Who is eligible for Canadian citizenship?

There are various eligibility criteria that a person must meet in order to apply for Canadian citizenship:

• must have permanent resident status in Canada;
• must have lived in Canada for at least three years (or at least 1095 days) out of the last five years prior to applying;
• you need to be able to speak one or two of the official languages ​​of Canada (English and / or French) well enough to be able to communicate in Canadian society;
• you cannot have a criminal background that makes it impossible to grant Canadian citizenship; and
• a test is required to demonstrate awareness of the rights and responsibilities of citizens and a basic knowledge of Canadian geography, political system and history.

The government asks for documents as evidence in support of the above eligibility criteria. After that, one of the most important steps is to take the citizenship test and interview, which usually take place after the application has been submitted.

Most eligible immigrants become citizens.

Canada recognizes the importance of immigrants and relies heavily on immigration to develop its economy and strengthen its social fabric.

It provides good settlement services to immigrants selected for residency, which helps them participate in all aspects of Canadian society and contributes to their success and transition to Canadian citizenship.

At the same time, when naturalized immigrants are compared with unnaturalized permanent residents, research confirms that obtaining citizenship has a positive effect on immigrant income and labor market outcomes.

Although the proportion of immigrants who become Canadian citizens varies greatly depending on the period of immigration and other factors such as education and income, most immigrants who are eligible for Canadian citizenship end up obtaining it.