There are quite a few qualifications that everyone has to meet in order to become a Canadian citizen, but they are generally straightforward. After you’ve found out whether or not you are eligible for citizenship with Canada you start filing your application, but consider using Immigration Direct for this step. Immigration Direct has been helping people apply for citizenship for a long time already and we can help you achieve your immigration goals in Canada.
For the purpose of the blog, we will assume that you are only trying to apply for citizenship for yourself and you are over 18 years old.
The first requirement is that you must be a Permanent Resident of Canada. If you are not yet a Permanent Resident, Immigration Direct also helps immigrants get their PR Cards. Permanent Residents are people who are allowed to live, work and study in Canada indefinitely. However, they are not entitled to the full benefits that the country provides its citizens.
As a Permanent Resident, a citizenship applicant must also have lived in Canada for 1,095 days before applying for citizenship. 1,095 days works out to three years and these three years must fall within the four years before your application date. You may find that you have not been a Permanent Resident for three out of the four past years, but if you were in Canada legally for those 1,095 days you meet the residency requirement.
There are some things that will prevent you from becoming a citizen, particularly criminal offenses.
- If your Permanent Resident status is in question your application will likely be rejected. It is important to be sure that your residency in Canada is completely legal.
- If you were convicted of a crime three years before your application day.
- If you are currently being charged with a crime.
- If you are in jail.
- If you are a war criminal.
- Or if you are re-applying for citizenship after it was rescinded and five years have not passed.
After you have made sure that you are able to apply for Canadian citizenship you can proceed to the next step in the process: the application.
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