Haiderzaidi said:
After getting PR. In how many years people become citizens?
Do they have to stay until they are citizens or they can work elsewhere & apply for citizenship.
While the exact cutoff date is yet to be determined (based on the date certain Bill C-24 amendments to the
Citizenship Act come into force, sometime this year), it is certain that anyone who became a PR since the beginning of October 2013 will have to be physically present in Canada for a
minimum of four years (1460 days) before they are eligible for Canadian citizenship.
There are additional requirements, but four years after becoming a PR is the absolute soonest a PR can qualify for Canadian citizenship.
Qualification is based on
actual physical presence in Canada, so time abroad (whether to work or on holidays) will
NOT count.
Moreover, once the application is made, the PR must intend to
continue residing in Canada, which in effect means the applicant must be residing in Canada during the processing of the application. Going abroad to work during that period will risk being rejected.
(Note: The threshold for qualifying is currently lower for those who qualify under the residency provisions now in force, but there is no way this will apply to anyone who landed and became a PR after the beginning of October 2013.)
