To be eligible for Canadian citizenship, you must have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days in the five years immediately before the date of your application. We encourage applicants to apply with more than the minimum requirement of 1,095 days of physical presence, to account for any miscalculations of absences, or any other aspect that could lower the physical presence total below 1,095 days. Please note that you cannot meet the physical presence requirement without a minimum of two (2) years as a permanent resident.

When calculating your time in Canada:

• only the five (5) years immediately before the date of your application are taken into account;
• each day you were physically present in Canada as an authorized temporary resident or protected person before you became a permanent resident counts as half a day (up to a maximum of 365 days);
• each day you were physically present in Canada after you became a permanent resident counts as one day;
• time spent serving a sentence for an offence in Canada (e.g. serving a term of imprisonment, probation and/or parole) cannot be counted towards your physical presence – there are some exceptions.
  
  Physical Presence Calculator (cic.gc.ca)
  https://eservices.cic.gc.ca/rescalc/resCalcStartNew.do
  
  

Children under 18 years of age do not need to have lived in Canada for three years before applying. However, the child must be a permanent resident of Canada to apply for Canadian citizenship. To apply on behalf of your child, you must either already be a citizen or apply for citizenship together as a family.

If you are between 18 and 54, you must provide proof that you can speak and understand English or French. Proof can include:

• Results of a CIC approved third party test Transcripts or diploma from a secondary or post-secondary school where you studied in English or French, in Canada or abroad or Proof that you meet the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 or higher in an approved, government funded training program.

In addition, you must pass the citizenship knowledge test on the rights, responsibilities and privileges of being a Canadian citizen. The questions are based on information provided in the study guide “Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship”.

If you are 55 years of age or older, or if you are under 18 at the time of the application, you do not have to take the test.

To apply for citizenship and frequently asked questions visit:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship.html

You can contact the Citizenship and Immigration Canada call centre for information on citizenship and immigration: 1-888-242-2100 (telephone number valid in Canada only).