Residency & Citizenship

CITIZENSHIP

CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP

The final step in your pursuit of status, if you choose to take it and are eligible for it, is to apply to be a Canadian citizen! In most cases, this requires you to be a Permanent Resident and to have been in Canada for at least 1,095 days in the last five years.

The most apparent benefits of attaining Canadian Citizenship are:

  • you can have a Canadian passport, which may make international travel easier;

  • there is no longer any need to meet any residency obligation of being in Canada (as opposed to a Permanent Resident who must be in Canada for at least two years in every five year period);

  • there is no longer any need to renew your PR card;

  • you can vote if you are over 18;

  • your status is better protected—a Permanent Resident is vulnerable to being deported if certain events occur, such as serious criminality, for example;

  • there can be more job opportunities—some government jobs require Canadian Citizenship status.

FAQs

  • First, be aware there is an online Physical Presence Calculator (click here) on the IRCC site in the Citizenship section that does all the work for you.

    To summarize:

    • the calculator is only interested in the last five year window;

    • from the time you became a permanent resident to now, you get a credit of one day for every day of presence in Canada;

    • you get a credit of half a day for each day you were in Canada on a valid temporary basis to a maximum of 365 days;

    • any days outside of Canada in the last five years or time in which you were imprisoned or on probation cannot be used;

    • this calculator is only needed for applications of minors who will be applying on their own, separate from a parent.

  • You only need to get this if you were in another country (not Canada) for at least 183 continuous days in the last four years. If you were in that country for 183 days immediately before becoming a permanent resident, then the police certificate is not needed.

  • No. A renewed PR card is not a requirement for a citizenship application. Fortunately, the checklist for a citizenship application is short. However, the requirements are very precise, so you will still want to review the Checklist and Guide to ensure you meet the criteria. It is no fun getting the application returned because of some minor omission.