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A Quick Guide to Becoming A Canadian Citizen

Published On: July 3, 2013

In the past decade, Canada’s stable political and financial system, multicultural environment and advanced health care system have made the country one of the most popular destinations for immigrants from around the world. The increase in Canadian permanent residents has led to a 30% increase in demand for Canadian citizenship.

According to the official statistics from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), “on average, Canadian citizenship is granted to approximately 160,000 individuals at more than 1,900 citizenship ceremonies held across the country each year.”

So what does it take to become a Canadian citizen?

Step 1: Determine your eligibility

First, determine if you are eligible to become a Canadian citizen. To apply for Canadian citizenship, you must:

  • Be at least 18 years old;
  • Be a permanent resident of Canada;
  • Be able to communicate in either English or French;
  • Have lived in Canada for at least three of the past four years;
  • Understand Canada’s history, values, institutions and symbols;
  • Know about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

If you apply for citizenship for a child under 18, you must be the child’s parent, the child must be a permanent resident of Canada, and you must be a Canadian citizen or applying to become a citizen at the same time.

Step 2: Fill out the application form

Once you have made sure that you are eligible to apply for citizenship, you can start to complete the application form.

  • Make sure you have the right application form. If you are an adult, you must complete the “Application for Canadian Citizenship-Adults” form. If you are applying for your children who are under 18 years old, you must complete the “Application for Canadian Citizenship-Minors” form.
  • Read the application guide carefully.
  • Complete the form, pay the fees, and provide the required photographs.
  • Mail the application form and documents to P.O. Box 7000, Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 6V6

Step 3: Prepare for your citizenship test

Once CIC begins processing your application, you will be sent a study guide, Discover Canada, and you can start preparing yourself for the Canadian citizenship test. This test evaluates your knowledge of Canada. The type of questions that you might be asked include, but are not limited to: elections procedures, the rights and responsibilities of a citizen, Canadian social and cultural history, and Canadian physical and political geography.

Step 4: Participate in citizenship ceremony

The final step in becoming a Canadian citizen is participating in the citizenship ceremony. When you pass the Canadian citizenship test and you meet all the other requirements for citizenship, you will be invited to a citizenship ceremony. During the citizenship ceremony, you will take the oath of citizenship and receive your citizenship certificate. This past Monday, Canada Day, thirty citizenship ceremonies were held across the country. People who participated in the citizenship ceremonies took the oath of citizenship and sang the national anthem.

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Disclaimer

The information contained in this post is considered true and accurate as of the publication date. However, the accuracy of this information may be impacted by changes in circumstances that occur after the time of publication. Ashton College assumes no liability for any error or omissions in the information contained in this post or any other post in our blog.

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