Canadian Citizenship Applications
A Canadian citizenship application is decided largely on whether the physical presence calculation holds up against the record of your entries and exits. Everything else is documentation, and every threshold below is the one IRCC publishes.
Send us your permanent residence date and your travel history. We calculate your presence at no charge and tell you the earliest date you can safely sign, rather than the earliest date you could file.
Canadian citizenship application requirements in full
Five things: permanent resident status that is not in question, 1,095 days of physical presence, tax filing, language ability within a defined age band, and passing the citizenship test within the same band.
| Requirement | What IRCC requires |
|---|---|
| Status | Valid permanent resident status, with no removal order against you and no unfulfilled conditions on your permanent residence. |
| Physical presence | At least 1,095 days, or three years, in Canada during the 5-year eligibility period before the date you sign the application. At least 730 of those days must have been spent as a permanent resident. |
| Credit before permanent residence | Time physically in Canada as a temporary resident or a protected person counts as half a day per calendar day, to a maximum credit of 365 days. Time as a Crown servant abroad can count as a full day per day. |
| Time that does not count | Time served in Canada in prison, on parole or on probation does not count towards the 1,095 days. |
| Taxes | Filed for at least 3 of the 5 years in the eligibility period, in each year you were required to file under the Income Tax Act. |
| Language | Applicants aged 18 to 54 must show adequate English or French at the equivalent of level 4 of the Canadian Language Benchmarks or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens, which is enough to hold a conversation on everyday topics. Applicants 55 and over are exempt. |
| Citizenship test | Required for applicants aged 18 to 54 on the day the application is signed. It covers the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizens, and Canada’s history, geography, economy, government, laws and symbols. Applicants 55 and over, and all minors, are exempt. |
| Prohibitions | Criminal and security-related prohibitions bar a grant of citizenship. Where one applies, the application waits until it no longer does. |
Minors are treated differently. A child under 18 applying with a Canadian parent under the minor provision needs permanent resident status but not the presence, tax, language or test requirements. A minor applying independently is held to the standard requirements. Confirm at IRCC’s citizenship eligibility page.
If your permanent resident card is expiring or your residency obligation is uncertain, deal with that first. See PR card renewal and the residency obligation. Applying for citizenship does not pause any of it, and the 730-day residency obligation and the 1,095-day citizenship requirement are two different counts against two different periods.
The presence calculation is the whole application
Almost every avoidable citizenship problem is a counting problem. The threshold is 1,095 days and it is not rounded in your favour. Applying a few days short is worse than waiting a month.
- Days are counted from actual entries and exits, not from memory and not from passport stamps that may be missing. Border entry and exit records are the reference point, and they may not match what you remember.
- A partial day in Canada counts as a full day, which helps, but only if the dates are right.
- Pre-permanent-residence time earns half a day per day, capped at 365 days of credit. This cap is where most miscalculations happen, in both directions: people forget the credit exists, or they claim more than 365 days of it.
- At least 730 days must be as a permanent resident. The 365-day cap on pre-PR credit is what makes that arithmetic work, and it is why the maximum credit cannot substitute for permanent residence time.
- The five-year window keeps moving, so an application that is short today may be comfortable in two months. There is rarely a reason to file early.
Retrieving and reconciling your entry and exit records before filing is cheaper than being asked to explain a discrepancy afterwards. A file where the applicant’s own calculation is out by a week is not usually refused. It is delayed, sometimes by a year.
The test, the interview, and what delays files
- Application and acknowledgement. The presence calculation, tax history, language evidence and supporting documents are filed together.
- Test invitation. For applicants aged 18 to 54: a test on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and on Canada’s history, geography, economy, government, laws and symbols.
- Interview where required. Identity, language, and any questions arising from the presence calculation or the documents.
- Decision and oath. The oath completes the process, in person or online depending on what is offered at the time.
- What delays files: a presence calculation that does not reconcile with entry records; unfiled tax years; a name or date of birth that differs across documents; an unresolved matter on the permanent residence file.
- What refuses them: presence that cannot be established; misrepresentation, including in the earlier immigration history; and prohibitions arising from criminal matters.
What a Canadian citizenship application costs in government fees
These are IRCC’s own fees for a grant of citizenship.
| IRCC fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Citizenship grant, adult aged 18 or over | CAD 653 |
| Citizenship grant, minor under 18 | CAD 100 |
| Language test or evidence of language ability | Charged by the test centre or institution, not by IRCC |
Taken from the IRCC fee list on 5 September 2026. Government fees change, so confirm the current amount there before you pay. A refused or returned application means paying again.
What we charge
These are our professional fees, on top of the government fees above. A straightforward application and one where the presence calculation has to be argued are different amounts of work, so we quote after the assessment rather than before it.
| Service | What it covers | Professional fee |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment of your case | You send your permanent residence date and travel history. We calculate your physical presence, check the tax and language requirements, and tell you the earliest date you can safely sign. | Free |
| Citizenship application, full representation | The presence calculation reconciled against entry and exit records, the tax and language evidence, the forms, filing, and follow-up through the test and interview. | Quoted after the free assessment |
| Paid consultation | 20, 40 or 60 minutes with a senior RCIC, for cases where the presence calculation is close or a prohibition may apply. | from CAD 120 |
Fees are professional fees only. They do not include IRCC or ESDC government fees, biometrics, medical examinations, translations, or applicable taxes.
Your journey with Canada Shaws
The same seven steps apply to every matter we take, whichever programme it is. The first two cost nothing, and the third is optional.
- Free preliminary assessment. You complete our client intake form with your background, your goals and your current circumstances. An RCIC reviews what you have provided and carries out a preliminary assessment to identify the immigration programmes or pathways that may be relevant to your situation on the information available at this stage.
- Assessment follow-up and information review. Our client representative contacts you to introduce the pathways the RCIC identified, explain our service process and professional fees, and understand your circumstances better. They may also review what you submitted, clarify anything incomplete or unclear, and confirm whether more information is needed. You can ask questions and see the available next steps.
- Optional paid RCIC consultation. After the assessment and follow-up, you decide whether you want to speak directly with an RCIC before proceeding. If your questions are complex, or you want a detailed professional discussion of the options identified, you may book a paid consultation. It is optional. You can also proceed straight to signing up if you are ready.
- Sign up with your RCIC. If you decide to proceed, you enter into a formal service agreement directly with the RCIC who will be professionally responsible for your matter. Once it is in place, the file moves into formal case preparation.
- Detailed information and document preparation. Our team collects and reviews the detailed information and supporting documents your matter requires, and guides you through preparing them.
- Application preparation and RCIC final review. The case team prepares your application package under the supervision of your RCIC: forms, supporting documents, submission letters and any other required materials. Your RCIC carries out the final professional review before submission.
- Submission, updates and next steps. After submission we keep you informed of material developments. If immigration authorities request further information or issue a decision, our team guides you through the response, the result, and what happens next.
Who will handle your file
Every file is prepared under a named licensed consultant, and you can verify either of us on the CICC public register before you pay anything.
Frederick Li
RCIC-IRB · Level 3 · College ID R506683
Authorised to represent clients before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Immigration Law Professor in the Immigration Law Program at Queen’s University (Faculty of Law) and instructor for CPD programs at Ashton College.
Jin (Cellia) Xiao
RCIC · Level 2 · College ID R512398
Founder and President of Canada Shaws since 2015, leading the team that prepares applications across the practice.
Both consultants are listed as Entitled to Practise on the CICC public register. Verify any Canadian immigration consultant at register.college-ic.ca.
Questions people ask before they apply
How many days do I actually need?
1,095 days of physical presence in the five years before you sign, of which at least 730 must be as a permanent resident. Time in Canada before you became a permanent resident counts at half a day per day, up to a maximum credit of 365 days. Time in prison, on parole or on probation does not count.
Do I have to give up my other citizenship?
Canada permits dual citizenship. Whether your other country does is its own question, and it is worth confirming before the oath rather than after.
I am a few days short. Should I file anyway?
No. An application filed short is not approved early. It is refused or returned, and you apply again having paid the CAD 653 twice. Waiting is almost always cheaper.
Do I need a language test?
If you are 18 to 54 on the day you sign, you must show English or French at the level of CLB or NCLC 4 from a source IRCC accepts. Applicants 55 and over are exempt from both the language requirement and the citizenship test.
What if I did not file taxes every year?
The requirement is filing for at least 3 of the 5 years in the eligibility period, in each year you were required to file. If you were not required to file in a year, that year is not held against you, but the position has to be documented rather than assumed.
What does this cost?
IRCC charges CAD 653 for an adult grant and CAD 100 for a minor. Our own fee depends on whether the presence calculation is straightforward or has to be argued, so it is quoted after the free assessment. The assessment itself is free.
When should I file my Canadian citizenship application?
On the earliest day the 1,095 days are met with margin. A Canadian citizenship application filed short is not approved early. It is refused or returned, and you pay twice.
Have your citizenship presence calculated first
Send us your permanent residence date and your travel history. There is no charge for the assessment: you will get back your physical presence count, the earliest date you can safely sign, whether the tax and language requirements are met, and anything on the file that needs dealing with first.
Requirements described on this page are taken from the published criteria of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (and, where a page says so, Employment and Social Development Canada or the relevant province) and were checked on the date below. Immigration rules change, and the official criteria govern, so confirm the current requirement before you act on anything here.
No representative can guarantee an immigration outcome, and we do not promise one. What we commit to is a complete, correctly prepared application and a named licensed consultant responsible for it. Canada Shaws Consulting Inc. provides immigration consulting services as Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants; we are not a law firm and do not provide legal services.
Page last verified: 5 September 2026.
