How does Canadian naturalisation work?

Canadian naturalisation is the process by which permanent residents become Canadian citizens. The process is governed by section 5 of the federal Citizenship Act and is administered by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). About 250,000 to 350,000 people become Canadian citizens by naturalisation each year, with a total of more than 7 million naturalised Canadians counted in the 2021 census. Naturalised citizens have the same legal status as those born in Canada, with one specific exception related to transmission of citizenship to children born abroad to non-Canadian parents.

Eligibility requires several elements. The applicant must be 18 or older (children apply jointly with a citizen parent), must be a permanent resident with permanent-resident status that is not under review, must have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days during the five years before the application, must have filed income-tax returns for at least three of those five years where required under the Income Tax Act, and must have proven intent to reside in Canada (a 2014 Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act amendment that was repealed by Bill C-6 of 2017). Applicants aged 18 to 54 must demonstrate adequate knowledge of English or French (Canadian Language Benchmark 4) and pass the citizenship test.

The citizenship test is a 20-question multiple-choice test covering Canadian history, geography, government, rights and responsibilities, symbols, and the Charter. Test takers have 30 minutes and must answer at least 15 questions correctly to pass. The test is based on the official guide Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship (currently the 2012 edition, with a refreshed edition expected). Online testing was introduced in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains the default mode. Test results and language assessments are reviewed by IRCC officers before referral to a citizenship ceremony.

The application process takes approximately 24 months from submission to ceremony in normal conditions, with applicants tracking progress through the IRCC online portal. The application fee is $530 for adults ($100 right-of-citizenship fee plus $530 processing fee, refunded if the application is refused) and $100 for minors. Discretionary citizenship grants under section 5(4) of the Act recognise unusual contributions to Canada (about 30 grants per year, including for Olympic medallists, Nobel laureates, and humanitarian-grant recipients). Citizenship may be acquired by descent (jus sanguinis) for children born abroad to a Canadian parent, subject to the first-generation limit introduced in the 2009 Citizenship Act amendments and being addressed by Bill C-71 of 2024.