To become a Canadian citizen, most applicants must
Regardless of your age, if you’re applying for citizenship, you must have Canada’s permanent resident (PR) status.
This means you must not:
Before applying for citizenship, you should review the documents you received when you became a permanent resident to make sure you’re eligible.
You don’t need a valid PR card to apply for citizenship. You can apply with an expired PR card.
There are a few ways you can become a Canadian citizen without applying to be one. In these cases, you may still want to get proof of citizenship.
Effective April 2009, the rules changed for individuals born outside of Canada to Canadian Parent. The change made to the Citizenship Act now limits citizenship to the first generation born or adopted outside of Canada.
Children born outside Canada to a Canadian citizen (Parent) will only be considered Canadian citizen at the time of birth if:
Children born outside of Canada and adopted by a Canadian citizen will only be eligible for Canadian citizenship under the adoption provisions of the Citizenship Act if:
Children who are not eligible for Canadian citizenship under the Citizenship Act may be eligible to be sponsored as permanent resident. Children under the age of 18 may apply for citizenship as soon as they become permanent resident.
