how many years do you have to stay in canada before you apply for citizenship

[richie4U]

hi guys i am just woundering how many years you have to stay in canada before
you can apply for your citizen, after your PR expires i know it expires in 5years
is there any test to undergo or is it just swearing in to become a canadian
citizen.

 

[Kedeisha]

there is a test for citizenship once you are over 18 i believe and you need to be in Canada for 3 of 4 years and at least 2 years u need to have been a PR

have lived in Canada for at least three of the four years preceding the date of application,
•be able to communicate in English or French (adults 55 years of age or older are exempted), and
•have adequate knowledge of Canada and of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship (adults 55 years of age or older are exempted).

Note: You cannot meet the residence requirements for citizenship without a minimum of 2 years as a permanent resident.

 

[ddobro2]

Well, first of all, since you're specifically concerned about time spent in Canada, you should use CIC's residence calculator to see if you have lived in Canada long enough to apply: https://eservicesak.cic.gc.ca/rescalc/resCalcStartNew.do?&lang=en

Eligibility for applying for citizenship:

- Must be a PR and that status must not be in doubt

- For adults, they must have lived in Canada for at least three years (1,095 days) in the past four years before applying (although you can count days before you became a PR towards this)

- Have been convicted of or are currently charged with a criminal offense or an offense under the Citizenship Act, etc.....

- While yes, you have to be 18 to apply for yourself for citizenship, it's possible to apply for citizenship on behalf of a child younger than 18. You just have to be the child’s parent, adoptive parent or legal guardian, the child has to be a PR (although does not need to have lived in Canada 3 years), and one of the child's parents has to already be a citizen or applying for citizenship

- Also, you obviously need to take and pass the citizenship test (if you're 18 to 54), which tests knowledge of both official languages as well as Canadian history, rights and responsibilities, etc.
The new version of the test introduced last year has about a 20% failure rate.

hi guys i am just woundering how many years you have to stay in canada before
you can apply for your citizen, after your PR expires i know it expires in 5years
is there any test to undergo or is it just swearing in to become a canadian
citizen.

 

[AllisonVSC]

hi guys i am just woundering how many years you have to stay in canada before
you can apply for your citizen, after your PR expires i know it expires in 5years
is there any test to undergo or is it just swearing in to become a canadian
citizen.

Great responses from Kedeisha and ddobro2, so nothing to add there, but just to clarify...Your PR does not expire after 5 years. As long as you can meet the residency requirements you will maintain your PR status. What does expire is your card which proves your status when you attempt to enter the country.