In the previous articles, I talked about different topics concerning Canada, like: how to get a tourist visa or a transit visa, how to how to find a job, how to get a work permit and how to get a study permit. But today, I'm going to talk about a very important subject, which interests many people. This subject is about how you can become a Canadian citizen in Canada.
How to become a Canadian citizen?
In Canada, every year, approximately 150.000 permanent residents qualify to acquire the Canadian nationality, which they can get after going through a long process for each one of them.
To qualify for a Canadian citizenship, several conditions should be fulfilled:
1- You must apply for an immigration visa to Canada and obtain a permanent resident card.
2- After you get your permanent resident card, you need to live in Canada for 3 complete years out of a total of 4 years before you can apply for a citizenship.
3- You must be 18 years old or older, and know at least one official language (i.e., English or French), as well as knoweldege about the Canadian society.
4- You must also know well your rights and responsibilities as a Canadian citizen.
5- Finally you have to apply for the Canadian citizenship certificate.
Notes:
* If you have children under age 18, they can apply with you as "family" or waite untill you become a Canadian citizen.
* To demonstrate your knowledge of Canada, you are required to take a test, in which you will be asked different questions about different topics such as: the Canadian politics, and the government structure.
* The processing time of your application for getting a Canadian citizenship from the first date of your applicatiton, will take between 5 months to several years depending on various factors.
* If you stayed in Canada for some time before you gain permanent status, then you may be able to count half of that time towards your residency requirements if it falls within the 4-year span.
* If you were born outside Canada to parents with Canadian citizenship, but that you have never had the Canadian citizenship, then you can ask for it by naturalization and it will be the same process as for the other types of applicant.
There are some cases where the applicant for a Canadian citizenship is not eligible to get it. These cases include:
1- You were put in exile.
2- You were charged of a contestable criminal offence.
3- You were condemned for criminal offence in the last three years.
4- You are in prison, under parole, or probation.
5- You were condemned for war crimes.
6- Your citizenship were removed from you in the past 5 years.
What do you need to acquire the Canadian citizenship?
You will need to send the following papers and documents to the office of processing of the Canadian Citizenship and to be patient. They will inform you about the reception of your application and about the expecting time until your test of citizenship. Having made the test, it is necessary to count approximately 6 weeks or more to attend the ceremony of citizenship if your applicated was accepted. In the ceremony of citizenship, you will receive your certificate of citizenship and can thus ask for a Canadian passport:
1- A copy of your permanent residence card or record of landing (for immigrants before 2004)
2- Completed citizenship application form.
3- Two (02) passport-size photos less than 12 months.
4- Total Application fee of $200 request ($100 fee of application, and $100 fee of Right of Citizenship)
5- Sponsors' statements and signatures.
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