Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is the federal department that manages Canadian citizenship, both for those applying for citizenship and for current Canadian citizens. Before you submit a Canadian citizenship application, you must satisfy several requirements as laid down by the IRCC.

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To be eligible to become a Canadian citizen, you must:​

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• have resided in Canada for 3 out of the past 5 years immediately prior to the application.

• have met your personal income tax obligations in the three relevant years in the five year time frame.

• must prove your language skills

• must appear and pass the citizenship test, if you are an applicant between the ages of 18 and 54. 

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It is important to note that every case is different, and an individual’s unique circumstances or previous history may affect their ability to apply for Canadian Citizenship.

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You cannot become a citizen if you:

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• are on parole or on probation or serving a term of imprisonment in Canada

• are serving a sentence outside Canada

• are charged with, on trial for, or involved in an appeal for an offence under the Citizenship Act, or an indictable offence in Canada or committed outside Canada and is determined to be equivalent to an indictable offence in Canada

• are under a removal order

• are being investigated for, are charged with, on trial for, involved in an appeal for or have been convicted of a war crime or a crime against humanity

• have had a citizenship application refused for misrepresentation in the past five years

• have had your Canadian citizenship revoked because of fraud in the past ten years

• have been convicted of an indictable offence in Canada or an offence under the Citizenship Act in the four years before you apply

• have been convicted outside Canada of an offence that is determined to be equivalent to an indictable offence in Canada in the four years before you apply, even if you were pardoned or otherwise granted amnesty for the offence,

• have been convicted of terrorism, high treason, treason, or spying offences while you were a permanent resident,

• served as a member of an armed force of a country or organized armed group and that country or group engaged in armed conflict with Canada, while you were a permanent resident, or

• never met or no longer meet the requirements for a grant or resumption of citizenship.

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