The Canadian government has proposed a number of changes to the rules and procedures for obtaining citizenship, effective June 2015. Any permanent residents who meet the current criteria and decide to apply before the changes come into effect will not have their applications affected by these changes.

Wise Advice Canada Immigration specializes in Canadian Immigration. We have a lot of experience in helping our clients to obtain Canadian citizenship If you are a permanent resident, you may be able to obtain Canadian citizenship.

To do so you must meet certain requirements:

  • Age: at least 18 years old
  • Have permanent resident status
  • Have resided in Canada for at least 3 years (short absences do not affect the application) in the last 5 years.
  • Have sufficient knowledge of French or English (for people between 18 and 55 years old)
  • Have a clean criminal record
  • Pass a test of knowledge about Canada

Requirement

You are eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship if you have lived in the country for three out of the last four years. You must be a permanent resident at the time of applying, but you will be able to include time spent in the country before becoming a permanent resident as a fulfillment of your residency requirement.

You must calculate time you intend to use to fulfill your residency requirement only from when you became a permanent resident. The residency requirement will also become a two-part one:

  • You must have lived in Canada as a permanent resident for 4 out of the last 6 years
  • For each of the 4 years, you must spend at least 183 days in the country

Age, Language, And Testing

The current rules of attaining Canadian citizenship only require you to demonstrate proficiency in English or French and knowledge of Canadian history, values, customs, etc. if you are between 18 and 54 years of age. The testing of knowledge Canada is also able to be conducted through an interpreter. Under the new rules, individuals between 14 and 17 years of age and 55 and 64 years will now be included in the language and testing requirements. There will also be no option to prove knowledge of Canada through an interpreter any longer. All testing will be done in English or French. The only exception to this is if you can prove that you are unable to sufficiently meet the requirements for either language or knowledge about Canada, or both. An example of sufficient proof is a doctor’s letter stating that you are victim to a medical condition that makes you unable to learn enough to meet the requirements.

If you want to evaluate your chances of becoming a Canadian citizen, please contact us.