From Permanent Resident to Canadian Citizen — The Complete Guide
Everything you need to know about the Canadian citizenship journey: why it matters, whether you qualify, what the process looks like, and what happens at the ceremony — with direct links to official IRCC sources at every step.
Based on IRCC guidance as of 2026. Always verify current requirements at canada.ca before submitting your application.
Why Become a Canadian Citizen?
#Many permanent residents wonder: is citizenship really worth the effort? Here's what actually changes when you naturalize — the differences are more significant than most people expect.
| FeatureFeature | TodayPermanent Resident | After you naturalizeCanadian Citizen |
|---|---|---|
| Live and work in Canada | Yes | Yes |
| Access healthcare and social services | Yes | Yes |
| Must renew PR card (usually every 5 years) | Required | Not applicable |
| Must maintain 730 days of presence to keep status | Required or lose PR | Never — no presence requirement |
| Risk of deportation | Yes, if rules violated | Cannot be deported |
| Vote in federal and provincial elections | No | Yes |
| Hold a Canadian passport | No | Yes — one of the world's strongest passports |
| Run for elected office | No | Yes |
| Full consular protection abroad | Limited | Yes — except where you are also a citizen |
| Certain federal government jobs | Not eligible | Yes |
| Children born abroad are Canadian | No | Yes — by descent |
§The key point
Counting down to your application date?
Portage prepares you for the citizenship test with adaptive questions — and explains exactly why wrong answers are wrong, across all 18 topics.
At a Glance
#$653 CAD
Application fee
adults 18+
1,095 days
Residency required
in 5 years
~12 months
Processing time
typical
75%
Test pass mark
15 of 20 questions
Canada is one of the most welcoming countries for new citizens. Once you become a Canadian citizen, you gain the right to vote, hold a Canadian passport, and access consular services anywhere in the world. The process requires you to have lived in Canada as a permanent resident, demonstrate language skills, file your taxes, and pass a knowledge test about Canada.
Who Can Apply
#To be eligible for Canadian citizenship you must meet all of the following:
- Be a permanent resident (PR) of Canada — you cannot apply before becoming a PR. Your status must be valid: no removal order against you, and no unfulfilled conditions attached to your PR, such as an outstanding medical screening. An expired PR card does not affect this. If you are under review for immigration or fraud reasons you may still apply, but IRCC can suspend your application until that review ends.
- Meet the physical presence requirement (1,095 days in 5 years — see below)
- Have filed Canadian taxes for at least 3 of the 5 years in the calculation period (if required to file)
- Demonstrate language skills in English or French at CLB/NCLC Level 4 (if you are 18–54 on the day you sign your application)
- Pass the citizenship knowledge test (if you are 18–54 on the day you sign your application)
- Not be prohibited under the Citizenship Act. The bars include: currently in prison, on parole, or on probation in Canada, or serving a sentence outside Canada; convicted of an indictable offence in Canada in the past 4 years; convicted in the past 4 years of an offence outside Canada equivalent to an indictable offence here — which counts even if you were pardoned or granted amnesty; charged with, on trial for, or appealing such an offence; under a removal order; under investigation for, charged with, or convicted of a war crime or a crime against humanity; refused for misrepresentation in the past 5 years; citizenship revoked for fraud in the past 10 years; convicted of terrorism, treason, or spying while a permanent resident; or service in an armed force or organized armed group engaged in armed conflict with Canada. Most bars lift once enough time passes — check the full list against your own situation before applying.
Physical Presence Requirement
#⚠The Rule
The rule, visualised
5-year window · 1,825 days total
Illustrative example. Use the calculator below for your own count.
Days as a Permanent Resident count in full toward the 1,095-day requirement.
Days before you became a PR (as a temporary resident, protected person, or refugee) count at half value — each physical day counts as half a day, with a maximum credit of 365 days from the pre-PR period.
Example: If you spent 200 days in Canada as a temporary worker before becoming a PR, those 200 days count as 100 days toward your 1,095-day total.
Partial days: Any part of a day in Canada (arrival day, departure day) counts as a full day.
Time that does not count at all: days spent in prison, on parole, or on probation, and time spent waiting for a decision on a refugee claim.
physical presence calculatorIRCC ↗
See eight real situations worked out — students, workers, refugees, Crown servants and more
Language Requirement
#If you are 18 to 54 years old on the day you sign your application, you must demonstrate Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) Level 4 in English or French, in both speaking and listening. CLB 4 means you can hold an everyday conversation, follow basic spoken instructions, and express yourself clearly on familiar topics. It sits at the top of the Basic band — Intermediate does not begin until CLB 5 — so the bar is lower than most people assume. Your document is not the only assessment: officials also note how well you speak whenever they talk to you during the process, and can assess your level at a hearing if needed.
Accepted evidence of language ability:
- Results of an approved language test (see below)
- A diploma, transcript, or certificate from a secondary or post-secondary program taught in English or French — the school can be in Canada or abroad, which is the step most people miss. If the document itself is not in English or French, send a certified translation plus a letter from the school confirming the language of instruction and giving its address and phone number
- Evidence that you completed a federally funded language training program in Canada — a LINC or CLIC certificate, or a certificate from a provincial language program in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Quebec, or Saskatchewan showing CLB/NCLC 4 or higher
- Expired test results still count: unlike most immigration programs, citizenship accepts expired CELPIP, IELTS General Training, and TEF results — there is no two-year validity limit. If you already sent a qualifying test result with your PR application, you can submit that same result again
English tests accepted
Minimum score varies — check IRCC's language requirements table for the CLB 4 equivalent in each test.
Income Tax Requirement
#You must have filed Canadian income taxes for at least 3 taxation years within the 5-year period used to calculate your physical presence — but only for years in which you were required to file taxes under the Income Tax Act.
If your income was below the filing threshold in a given year, that year still counts toward your 3-year requirement even without a return — but IRCC recommends filing anyway to avoid complications. Keep your Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Notices of Assessment for at least the past 5 years.
Application Fees
#| Applicant type | Processing fee | Right of citizenship | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult (18+) | $530 | $123 | $653 |
| Stateless adult (18+) born to a Canadian parent | — | $123 | $123 |
| Minor (under 18) | $100 | — | $100 |
All fees in CAD. Fees increased on March 31, 2026 — adult total moved from $630 to $653. You pay through IRCC's online payment service and then upload the receipt to your account. Refunds are automatic and take 2 to 8 weeks. Withdraw before IRCC starts processing and you get the full amount back, whatever you paid. Once processing has started — or if your application is refused — the only fee IRCC returns is the $123 right of citizenship. The $530 processing fee is gone, and because a minor pays nothing but processing, a minor's $100 is not refunded at that stage either. Always verify the current amount at the IRCC fee page before paying.
Documents You Will Need
#Gather these before starting your application — missing documents are the most common cause of delays.
- Identity: two pieces of personal identification, each showing your name, photo, and date of birth — for example a driver's licence, a provincial health card, or an age-of-majority card. If one of them is your PR card, the second must be issued by a Canadian federal, provincial, or territorial government.
- PR status: Permanent Resident card (front and back) or Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR). An expired PR card is fine — it is your status that counts, not the card.
- Passports and travel documents: a colour copy of the identity page of every passport or travel document you held during your 5-year eligibility period — expired ones included, not only the one you carry now. If a passport was extended, copy the page with the extension stamp as well.
- Travel history: a complete record of every trip outside Canada in the past 5 years — destination, departure date, return date — including day trips to the United States. Do not order your Travel History Report from the CBSA: IRCC collects your entry and exit records from them directly, your consent is no longer required, and the CBSA warns that requesting the report yourself will significantly delay your application. Reconstruct the trips from your own records instead — IRCC publishes a travel journal for exactly this.
- Physical presence calculation: your day count for the 5-year period. Applying online, you enter each absence and the portal calculates the total for you; on paper you must run IRCC's calculator and include the printed result.
- Tax filing: you declare inside the application whether you were required to file for each year and whether you actually filed — IRCC verifies this with the Canada Revenue Agency directly. You do not submit Notices of Assessment, but keep your CRA records in case IRCC asks later.
- Language evidence: Official results from a test IRCC accepts for citizenship — English: CELPIP-General or General-LS, IELTS General Training, PTE Core. French: TEF, TEFAQ, TEF Intégration/Résidence/Nationalité, TCF, TCFQ, DELF (B1 or higher) or DALF (any score). Or proof of schooling taught in English or French, in Canada or abroad, or a LINC/CLIC or provincial language-program certificate at CLB 4
- Photos: One digital photo if you apply online — two printed photos only if you apply on paper. Taken within the last 6 months. Citizenship photos do NOT use passport specifications: 50 mm × 70 mm, with the face measuring 31–36 mm from chin to crown.
- Certified translation — needed for any document that is not in English or French. Submit the translation together with the original. A certified translator seals or stamps it with a verifiable membership number; if your translator is not certified, they must also swear an affidavit, and they cannot be you or a close relative.
- Police certificate — only if it applies to you: required if, since turning 18, you spent 183 days or more in a row in any country outside Canada within the past 4 years. It must be issued after your last stay in that country, or within 6 months of the day you sign your application. You do not need one for your country of origin if you were there immediately before becoming a permanent resident and that time falls within the past 4 years.
- Application form: You will complete the citizenship application and any required schedules directly inside your IRCC secure account online — no separate PDF download needed
Depending on your situation IRCC may also need name-change or date-of-birth documents, a change of gender or sex identifier form, guardianship papers, a Use of a Representative form (IMM 5476) if someone is helping you, or the Crown-servant form (CIT 0177). IRCC can request further documents at any point while your application is being processed.
The Application Process — Step by Step
#Confirm you are eligible
Read IRCC's eligibility requirements against your own situation — there is no questionnaire that decides it for you. Check your physical presence using the IRCC calculator. Get your language proof ready, and note which of the last five tax years you filed — you declare that inside the application rather than sending the returns.
Create your IRCC account and apply online
Create an account in IRCC's citizenship application portal — you register with your own email address and a password. This portal does not use GCKey or a Sign-In Partner. Complete the application and any required schedules directly in the portal; there is no PDF to download. Upload your supporting documents and your photo. Have your documents ready before you start: if you do not submit within 60 days, IRCC permanently deletes the account and everything in it, and you have to begin again with a new one. Applying with your spouse or family? There is only one adult per account: each adult registers their own, the accounts are linked by email invitation, everyone fills in and signs their own application, and one adult submits them all together. A parent or guardian adds their children's applications inside their own account. Two groups must still apply on paper: anyone counting time abroad as a Crown servant (or as a Crown servant's family member), and anyone whose representative will complete and submit the application for them.
Start your application in the IRCC portal →Pay the application fee and upload the receipt
$653 CAD for adults, $100 per minor. Paying happens outside the application portal, in IRCC's online payment service — and that service needs its own separate account, created with an email address. It is not the account you applied in, and it is not your status account either. The card does not have to be in your name; the cardholder's name appears on the receipt and does not need to match your application. IRCC emails you the receipt, and you upload it into your application — the application is not complete without it. Applying as a group, one person can pay for everyone and upload a single receipt, or each person can pay and upload their own. If you underpay, IRCC returns the application; if you overpay, the difference is refunded automatically.
Pay your fees at IRCC →Sign, submit, and get your Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR)
The portal has a signature page: you must sign and date your own application, and nobody can sign it for you — not your spouse, not a representative. Then submit through your IRCC account. You get a confirmation email straight away — read it carefully, because it only means IRCC received the file. It is not the AOR and it does not mean you are in the queue. IRCC then checks whether the application is complete. If it is, they email the AOR with your application number and your unique client identifier (UCI) — keep both, you need them to take the test and to track your file. If it is not complete, the whole application comes back to you with a list of what was missing, your fee is not processed, and when you resubmit the processing clock starts again from zero. That restart is the real cost of a missing document.
Additional information requests
IRCC may ask for more documents, a police certificate, or clarification. Applications are also picked at random for IRCC's Quality Assurance Program, which adds a document review and an interview with an officer — being selected is not a sign that something is wrong with your file. Respond promptly either way; delays here extend your overall wait time.
Citizenship test
If you are 18–54, you'll be invited to take the citizenship test online: 20 questions (multiple choice and true/false), 45 minutes, passing score 15/20. You have up to 3 attempts within the 30-day window on your invitation. The test is proctored — you sign in with your application number and UCI, photograph yourself and a piece of ID, and the system takes random webcam photos to confirm you are alone.
Hearing (if applicable)
If you don't pass within your 3 attempts, require an interpreter, have a complex case, or are applying as a minor without a parent, you may be called to a hearing with a citizenship officer.
Decision
A citizenship officer reviews your application, test result, and documents. If approved, you'll receive a notice to appear for a citizenship ceremony.
Citizenship ceremony and Oath
Attend the ceremony, take the Oath of Citizenship, and receive your Certificate of Canadian Citizenship. Ceremonies are typically in-person but virtual ceremonies are available in some cases.
⚠Most common reasons applications are returned
- Incomplete travel history — missing even one trip causes a return. List every absence, no matter how short.
- Unsigned application — IRCC returns the whole file if a signature is missing. Online that means the signature page in the portal, and each adult signs their own.
- Wrong photo size or format — must be 50mm × 70mm, taken within 6 months by a commercial photographer, against a plain white or light-coloured background. Applying online it must be a JPG straight from the camera, at least 420 × 540 pixels and under 4 MB; on paper, the back of each print needs your name, the studio's name and address, and the date.
- Missing passport copies — you need the identity page of every passport you held during the 5-year period, not only the one you use today.
- Untranslated documents — anything not in English or French must be submitted with a certified translation attached to the original.
- Using paper when online is available — IRCC prioritizes online applications. Paper applications take significantly longer.
Apply for citizenship at IRCC →IRCC ↗Check your application status →IRCC ↗
The Long Wait — What Happens After You Apply
#You've submitted your application. Now what? Most applicants wait about 12 months and hear very little from IRCC. Here's exactly what's happening during that silence — and what you should be doing.
Completeness check
2–4 weeksIRCC reviews your application to confirm all forms are signed, fees paid, and required documents included. Incomplete applications are returned with a reason letter. This is the most common cause of early delays.
Background and security screening
3–12 monthsThe RCMP runs a criminal record check. CSIS conducts a national security review. This is the most time-consuming step and runs entirely in the background — you receive no updates while it's in progress.
Test invitation
1–3 months after AORIRCC emails your 'Notice to Appear' as a PDF attachment. The invitation sets a fixed start and end date — you get 30 days to take the test inside that window. You cannot book the test yourself or ask IRCC to send the invitation sooner, but once you have it you can ask to move it: email the address in the invitation's rescheduling section, allowing 4 to 8 weeks. The invitation usually arrives well before the background checks above have finished, so the two stages overlap rather than running one after the other.
Post-test review
1–3 monthsAfter passing, IRCC does a final review of your complete file before issuing the ceremony invitation. This is also when officer interviews are scheduled for applicants with complex cases.
Ceremony invitation
Varies by regionYou receive a 'Notice to Appear for a Citizenship Ceremony.' In-person ceremonies are scheduled by the local IRCC office. Virtual ceremonies are available in some regions. The wait for a ceremony slot varies by city.
⚠Common causes of delays
- Incomplete travel history — the most common reason applications are returned at the completeness check
- Criminal record issues — even minor infractions from years ago can extend security review by months
- Outdated address or contact information — IRCC cannot reach you and your file stalls
- Complex cases (previous refusals, multiple nationalities, extended absences) — more time in security review
- Missing your test window — the invitation gives you a fixed 30-day period. Miss the first one and IRCC re-invites you automatically; miss a second without emailing them first and they stop processing your application altogether
→How to track your application
- The citizenship tracker — and it is not the account you applied in. It is a separate account on a separate site, and you can only register once your AOR has arrived.
- To register you need your UCI (or client ID) and your application number, both on the AOR. IRCC emails a verification code to the address on your application — allow up to 12 hours, and contact them if your email has changed since you applied. If you use a representative, the code goes to them.
- Already have an Application Status Tracker account from another IRCC application? The same UCI or party ID works here, but you must reset your password first.
- IRCC's processing time estimates — updated monthly. Compare your wait to the current estimate rather than to other applicants; a file that looks stalled next to someone else's is usually just a different queue.
Silence from IRCC during this period is normal — not a bad sign. The security review runs entirely in the background, and applicants are not notified of each internal step. Your PR card and status remain fully valid throughout the entire process. One step you won't see: biometrics. Fingerprints and a photo are not systematically collected for citizenship grants — IRCC has said it intends to extend biometrics to citizenship applicants in 2027. It can still ask you for fingerprints if your file needs a criminal record check, and if that happens you pay for them yourself and they must be taken electronically by your local police service, the RCMP, or an RCMP-accredited company. Do not go to a Service Canada Centre: IRCC will not accept those prints and will delete them, and you will have to start again. Keep your address current in your IRCC account and respond promptly to any requests.
If your file is delayed
Use the wait to get ahead
Most applicants wait about 12 months before their test invitation arrives. Portage's adaptive system builds mastery over time — start now, arrive fully prepared.
Citizenship Test — What to Expect
#20
Number of questions
45 min
Time allowed
15 / 20
Passing score
75%
The test is based entirely on the official Discover Canada study guide. Questions are multiple choice and true/false, covering the rights and responsibilities of citizenship plus Canada's history, geography, economy, government, laws, and symbols. There are no questions designed to test your English or French.
You take the test online, from anywhere — you do not have to be in Canada for it. You need a desktop, laptop, or tablet with a webcam and a Chrome or Safari browser. Four combinations do not work and can invalidate your attempt: a mobile phone, Chrome on an iPad, a Microsoft Surface Pro, and any device on a VPN. Close every other tab and program, sit alone in a well-lit room, and keep a piece of photo ID beside you — your PR card counts even if it has expired. The 45-minute timer runs continuously and cannot be paused; you get a warning at 5 minutes and the test submits itself at zero.
The test is available in English and French, and you take it in whichever of the two you choose. Your score appears on screen the moment you submit, but it is unofficial and you can never sign back in to see it again — print that page or email it to yourself right then. An officer reviews the result to make it official, which takes a few days to a few weeks.
How to actually prepare — and why most people underestimate this test
- 1Don't just read Discover Canada — practice recalling facts from memory under time pressure. Reading feels like learning but doesn't build the retrieval you need under a 45-minute timer.
- 2Focus on government structure and elections. IRCC does not publish a topic breakdown, so this is our own observation from the question bank: these areas carry the most specific detail — numbers, roles, dates, and titles people don't expect to be tested on.
- 3Identify your weak topics. In our experience most people are solid on the large majority of topics and genuinely shaky on three or four. Those are what can fail you — and they're not the same for everyone.
- 4Simulate real test conditions: 20 questions, 45-minute timer, no looking answers up. One realistic simulation tells you more than 5 hours of reading.
- 5When you get a wrong answer, understand why your answer was wrong — not just what the right answer is. Misconceptions cause more failures than ignorance.
ℹIf you fail
ℹIf you use all three
ℹExemptions
The Citizenship Ceremony
#Once your application is approved, you'll receive a 'Notice to Appear for a Citizenship Ceremony' — the final step before you become Canadian. Here's everything you need to know about what to expect.
What happens at the ceremony
Arrive early and check in
Staff verify your identity and documents before the ceremony begins. Bring your invitation letter, PR card, passport, and any documents listed in your Notice to Appear.
Welcome remarks
The presiding official — a citizenship judge or a designated delegate — opens with a welcome address on the meaning and responsibility of citizenship. Ceremonies are formal but warm — many people describe them as genuinely moving.
Oath of Citizenship
All applicants stand and take the Oath (or Affirmation) together. This is the exact legal moment you become a Canadian citizen. One thing you must not skip: you have to sign the Oath or Affirmation of Citizenship form that comes with your invitation and return it — on the day you take the oath, not the day before or after. Signing it is what confirms you took the oath.
Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
You choose electronic or paper when you apply, and confirm that choice at the ceremony. Only one combination hands you the certificate on the day: paper format at an in-person ceremony. Choose the e-certificate and IRCC emails you download instructions, with the certificate available in the IRCC Portal within 5 business days of them receiving your signed Oath form — and you must print it to apply for a passport. Choose paper at a virtual ceremony and it arrives in the mail 2 to 4 weeks after they receive that form. Plan your passport application around whichever applies to you. Your PR card is dealt with at the ceremony either way: collected in person, cut up by you at a virtual one. You don't get it back.
O Canada and your flag
The ceremony closes with O Canada, sung in English and French. You receive a small Canadian flag as a keepsake. Many people bring cameras — photography is typically permitted.
The Oath of Citizenship
The Oath of Citizenship
“I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles the Third, King of Canada, His Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada, including the Constitution, which recognizes and affirms the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.”
You may choose to 'affirm' rather than 'swear' — both are legally identical. The ceremony is conducted in English, French, or both depending on your local IRCC office. The moment you take the Oath, you are a Canadian citizen — not when the certificate arrives, not when the passport is issued.
What to bring
- Your ceremony invitation — this is your admission document
- Your Permanent Resident card, even if expired — or your Confirmation of Permanent Residence if you never had a card. It is collected at an in-person ceremony, or you cut it up yourself during a virtual one. Either way you don't get it back
- Two pieces of identification, and at least one of them must carry both your photo and your signature. A passport, driver's licence, health card, age-of-majority card, status card or government-issued foreign ID all count. If your PR card is one of the two, the second must come from a Canadian federal, provincial, or territorial government
- The signed permission release and consent form that comes with your invitation
- Virtual ceremony only: your seat number from the first page of the invitation, and a pair of scissors — you cut up your own PR card during registration
- Optional: a holy book if you want to swear the oath on one rather than affirm, and a water bottle
- Children under 14 do not take the oath and do not have to attend, though they are welcome; children aged 14 to 17 do take the oath and must be there. If a child under 14 attends, the parent or guardian who applied for them has to be at the ceremony too
- Keep your Confirmation of Permanent Residence or Record of Landing afterwards — you may need it years later when you apply for benefits such as Old Age Security
After the Ceremony — What to Do Next
#Your first 30 days as a citizen — in order
Apply for your Canadian passport
Apply as soon as the certificate reaches you — which is the same day only if you chose a paper certificate and attended in person. With an e-certificate allow about 5 business days and print it first; with paper after a virtual ceremony allow 2 to 4 weeks. You cannot apply for a passport before you have the certificate. Bring it to a Passport Canada location or apply by mail. If you need it quickly, urgent service (ready by the end of the next business day) and express service (2 to 9 business days) exist, but only if you apply in person at a passport office, only with proof of why you need it — a ticket, a paid itinerary, or a written explanation — and for an extra fee on top. Fees (effective March 31, 2026): $163.50 for a 10-year adult passport in Canada, or $122.50 for a 5-year adult passport. Children under 16: $58.50 (5-year). Urgent pickup adds $125.75 and express adds $50.
Register to vote
Registration is not automatic. Sign up at elections.ca for federal elections, and separately with your provincial or territorial elections authority — they keep their own lists. The easiest way to stay on the federal register afterwards is the Elections Canada box on your annual tax return: tick yes and the Canada Revenue Agency passes your details along. Confirm you are actually registered before the next election rather than assuming.
Update your identity documents
Your Social Insurance Number does not change — it is permanent and never expires — but you should update your SIN record with Service Canada, because a change of immigration status is one of the things it asks you to report. Then update your provincial health card, driver's licence, and any other ID. None of this is urgent; the passport is the only document with real time pressure.
Do not leave Canada until your passport arrives
This is the one mistake that can strand you abroad. Your PR card was surrendered at the ceremony — collected in person, or cut up by you at a virtual one — so you no longer hold it. Your citizenship certificate is not a travel document and cannot be used to enter Canada. Nor can your old country's passport: IRCC is explicit that a dual citizen may enter Canada only with a valid Canadian passport, or a special authorization issued in limited circumstances. Until your Canadian passport is in your hand, treat leaving the country as something you cannot do. Keep the certificate safe — and do not laminate it, which damages the barcode IRCC and Passport Canada need to read.
What you now have access to
Canadian passport
Apply for a Canadian passport — valid for 10 years (adults) or 5 years (under 16). Consistently ranked among the world's strongest passports, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to most of the world.
Apply for a passport →IRCC ↗Vote and run for office
Vote in federal, provincial, and territorial elections. Run for elected office at any level of government. Serve on a jury.
Elections Canada →IRCC ↗Consular services abroad
Access Canadian consular services at any Canadian embassy or consulate worldwide — emergency travel documents, emergency assistance, notarial services. The one real limit: in a country that also considers you its citizen, local authorities may lawfully refuse Canadian officials access to you.
Find a Canadian embassy →IRCC ↗Sponsor more family members
As a citizen you can sponsor a spouse, partner, or dependent children from anywhere — you no longer need to be living in Canada to do it. The parents and grandparents stream is a different story: IRCC paused it on July 15, 2026 and is not accepting new interest-to-sponsor forms until further notice. Existing applications are still being processed. In the meantime a super visa lets parents and grandparents stay 5 years at a time, extendable by 2 years from inside Canada.
Family sponsorship →IRCC ↗Government employment
Apply for federal public service positions that require Canadian citizenship, including security-cleared roles and certain Crown corporation positions.
Public Service Commission →IRCC ↗Your children become citizens
Children born in Canada are automatically citizens. Children born abroad to a Canadian parent may be citizens by descent. Canada removed the first-generation limit on December 15, 2025 (Bill C-3): for births and adoptions on or after that date, second-generation children may qualify if their Canadian parent spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the birth. People in the second generation or later born outside Canada before December 15, 2025 may have had citizenship automatically restored.
Citizenship by descent rules (Dec 15, 2025) →IRCC ↗Citizenship for Children Under 18
#Children can be included in a parent's application (at no extra cost beyond the $100 processing fee per child) or can apply independently. Key points:
- Children do not need to meet the language or residency requirements on their own if applying with a parent — the parent's eligibility covers them
- Children are exempt from the knowledge test
- Minor applicants who are applying without a parent must independently meet residency and other requirements
- Fee for children: $100 processing fee per child (no separate right-of-citizenship fee)
- Which stream applies depends on the child's situation: minor 5(2) if they have a Canadian parent or a parent applying at the same time, minor 5(1) if they do not. A parent or guardian can add up to 20 children inside their own online account and must sign each application; children aged 14–17 sign as well.
Dual Citizenship
#Canada allows dual (or multiple) citizenship — you do not need to give up your existing citizenship to become Canadian. Canada has allowed dual citizenship since 1977.
However, your birth country may not allow it. Some countries require you to renounce your original citizenship when you naturalize elsewhere. Canada does not notify other governments when you become Canadian — but your home country's laws may still apply.
Countries whose citizens generally lose their original citizenship on naturalising elsewhere (verify with your consulate — laws change): India, where becoming Canadian ends Indian citizenship and an OCI card is not a substitute for it; China; Japan, whose Nationality Act says a national who acquires a foreign nationality by choice loses Japanese nationality; Singapore; Saudi Arabia, which requires prior permission; and the United Arab Emirates. Hong Kong is a partial exception — residents there keep Chinese nationality unless they declare the change to the immigration authorities.
Countries that generally do allow it: Pakistan (Canada is one of the 22 countries it has a dual-nationality arrangement with), Mexico for anyone Mexican by birth, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany since June 27, 2024 under the reformed Nationality Act, and most of the European Union. The Philippines works slightly differently: naturalising abroad does end your Philippine citizenship, but Republic Act 9225 lets you re-acquire it by taking an oath. South Africa changed in your favour — its Constitutional Court struck down the automatic-loss rule on May 6, 2025 and restored citizenship to everyone who had lost it.
The exception that catches people: Austria. An Austrian who acquires another citizenship loses Austrian citizenship automatically unless they obtained permission to keep it — a Beibehaltungsbewilligung — before naturalising. Asking afterwards does not work. If you hold a citizenship you want to keep, check your own country's rule before you take the oath, not after. This is not legal advice; confirm with your embassy.
What dual citizenship actually costs you, practically: in a country that also claims you as a citizen, Canada's ability to help is limited. Local authorities may be within their rights to refuse Canadian consular officials access to you entirely. You may be required to enter and leave on that country's passport, to register on arrival, to pay its taxes, or to complete military service — and an exit ban can stop you leaving over an investigation involving you, your family, or your employer. Read Global Affairs Canada's advice for dual citizens and the travel advisory for that specific country before you travel there.
Know your options before you naturalize
Portage covers dual citizenship rules, the oath, and what changes after — all 18 Discover Canada topics, adaptive to where you need work most.
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