A Quick Guide To Becoming a Canadian Citizen!

Canadian citizenship can be obtained by birth or by naturalization. Naturalization is the process through which a permanent resident acquires Canadian citizenship.

Canadian citizens have all the benefits and obligations of a permanent resident, but Citizenship holders solely have the following benefits:​

Passport

Canadian citizens get a passport that allows them to travel to many countries without a visa and makes them less likely to encounter problems returning to Canada from abroad.

You can rely on Canadian consulates and embassies while abroad if you travel using a Canadian passport.​

VOTING

Canadian citizens can vote in federal, provincial and municipal elections, run for office, and become involved in political activities.

Employment

Federal government jobs tend to pay well and have many benefits, but some require a high-level security clearance, which only Canadian citizens can have.

Dual Citizenship

Canada allows Dual Citizenship, so you don’t have to choose between being a Canadian citizen and being a citizen of your home country, provided your country of origin allows the same.

Eligibility to become a Canadian citizen:

• Be a permanent resident
• Have been physically in Canada for at least 1,095 days (3 years) during the 5 years before the date you sign your application.
• Have filed your taxes, if you need to
• Pass a citizenship test
• Prove your language skills

CITIZENSHIP TEST

​​If you’re 18 to 54 years of age, you need to take the citizenship test.

Discover Canada is the only official study guide for the citizenship test.

You’ll need to answer questions about the rights and responsibilities of Canadians and Canada’s:

• History
• Geography
• Economy
• Government
• Laws
• Symbols​

​The online citizenship test

• is in English or French
• is 30 minutes long
• has 20 questions that are either:
• multiple choice, or
• true or false

You need to get at least 15 out of 20 questions right to pass the test.

Language Skills

Canada has two official languages: English and French.

If you’re 18 to 54 years of age, you must show that you can speak and listen at the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) Level 4 or higher.