Citizenship
Canadian Citizenship is acquired by naturalization or at birth in the country.
To achieve this, there are some prerequisites such as mastery of one of Canada’s official languages (English or French), residence time on Canadian soil of at least 5 years, and a knowledge test on structure, government, and history of the country (citizenship test).
Please note that the language tests attached to the Permanent Resident application process can be used as evidence of proficiency even if they have expired.
If the petitioner is under the age of 18, he/she may apply for citizenship if he/she is a permanent resident and has his/her parents already as Canadian citizens, or if all family members are applying for citizenship at the same time (minors under 18 do not need to pass a Citizenship Test).
Language test is compulsory for applicants between 14 and 64 years of age.
Within about 12 months of the opening of the process, applicants must attend an interview to demonstrate their knowledge of Canada and one of the official languages.
The language tests currently accepted by the IRCC (CIC) for Citizenship Demand purposes are:
1) IELTS (English);
2) CELPIP (English);
3) TEF (French);
4) TEFAQ (French).
There are cases where the person becomes ineligible for Canadian citizenship. For example, being under a request of removal, having a criminal record or facing legal prosecution in Canada, has been denied Canadian Citizenship as a result of misrepresentation in the process, among other specific situations.