According to IRCC, there is no requirement to stay in Canada while they process your citizenship application.
The reason they ask 'Have you traveled outside Canada after applying for citizenship?' is to determine if you still meet Residency Obligations (
RO). Official rules state that you MUST be a permanent resident to become a citizen and not just when you apply. So, they just want to make sure you still meet residency obligations before granting you citizenship.
The clause of '
Intent to reside' is not mentioned here in the official source given below. And it also makes sense, at least to me. For example, applicants who apply under Quebec's Economic Class program are asked to sign a
Form Imm 0008 (Schedule 5 - Declaration of Intent to Reside in Quebec) while they are still
OUTSIDE Canada. You have to sign that form, otherwise your application won't be processed further. So, 'Intent to Reside' is a declaration you are making after being granted citizenship. Before the final decision is made, you are still citizen of another country, so you can travel freely. Just make sure you fall under the eligibility bracket of Residency Obligations.
Official Source :
Can I leave Canada after I mail my citizenship application?
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UPDATE : December 17, 2016, 05:27:45 pm
Sorry, but the official source mentioned above seem to be outdated (after Bill C-24 became law). If you go through
Intent to Reside source, it states as follow:
Subsection 5(1.1) of the Act states that for the purposes of paragraphs 5(1)(c.1) and 11(1)(e), the person’s intention must be continuous from the date of their application until they have taken the Oath of Citizenship.
Officers will be assessing the applicant’s intention if granted citizenship (i.e. what the applicant intends to do after becoming a citizen). Applicants must hold this intention to reside if granted citizenship from the time they sign their application to the time they take the Oath. The intent to reside is required to obtain citizenship but no longer applies once citizenship is granted. Once citizenship is granted, a citizen has the right to enter, remain in, and leave Canada as guaranteed by the Charter.
So apparently, you must reside in Canada during the processing of your citizenship application. This only applies to those who filed their citizenship applications
on or after 11 June, 2015.
This sounds ambiguous since you signed and declared your 'Intent to Reside' to officer, how come it's not applicable once citizenship is granted? Shouldn't it come under misrepresentation if you don't intend to reside in Canada in future? and ... Can they not cancel your citizenship at a later stage solely on the basis of you not intending to reside in Canada after becoming citizenship?
Official Source :
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/cit/grant/residence/intention.asp