What are the privileges of a Canadian citizen?
First of all, a Canadian citizen has an absolute right to enter, leave, and remain in Canada.
Secondly, a Canadian citizen receives a passport that grants advanced travel privileges.
Furthermore, a Canadian citizen does not lose their citizenship if they live outside Canada for an extended period of time. This is contrary to the residency obligation of a permanent resident.
Last but not least, a Canadian citizen can run a political office and participate in political elections.
How to obtain Canadian citizenship?
In fact, most people got their citizenship because they were born in Canada.
For those who were not born in Canada, the most common pathway to citizenship is naturalization. This means that they have to apply to join citizenship.
Last but not least, some people may have a Canadian parent at the time of their birth outside Canada. These people may also “inherit” Canadian citizenship. Further, there is a similar rule that applies to an adopted child of a Canadian parent.
If you have questions about how to get Canadian citizenship, we can also help you.
Spouses or common-law partners of Canadian citizens
A spouse or common-law partner of a Canadian citizen does not become a citizen automatically.
Instead, they must apply to join citizenship by one of the applicable pathways.
If they are not yet permanent residents, the Canadian spouse or common-law partner can sponsor them.
We can also help you with the sponsorship application. To learn more about family sponsorship, please visit our service page.
Am I eligible for citizenship by birth in Canada?
Generally speaking, people who were born in Canada are citizens, even if their parents had no immigration status.
However, there are some exceptions. For example, if one or both parents had diplomatic status in Canada, their child may not be a Canadian citizen.
Am I eligible for citizenship by naturalization?
To be eligible for naturalized citizenship, an applicant must:
Be a permanent resident,
Have lived in Canada for at least 1,095 days in the past 5 years, and
Have filed income tax returns for at least 3 years in the past 5 years, if applicable.
Further, if the applicant is between the ages of 18 and 54, they must prove they have English or French skills.
Last but not least, while the citizenship applications are being processed, applicants who are between the ages of 18 and 54 must also pass a citizenship test.
Permanent resident status and Canadian citizenship application
You must be a permanent resident (PR) when you apply for citizenship. This means you must have PR status.
However, having PR status does not mean you need a valid PR card. This means you are still a PR even if your PR card expires.
Therefore, you don’t need a valid PR card to apply for citizenship.
Moreover, having valid PR status means that you must not:
Be under investigation for any immigration reasons,
Be a subject of a removal order, or
Have unfulfilled conditions related to your PR status.
We can also help you if you have any of the above issues.
Physical presence in Canada
Generally speaking, you must physically live in Canada for at least 1,095 days in the past 5 years. However, this does not apply to minors (less than 18 years of age) applying together with their parents.
Further, there is a special rule for crown servants and their family members outside Canada.
A crown servant is a person who employed in or with:
The Canadian Armed Forces,
The federal public administration, or
The public service of a province or territory.
The effect of the rule is that they can include their days outside Canada towards the 1,095 days.
Last but not least, if applicants were in Canada as temporary residents before their applications, they can also include some of their days.
Nonetheless, calculating days in Canada can be the most challenging part of an application. If you have these issues, we can also help you.
Am I eligible for citizenship by Canadian bloodline?
Generally speaking, a person who was born outside Canada and had a Canadian parent at the time of birth can apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate directly.
Further, the parent can be a biological parent or legal parent.
Last but not least, the parent must have got their citizenship by either borning in Canada or naturalization.
Preventing factors
There are situations that may prevent you from applying for Canadian citizenship. Therefore, it is important that you do not have these factors.
These factors may include people who are:
In Canada serving in prison, on parole, or on probation,
Under removal orders, or
Charged with or convicted of certain crimes under the Citizenship Act,
If you have any of these factors, we can also help you to find solutions.
Applying for Canadian citizenship
Firstly, you need to confirm under which pathway you are applying for citizenship. Because the application forms are different.
Secondly, if your situation is complicated, and you are unsure whether you are a citizen. You can actually ask IRCC to help you to determine.
However, it is your responsibility to meet all the requirements.
What we do
Firstly, we help LGBTQ people to get Canadian citizenship, and we create a safe and friendly place for people with immigration needs.
Then, we personalize our services for you, which may include any of the following:
help you to determine your eligibility,
If you are not currently eligible, we help you to meet the eligibility,
Assist you in collecting or preserving the supporting documents,
Conduct legal research,
Provide other advice and instructions as needed that could be critical to a successful application, and
Complete, prepare, organize, and submit your application on your behalf.
Book an appointment today or contact us directly.
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