MaxHeadroom said:
Dear seniors,
My question is a little off-topic but I'm hoping you can either point me to the right resources or give brief information. Thanks in advance.
The question is: I've heard (and read) that new legislations have passed that require a longer residency period to be able to apply for citizenship, (4 out of 5 years actual residency instead of 3 out of 4 and maximum 6 months per year absence from Canadian soil), has this legislation passed and is it applicable to all new PR card holders?
The CIC web pages and calculator about citizenship applications still have the 1095 days rule. Do this mean the new legislation is still not in effect?
I believe your answers will help many of us who already have and will be landing to Canada after June 2014.
Thank you very much.
Naturalization as a Canadian citizen
A person who is a permanent resident may apply for Canadian citizenship by naturalization (grant) subject to the following conditions.
The person:
is aged 18 years or over
is a permanent resident
has lived in Canada for a total of 1095 days during the four years preceding the application for citizenship, including a minimum of two years as a permanent resident
has knowledge of Canada (as demonstrated by taking the Canadian Citizenship Test, which is required as part of the application process, but only if the applicant is between 18 and 54 years of age)
is not a subject to any criminal prohibitions
is not a war criminal
is able to speak English or French well enough to communicate with people
Bill C-24, the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, was introduced in February 2014. The bill would raise citizenship requirements from 1095 days (3 years total) during the four years preceding the application to 1460 days (4 years total) during the six years preceding the application, with the minimum time as a permanent resident also raised to 4 years as no credit would be given for time spent in Canada as a temporary resident. Applicants must also have been in Canada for 183 days in four of the six years relevant to their application date. The language and knowledge requirement is extended to those 14 to 64 years of age