To get Canadian citizenship, first, go ahead and get the permanent residency of Canada. After that, only, you can become a citizen there. The Canada PR process is quite easy, if you do it right.
Requirements of Gaining Canadian Citizenship
The nation of Canada demands that you must be a permanent resident there before becoming a citizen. See, if you are already a permanent resident then that translates to you not being under any review for fraud reasons or immigration. Moreover, this also means that you may not receive a removal order.
Additionally, there are a few conditions that you must meet before applying for citizenship. See those criterias below:
- Filing taxes
- Proof of language proficiency
- Meeting Canada’s physical presence needs
- Passing a citizenship test
Filing Taxes
Some people need to file taxes in Canada for around three years out of five years. The count of years starts before the date of application for citizenship.
Even if you lived in Canada for only some time, say for only a portion of the year, then you may need to file for an income tax return. This condition arises when you want to claim a refund; need to pay tax; or want to enjoy benefits and credit payments.
Meeting Canada’s Physical Presence Needs
The physical presence requirements of the country requires an applicant to be living in Canada for at least three out of five years. To say it simply, before applying for citizenship, you need to live in Canada for a minimum of 1,095 days.
Now, there’s an advantage for people who live in the nation as a temporary worker or as a protected person, since they can use that time to gain physical presence requirements. Each day they lived in Canada as a temporary worker or a protected individual, can be used as a half day. Now, there’s a limit to that too. You can only count till 356 days.
Proof of Language Proficiency
If you are in the age range of 18 and 54 years, then you are going to need to prove that you can speak French or English properly. Through a few measures, IRCC ensures a person’s language skills. These measures are:
- IRCC will review the proof the person submitted along with their application.
- It can assess the levels of their language during a hearing.
- It will notice how the person communicates with an official during the application process.
- IRCC accepts diplomas, certificates, tests that prove the applicants language skills.
