Citizenship
- be a permanent resident
- have lived in Canada for 3 out of the last 5 years
- have filed your taxes, if you need to
- pass a citizenship test
- prove your language skills
- applying for a minor (under age 18)
- a Canadian applying for your adopted child born outside Canada
- a current or former Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) member applying under the fast-track process
- a past Canadian citizen who want your Canadian citizenship back (including current and former CAF members)
You don’t automatically become a citizen when you marry a Canadian.
If you’re the spouse of a Canadian citizen, you must meet the same requirements listed above (no exception).
- See if you may be a Canadian citizen
- To find out for sure, apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate
Regardless of your age, if you’re applying for citizenship, you must have permanent resident (PR) status in Canada.
You don’t need a valid PR card to apply for citizenship. You can apply with an expired PR card.
Time you’ve lived in Canada (physical presence)
You (and some minors, if applicable) must have been physically in Canada for at least 1,095 days (3 years) during the 5 years before the date you sign your application.
We encourage you to apply with more than 1,095 days of living in Canada in case there’s a problem with the calculation.
In your calculation, you may be able to include some of the time you spent
- in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person
- outside Canada if you were a Crown servant or a family member of a Crown servant.
You may need to file taxes in Canada for at least 3 years during the 5 years right before the date you apply.
Canada has two official languages: English and French. If you’re 18 to 54 years of age on the day you sign your application, you must show that you can speak and listen at a specific level in one of these languages.
The ways IRCC measures your language skills in English or French include:
- reviewing the proof, you send with your application
- noting how well you communicate when you talk to a citizenship official anytime during the process
- assessing your language level during a hearing with a citizenship official, if necessary
To become a citizen, you need to meet the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) Level 4 or higher. This means you can:
If you’re 18 to 54 years of age on the day you sign your application, you need to take the citizenship test. You’ll need to answer questions about the rights and responsibilities of Canadians and Canada’s:
- history
- geography
- economy
- government
- laws
- symbols
- in English or French
- 30 minutes long
- 20 questions (pass mark: 15 correct answers)
- multiple-choice and true or false questions
- based on the official citizenship study guide: Discover Canada
- usually written, but may be oral
Learn more about the citizenship test.