Missed Citizenship Eligibility - Do I have to start over?

[hibbsdibbs]

Some background:

• I received my PR in May 2018 and started living in Canada in January 2020.
• My time inside Canada is as follows:
  • Jan 25, 2020 - Nov 16, 2020: 297 days
  • Feb 1, 2021 - Apr 17, 2022: 441 days
  • May 7, 2023 - Nov 8, 2023: 186 days
• I fulfilled the 730 days PR residency requirement and renewed my PR in May 2023.

As of now, to apply for citizenship, I had about 5.7 months of residence remaining. Unfortunately, due to medical reasons, I couldn't return to Canada after November 2023. After doing the calculations, I found that even if I return in December 2024, I will only accumulate roughly 2 more months of residence before January 24, 2025, leaving me about 4 months short.

My question:
Am I right in thinking that I’ve missed the citizenship cycle, and is there absolutely no legal way for me to apply for citizenship now? Do I have to restart the 3-year (1095 days) residency cycle to meet the requirements, potentially delaying citizenship until May 2027 if I stay in Canada continuously from now on?

Thanks in advance for any advice or insights!

 

[forw.jane]

Some background:

• I received my PR in May 2018 and started living in Canada in January 2020.
• My time inside Canada is as follows:
  • Jan 25, 2020 - Nov 16, 2020: 297 days
  • Feb 1, 2021 - Apr 17, 2022: 441 days
  • May 7, 2023 - Nov 8, 2023: 186 days
• I fulfilled the 730 days PR residency requirement and renewed my PR in May 2023.

As of now, to apply for citizenship, I had about 5.7 months of residence remaining. Unfortunately, due to medical reasons, I couldn't return to Canada after November 2023. After doing the calculations, I found that even if I return in December 2024, I will only accumulate roughly 2 more months of residence before January 24, 2025, leaving me about 4 months short.

My question:
Am I right in thinking that I’ve missed the citizenship cycle, and is there absolutely no legal way for me to apply for citizenship now? Do I have to restart the 3-year (1095 days) residency cycle to meet the requirements, potentially delaying citizenship until May 2027 if I stay in Canada continuously from now on?

Thanks in advance for any advice or insights!

To accumulate 1,095 days of physical presence within a five-year period, you need to account for the fact that your count started on January 25, 2020. As a result, you will begin losing those early days starting January 26, 2025. Essentially, from that point forward, you are offsetting the days lost by adding new ones. If you live continuously in Canada starting December 2024, you will likely reach the required number of days by May 2027. You cannot apply for citizenship before that.

 

[hibbsdibbs]

To accumulate 1,095 days of physical presence within a five-year period, you need to account for the fact that your count started on January 25, 2020. As a result, you will begin losing those early days starting January 26, 2025. Essentially, from that point forward, you are offsetting the days lost by adding new ones. If you live continuously in Canada starting December 2024, you will likely reach the required number of days by May 2027. You cannot apply for citizenship before that.

Thank you so much for replying.

If I use my PR renewal from May 2023 (I got my PR renewal approval in Jul 2023) as the starting point to calculate days towards citizenship, can I break up my trips to Canada and still meet the residency requirements by July 2028?

 

[Seym]

There is no "residency cycle", you just need to accumulate 1095 days within the 5 years immediately prior to your citizenship application. The same way, there is no "starting point" to start accumulating days. The 5 years window just moves by a day every day, and is fixed the day you sign your citizenship application.
You can enter and leave Canada as you wish, as long as there is a day in the future, whatever that day is, that would be the end of a 5 years period in which you've been in Canada for at least 1095 days. @forw.jane already gave you the practicalities for thr calculation principles.