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Are you permanent resident of Canada and like to apply for Canadian citizenship? Well there are many benefits to obtaining your Canadian citizenship such as not having to renew your PR Card, getting involved in politics, not limited to certain jobs, you don’t have to be afraid of getting deported, not having to worry about meeting residency requirements, your children will be Canadian, being able to vote, continuing social benefits and most importantly travel easily. This article will discuss who qualifies for the Canadian citizenship and how you can prepare yourself taking the citizenship test.
To be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship you have to meet certain requirements such as being 18 years of age, being a permanent resident of Canada, able to speak and write in English or French, not have any criminal inadmissibility issues, or being on a removal order, meeting tax requirements, showing that your intentions are to remain in Canada, demonstrating how well you know Canada and most importantly meeting the residency requirements. You have to have been living as a Permanent Resident (PR) at least four years out of the six (1,460 days). This means that you have to be inside Canada for 183 days per year in four out of the six years. Also, you can include your children in your citizenship application only if you meet the age requirements (18 years of age). If you are under the age of 18 you cannot apply for Canadian citizenship but your parent or guardian has to apply on your behalf. Once you have determined you meet the Canadian citizenship requirements you can apply and include all your supporting documents with your Canadian citizenship application. Once the immigration officer determines that you have met all the requirements you will be invited to write the test.
You have to take the Canadian citizenship test if you are between the ages of 14 to 64 years of age and demonstrating you have met all the conditions for citizenship. The purpose of the test is to see how well the applicant knows about Canada such as the rights and freedoms, your responsibilities as a Canadian citizen, how much you know about the Canadian history and geography, Canadian symbols etc. The test is usually done through taking a written exam unless you have trouble with reading or writing then an oral interview will be set with an immigration officer. If you have a child taking the Canadian citizenship test as the parent or guardian you can join them but not allowed to help them during the test as the immigration officer likes to determine the child’s language or knowledge abilities.
On the day of your Canadian citizenship test you must bring all the documents you originally submitted with your citizenship application. A lot of applicants when they come to write the test they forget to bring copies of the original documents they have submitted with their application. The reason you need to bring all your documents is to avoid any problems that might prevent you from taking the test. There have been times in which the applicants names have not been on the list and were sent back home. Therefore, coming prepared with the letter that says you are scheduled for citizenship test will avoid delays. Also, you must bring any passport or travel documents that you have used in the four years before you applied for Canadian citizenship. The passport or travel document plays an important role if the officer thinks you have not met the residency requirements. Bringing those identity documents will demonstrate your exit and entry into Canada.
When taking the Canadian citizenship you are not required to know English or French fluently but you have to demonstrate you know the basics in the language such as being able to hold basics conversations with others, able to take directions, understand basic grammar etc. It would be really good to speak English and French fluently since in most provinces it is a must that you know French and English and also would take you far in the future when applying for professional occupation.
A lot of individuals get a little bit worried about the citizenship test from what type of questions they will be asked and what will happen if they fail Canadian citizenship test. The test is actually relatively simple you will be provided a study guide that provides everything you need to know about Canada and to successfully pass the test. The study guide is called “Discover Canada and Rights and Responsibility of Citizenship”. This guide explains your rights and responsibilities as the Canadian citizen, important symbols you need to know, the history, geography, how the Canadian voting system works etc. The focus is really basic knowledge of Canada and it is not mandatory to know the details but just the basics to help you get prepared for the test.
Once you have completed the citizenship test you will be given the results the same day. If you meet all Canadian citizenship requirements including passing the test you get invited for ceremony to take the oath of citizenship. The invitation for the ceremony takes place around six months after you completed your test successfully. Once you take the oath you are given a citizenship certificate and a citizenship card will be sent through mail afterwards.
If you failed the Canadian citizenship exam you get many other chances to retake the test. You will be provided a letter from CIC of when you can retake the test. If you miss your test day you have to provide a detailed letter of why you missed your test to get a chance to rewrite it. If the immigration officer finds that your reason is not good enough your application will be closed and you have to reapply.
Yes, if you failed your citizenship test you get multiple chances to rewrite it. You will get a letter to rewrite your test for a specific date. If you happen to miss the test you have to provide valid reason of why you missed it to get another chance if you it’s not valid then your application will be closed and have to reapply again.
Submitting your own citizenship application is not as easy as it might seem. The application can be quite headache as you need a lot of documents to show that you meet the requirements for citizenship. Many applicants calculate their residency requirements wrong which plays an important part of the application. To avoid delays in obtaining your Canadian citizenship it is recommended to hire a professional to get it done right way the first time around!!
Our immigration experts have many years of experience dealing with citizenship applications, so please pick up the phone and consider contacting one of our immigration lawyers so that they can guide you through the process and help you submit an successful application for citizenship. Please call our office at 416-477-2545 or call our toll free number at 1-877-820-712. If you have started your citizenship application and like one of the professionals to review your application you can visit our office at 4275 Village Centre Court, Suite L02, Mississauga, and Ontario, Canada.
With Akrami and Associates there is always a way!!
