 CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP
Applying for citizenship
Canadians are proud to hold one of the most prized citizenships in the world.
Every year about 170,000 people become new citizens of Canada.
If you want to apply for Canadian citizenship or change or confirm your citizenship status in Canada, there are steps you may need to take.
Becoming a citizen
If you want to become a Canadian citizen, you must follow several steps:
- Determine if you are eligible to become a citizen.
- Apply for citizenship.
- Take the citizenship test, if you are between the ages of 18 and 54.
- Attend a citizenship ceremony, if you are 14 or older.
The citizenship test
Who has to take the citizenship test
You must take the citizenship test if you
- are between the ages of 18 and 54, and
- meet the basic requirements for citizenship.
You may also have to take the test if are applying to retain your citizenship.
About the test
The test is usually written, but you may be asked to come to an interview with a citizenship judge.
The test evaluates two things:
- your knowledge of Canada and
- your language abilities.
1. Your knowledge of Canada
You will be asked questions on subjects such as:
- the rights and responsibilities of a citizen
- Canadian social and cultural history (for example, which three Aboriginal groups are recognized in the Constitution)
- Canadian politics (for example, the names of the leaders of the major political parties) and
- Canadian physical and political geography (for example, how many provinces there are and the names of their capital cities).
2. Your language abilities
The test and your interaction with Citizenship and Immigration Canada staff will show if you can speak either English or French well enough to communicate with people.
You must be able to understand simple spoken statements and questions. You must also be able to communicate simple information.
Your test date
CIC will send you a notice giving you the time and date for your test.
Your test may be written or oral. CIC decides whether your test will be written or oral based on a number of factors. For example, if you have trouble reading and writing in English or French, you will have an oral test.
Oral tests are done through an interview with a citizenship judge.
When you come for the test—written or oral—bring the following documents with you:
- the original documents you submitted with your application (personal identification, immigration documents, etc.—for a complete list, see Becoming a citizen—How to apply under the Related Links section at the bottom of this page) and
- any passport or travel documents relevant to the four years before your application.
After the test
If you pass the test and the citizenship judge determines that you meet all the other requirements for citizenship, you will be invited to a citizenship ceremony. During that ceremony, you will take the oath of citizenship and receive a certificate of Canadian citizenship.
If you applied for retention of citizenship and you pass the test and the citizenship judge determines that you meet all the other requirements to retain your citizenship, CIC will mail you a certificate of retention and a certificate of citizenship.
If you do not pass the written test, CIC will send you a notice telling you to appear for a short interview (15–30 minutes) with a citizenship judge. At that interview, the judge will ask you the test questions orally so you can show that you meet the language and knowledge requirements.
The citizenship ceremony
The citizenship ceremony is the final step in becoming a Canadian citizen. During the citizenship ceremony, you will take the oath of citizenship and receive your citizenship certificate.
If you meet all of the requirements to become a Canadian citizen or to resume Canadian citizenship, CIC will send you a notice telling you to attend a ceremony to take the oath of citizenship. The notice will tell you when and where the ceremony will take place.
Resuming citizenship
If you are a former Canadian citizen and now want to become a citizen again, you must apply to resume your citizenship.
However, you should be aware that a new law came into effect on April 17, 2009, amending the Citizenship Act. The new law gives Canadian citizenship to certain individuals who lost it and to others who will be recognized as citizens for the first time. Citizenship will be automatic and retroactive to the date of loss or the date of birth, depending on the situation. People will not have to apply for citizenship, or apply to resume citizenship, but may need to apply for a citizenship certificate to prove their citizenship. All individuals who are Canadian citizens at the time the law comes into effect will keep their citizenship
Proof of citizenship
Sometimes you need to prove that you are a Canadian citizen. You may need to do this when you:
- vote
- apply for a passport
- apply for certain jobs or
- apply to obtain certain government entitlements.
If you were born in Canada, a birth certificate issued by the province or territory of your birth is often enough to prove that you are a Canadian citizen.
If you were born outside Canada, you get a citizenship certificate when you become a Canadian citizen.
If you were born outside Canada and one of your parents was a Canadian citizen when you were born, you need to apply for a citizenship certificate to prove you are a Canadian citizen.
On April 17, 2009, the law changed for people born outside Canada. It limits Canadian citizenship to the first generation of children born outside Canada to Canadian citizens. This means:
- a child born outside Canada in the second or subsequent generation after the new law comes into effect will not become a Canadian citizen automatically at birth, and
- a person born in the second or subsequent generation outside Canada before the new law comes into effect and who is not already a citizen will not become a citizen under the new law.
However, no one who is a citizen when the new law comes into force will lose citizenship as a result of the new law.
A citizenship certificate is proof of citizenship. It is not a travel document. Any Canadian citizen wanting to travel outside Canada should obtain a Canadian passport.
The citizenship certificate is a wallet-sized card that has your photograph on it.
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