Canadian citizenship is highly sought-after in no small part due to the liberties, rights; and the status that it guarantees its holders with – as well as having one of best passports as far as freedom of movement is concerned.
It is thus perhaps no great surprise that over 140,000 foreigners get Canadian citizenship every year – and citizenship applications are counting.
Eligibility Requirements for Citizenship application
You can receive a Canadian citizenship through a legal permanent residence or through familial lines. However, applicants will need to pass specific eligibility requirements as follows.
- Provably demonstrate oral and written proficiency in one of Canada’s official languages (English or French) and provide evidence for such;
- Hold lawful permanent residence;
- Live in Canada as a legal permanent resident for a period of time not less than 1,095 days out of 5 years prior to your application as a citizen;
- Demonstrate proof of having filed taxes for at least 3 years over the last 5 years without any delinquencies; any income tax that a prospective applicant must receive in full.
IRCC will promptly return applications that do not contain any proof of some proficiency in English or French.
Prospective candidates who are or otherwise have been members of Canada’s Armed Forces may be subject to an expedited, fast-track application process.
If any of an applicant’s parents was a Canadian citizen at the time of his or her birth, he or she may already be a citizen. If this is the case, applicants must apply for proof of citizenship.
Inadmissibility
Applicants who have recently spent time incarcerated or currently incarcerated for any reason; and as well as those who are serving out their parole or terms of probation, conditional sentences; or have been charged or convicted of an indictable crime CANNOT be Canadian citizens. This is also true for applicants who have seen deportation orders.
In general, there are many scenarios wherein you can become to be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship – let our team of trained experts and lawyers at Canadapt provide tailored, bespoke advice directly relating to your current situation. Canadapt can, and more importantly, will be in a position to provide you best option when you finally make the first step towards becoming a full-fledged Canadian. Contact us for a free assessment at your convenience and rest assured that all responses will be held in the strictest confidence.