign and submit his citizenship application on Jan 04 2018.
- He counts each day spent in Canada as a temporary resident as half a day (which amounts to 365 days) and he counts each day spent as a permanent resident as one day (which amounts to 730 days).
- The physical presence calculator is a very handy tool to keep track of your travels and calculate physical presence. It is also mandatory that you keep a track of your travels here so that when it is your time to apply, you can print it and submit it with your application.
- Note 1: If you crossed an international border and returned to Canada the same day, it counts as being physically present in Canada.
- For instance, traveling to US in the morning for shopping and returning to Canada the same evening – this day does count towards physical presence.
- It is important to note that you MUST STILL DISCLOSE these trips in your physical presence calculator.
- Note 2: Similarly, while traveling internationally, the day you leave Canada and the day you return to Canada also counts towards your physical presence.
- For instance, if you left Canada on September 14th and returned on October 5th, September 14th and October 5th will count towards your physical presence.
- Stating the obvious but any day spent outside Canada does NOT count towards physical presence. However, as usual, there are some exceptions (doesn’t apply to the majority of us though).
- Generally, time spent serving a sentence or probation DOES NOT count towards physical presence with some exceptions.
- Do NOT apply with exactly 1095 days. That is the minimum requirement but it is recommended to apply with more days. I’ll explain why later in the post.
3. Filing income taxes in Canada
Here it comes – something that no one escapes!
- You must have filed at least 3 tax returns in the last 5 years from the date you sign your citizenship application. Exceptions apply for very few people.
- The large majority of us WILL NOT be exempt from this.
4. Language Skills
- Applicants who are of ages 18 – 54 MUST submit proof to substantiate that they can listen and speak at least one of Canada’s 2 official languages English or French.
- More about this later in the post.
