1) Pathway to Canadian Citizenship

Being a permanent resident puts you in direct line for ultimately achieving Canadian citizenship if you meet the eligibility criteria. In order to qualify for citizenship through permanent residency you must:

– live in Canada for 3 years (1095) days out of the 5 years immediately before your citizenship application. This can also include time spent in Canada as a temporary resident (visitor, student, international worker which can be counted as half-days. There is a maximum of 365 days, or 730 half-days spent as a temporary resident in Canada. You must also fulfill this criteria by spending the required amount of time in Canada as a permanent resident.

– you must have filed your taxes for at least three years within the last five years before applying for citizenship. 

– if you are between the ages of 18 and 54, you need to prove your language proficiency in either English or French. You can do this by taking recognized language proficiency tests like CELPIP (Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program), IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or TEF (Test d’evaluation de francais). However, if you have a high school certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian institution, you do not need to take the language proficiency test.

–you need to pass a citizenship test to demonstrate your knowledge of Canada’s history, values, institutions, and symbols. The test can be taken in English or French and is made up of multiple-choice questions based on the official study guide, “Discover Canada: the Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship.”

–you cannot be under a removal order or have criminal prohibitions (such as being convicted of an indictable offense), this will prevent you from being granted citizenship

–You need to submit a complete application form with all the required documents, pay the application fee, and, if applicable attend an interview or hearing with a citizenship official.