Canadian Citizenship

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 To apply for Canadian Citizenship there are six areas where you must qualify: 

• age,
• permanent resident status,
• time you have lived in Canada,
• language ability,
• criminal history and
• how well you know Canada.  

If you are between 18 and 54  when you apply, you must have reached the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 4 or higher in speaking and listening.  You must have a permanent resident (PR) status in Canada. Your PR status must not be in question. That means you must not be:  

• under review for immigration or fraud reasons, or  
• under a removal order (an order from Canadian officials to leave Canada).  

You must have resided in Canada for at least four years (1,460 days) in the past six years before you apply. This does not apply to children under 18.  ​

You cannot become a citizen if you: 

• have been convicted of an indictable (criminal) offense or an offense under the Citizenship Act in the three years before you apply,
• are currently charged with an offense under the Citizenship Act,  
• are in prison, on parole or on probation,  
• are under a removal order (Canadian officials have ordered you to leave Canada),  
• are being investigated for, are charged with, or have been convicted of a war crime or a crime against humanity, or  
• have had your Canadian citizenship taken away in the past five years.