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If you are a permanent resident of Canada, who has met their residency requirements, and worked hard to become eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship, you may be closer to eligibility than you think, and it is never too early to start learning about the application process, and preparing for the citizenship test. It is a very nerve-wracking process for most, because many have devoted an abundance of time and energy into becoming a permanent resident, in hopes of one day becoming a full Canadian citizen. Throughout this article, we will walk you through the basics of becoming a Canadian citizen, to help you start preparing.
First, you must ensure you meet all the requirements to be eligible to become a Canadian citizen. There is a specified minimum length of time you must have been living in Canada, and, you must be a permanent resident. In addition to these, you must have filed your income tax and met your personal tax obligations in a minimum of 3 years out of the 5 years you were a permanent resident before you applied. To be eligible to have your citizenship approved, you must meet the minimum language requirements, and pass a citizenship test to prove you have strong ties to the country and a devotion to remain in Canada forever, by testing your knowledge of the countries culture, history, individual right, laws and prohibitions. Then, you can submit an application for Canadian Citizenship, and an Immigration officer will assess whether or not you meet the requirements of a Canadian citizen.
Your ability to communicate in either English or French will be assessed by an immigration officer during a citizenship interview. You will be assessed based on your ability to do the following:
As these are all basic level language requirements, these can be easily assessed by the officer throughout your interview. Please note, applicants under the age of 18 are not subject to the language requirement.
This will be established during a citizenship test, in which an immigration officer will assess your knowledge of Canada’s values, history, national symbols, institutions, rights, responsibilities and privileges of citizenship, and prohibitions of the law. Having good knowledge of these things demonstrates to immigration officers you are passionate about becoming a Canadian citizen, and have no intentions of leaving Canada. All individuals over 18 and under the age of 54 at the time of applying for citizenship must take the citizenship test and meet the knowledge requirement.
Generally, the test is given in written format, though; the test may also be given orally, if an accommodation needs to be made. As per the Canadian Immigration Services site, the test will ask questions on the following subjects:
Also, it is worth mentioning the Canadian government provides an official study guide, entitled “Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship,” and the questions on the test will be based on this guide. There is no need to fear the citizenship test. It is true that before becoming a citizen, all of this information is unfamiliar, so there is a lot to learn. Though, you must understand the citizenship test is not intended to confuse citizenship applicants, or make them fail to meet the knowledge requirement. The purpose of the citizenship test is to determine that you genuinely want to become a Canadian citizen and remain in Canada, and you are devoted to the nation.
The good news is you get the results of your test the same day, so once you make it to the test, a determination on your application is right around the corner. If you pass, you’ll be given the details of your citizenship ceremony before you leave the testing center, or, you’ll be emailed the details of your test.
If you don’t pass your first test, you will be given a date to re-take the test. If you fail the second test, you will be given a notice of a scheduled interview with the citizenship officer.
This is a very important document you must keep safe. It will have the date you became a Canadian citizen. Though, it is important to understand this is not a travel document, you must apply for a Canadian passport to travel outside of Canada. Please note, you must also wait 2 days after your citizenship ceremony to apply for services, such as a passport.
Should you have any further questions or feel confused or unclear about how to apply for Canadian citizenship, it is important to talk about any questions you may have and discuss your concerns. By talking to immigration professionals about your concerns, this will ease your worries and assist with the application process. Many immigration applications are difficult to pursue on your own, if you are unfamiliar, and it is highly recommended that you seek out professional and experienced help before attempting to apply. Here, at Akrami & Associates, we work and have experience with many different immigration issues. We have helped many of our clients gain Canadian citizenship and they are now happily living in Canada as citizens. If you believe that you may be eligible for Canadian citizenship, please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates at our office at 416-477-2545 for more information or if you would like to book a consultation with an immigration professional for more advise.
With Akrami & Associates, there is always a way!
