Patricia Wells
IMMIGRATION LAWYERS
920 Yonge Street Suite 510 Toronto Ontario Canada M4W 3C7
Telephone 416 535 6873 Fax 416 513 1919 Email pwells@web.net
___________________________________________________________________
How to Apply for Canadian Citizenship
Step 1: Determine if you are eligible:
In order to be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship, you must satisfy the following
general criteria (a more detailed description of the criteria will be discussed below):
 You must be at least 18 years old to apply
 You must be a permanent resident
 You must have resided in Canada for at least three years (1,095 days) in the past
four years before applying. Children under the age of 18 do not need to meet this
requirement
 If you are between 18 and 54, you will have to send proof of your ability
to speak and listen in English or French with your citizenship application
Age
Although one must be 18 years or older to apply citizenship, children can obtain
citizenship if the following conditions are met:

the person applying is the child’s parent, adoptive parent or legal guardian

the child is a permanent resident, but does not need to have resided in Canada for
three years; and

one parent is already a Canadian citizen or is applying to become a citizen at the
same time. This also applies to adoptive parents.
Residency
When calculating your time in Canada:

only the four (4) years preceding the date of your application are taken into
account;
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ASSOCIATE:
PATRICIA WELLS, LL.B.
MEERA BUDOVITCH, J.D.
Barrister and Solicitor
Notary Public
Barrister and Solicitor
Notary Public

each day you lived in Canada before you became a permanent resident counts as
half a day;

each day you lived in Canada after you became a permanent resident counts as
one day;

time spent serving a sentence for an offence in Canada (e.g. prison, penitentiary,
jail, reformatory, conditional sentence, probation and/or parole) cannot be counted
toward residence - note there are some exceptions to this rule, please consult a
lawyer if you are in this situation

absences from Canada may have an impact on your residence. Only a citizenship
judge can determine if you meet the residence requirements with fewer than 1,095
days of physical presence – please consult a lawyer if you are in this situation
Note: Citizenship and Immigration Canada has a calculator on their website that you can
use to see if you satisfy the residency requirement:
https://eservices.cic.gc.ca/rescalc/resCalcStartNew.do?&lang=en
Language Requirement
In order to show proof of your language ability, you must send one of the following
documents with your citizenship application:

your language test from when you applied for permanent residence as a Skilled
Worker or in the Canadian Experience Class

results from your new language test – CELPIP, IELTS, TEF or TEFAQ

for CELPIP you need 2H or higher in Speaking or Listening


for IELTS you need 4.0 or higher in speaking, and 4.5 or higher in
listening


for locations, visit
http://www.ielts.org/test_centre_search/search_results.aspx
For TEF or TEFAQ you need B1 or higher


http://www.celpiptest.ca/registration-information/test-dates-andlocations/
For locations, visit http://www.francais.cci-paris-idf.fr/
proof that you completed your secondary or post-secondary education in English
or French (whether in Canada or another country)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ASSOCIATE:
PATRICIA WELLS, LL.B.
MEERA BUDOVITCH, J.D.
Barrister and Solicitor
Notary Public
Barrister and Solicitor
Notary Public

proof you achieved a score of CLB/NCLC 4 in speaking and listening through a
LINC or CLIC course

proof you achieved a score of CLB/NCLC 4 in speaking and listening through a
provincially-funded language training course in Manitoba, B.C. or Quebec
For more information visit http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/language.asp
Note: if you have a disability or some other reason you cannot learn English or
French, please talk to an immigration lawyer - there are special rules to help in
these situations
Criminal History:
You cannot become a citizen if you:

have been convicted of an indictable (criminal) offence or an offence under
the Citizenship Act in the three years before you applied;

are currently charged with an indictable offence or an offence under
the Citizenship Act;

are in prison, on parole or on probation;

are under a removal order (have been ordered by Canadian officials to leave
Canada);

are under investigation for, are charged with, or have been convicted of a war
crime or a crime against humanity; or

you have had your Canadian citizenship taken away in the past five years.
If you are on probation or are charged with an offence and are awaiting trial, you should
wait until after the probation has ended or the trial is over to apply for citizenship.
If you have spent time on probation, on parole or in prison in the last four years, you may
not meet the residence requirement for citizenship – please consult a lawyer if you are
in this situation
Time in prison or on parole does not count as residence in Canada. Time on probation
also does not count as residence in Canada if you were convicted of an offence. If you
have spent time on probation from a conditional discharge, it may be counted toward
residence - please consult a lawyer if you are in this situation
Application Package:
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ASSOCIATE:
PATRICIA WELLS, LL.B.
MEERA BUDOVITCH, J.D.
Barrister and Solicitor
Notary Public
Barrister and Solicitor
Notary Public



To obtain an application package, visit
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/become-how.asp
Note: fees are $200.00 per adult and $100.00 per child
The processing times are currently 23 months from receipt of application to
citizenship ceremony
Step 2: After you Apply
How to Check on Your Application Status:
You can check on the status of your application by visiting
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/my_application/status.asp.
Residency Questionnaire:
About 60% of people applying for citizenship are being sent a residency questionnaire.
Please take this questionnaire seriously and fill it out to the best of your ability.
If you fail to respond to the residency questionnaire, your application could be declared
abandoned – speak to a lawyer if you are unable to fill out the questionnaire on time.
Citizenship Test:
If you are between the ages 18-54, you will have to take a test to show that you
understand the rights, responsibilities, and privileges of citizenship. For more
information on the citizenship test, visit http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/cittest.asp
The test evaluates your knowledge of Canada. It is usually written, but you may also be
asked to come to an interview with a citizenship judge.
During the written exam and the interview, you will be asked questions about:
 the right to vote and right to run for elected office

elections procedures

the rights and responsibilities of a citizen

Canadian social and cultural history and symbols

Canadian political history (including the political system and institutions)

Canadian physical and political geography
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ASSOCIATE:
PATRICIA WELLS, LL.B.
MEERA BUDOVITCH, J.D.
Barrister and Solicitor
Notary Public
Barrister and Solicitor
Notary Public
If you are asked to come to an interview, the conversation can also be used to assess your
language abilities.
If you pass the test and the citizenship judge determines that you meet all the other
requirements for citizenship, you will be invited to a citizenship ceremony. During that
ceremony, you will take the oath of citizenship which is the final requirement for
citizenship, and receive a certificate of Canadian citizenship.
If you do not pass the written test, CIC will send you a notice telling you to appear for
an interview (30-90 minutes) with a citizenship judge. At that interview, the judge will
ask you the test questions orally to give you another opportunity to demonstrate that
you meet all the requirements of citizenship (including knowledge and language)
Appearing before a Citizenship Judge:
Some Applicants will be asked to appear before a citizenship judge prior to being
approved. This does not necessarily mean something is wrong with your application.
Step 3: Citizenship Ceremony
What is it?
The citizenship ceremony is the final step in becoming a Canadian citizen. During
the citizenship ceremony, you will take the oath of citizenship and receive
your citizenship certificate.
Who has to attend?
Adults and children over the age of 14
What do you need to bring?
You must bring all of your original immigration documents to the citizenship
ceremony.
If you have a permanent resident card, you must bring it with you.
If you became a permanent resident before June 28, 2002, you must bring your
Record of Landing (IMM 1000).
If you have both of those documents, bring both of them to the ceremony.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ASSOCIATE:
PATRICIA WELLS, LL.B.
MEERA BUDOVITCH, J.D.
Barrister and Solicitor
Notary Public
Barrister and Solicitor
Notary Public