CITIZENSHIP OF CANADA

To become a Canadian citizen you must:

• be 18 years of age or older;
• be a permanent resident of Canada;
• have lived in Canada for at least three of the four years before applying;
• be able to communicate in either English or French;
• know about Canada;
• know about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship;

Please note that time spent in Canada before becoming a permanent resident may be counted towards becoming a Canadian citizen.

A child (under 18 years of age) must be a permanent resident of Canada to apply for Canadian citizenship. To apply on behalf of your child you must either:

• already be a citizen; or
• apply for citizenship together as a family.
• Children do not need to have lived in Canada for three years before applying.

Children do not need to have lived in Canada for three years before applying. 

Citizenship Test

If you are between the ages of 18 and 59 you must pass a citizenship test. For more information on Canada and the citizenship test read the on-line study guide A Look at Canada.

Who cannot become a Canadian citizen?

Before you apply you should make sure that you are eligible for citizenship. You cannot become a Canadian citizen if you:

• are under a removal order;
• are now charged with an indictable criminal offence;
• have been convicted of an indictable criminal offence in the past three years;
• are now in prison, on parole, or on probation;
• are being investigated for or have been convicted of war crimes;
• had your citizenship revoked in the last five years.

Please note that time spent in prison, on parole or on probation may not be counted towards becoming a citizen.

PR CARD

The Permanent Resident Card (PR Card) is a new, wallet-sized, plastic card. People who have completed the Canadian immigration process and have obtained permanent resident status, but are not Canadian citizens can apply for the Card. The Card replaces the IMM 1000 as the status document needed by Canadian permanent residents re-entering Canada on a commercial carrier (airplane, boat, train and bus) starting December 31, 2003. Since June 28, 2002, The PR Card has automatically been issued to newly arriving immigrants after their arrival in Canada as part of their immigration process.