- Canada's immigration authority outlined the key eligibility requirements foreigners must satisfy before applying for citizenship
- The IRCC announcement confirmed that permanent residency is a mandatory first step in the citizenship process
- Adults aged 18 to 54 face additional requirements that younger and older applicants are not required to meet
TUKO.co.ke journalist Japhet Ruto has over eight years of experience in financial, business, and technology reporting, offering insights into Kenyan and global economic trends.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has published a list of seven requirements that foreigners must satisfy before they can apply for Canadian citizenship.
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The rules cover important areas such as permanent resident status, physical presence in the country, language proficiency and knowledge of Canada.
Applicants must also meet tax filing obligations where applicable and satisfy other eligibility conditions before submitting their citizenship applications.
Foreigners planning to become Canadian citizens should review the official requirements to understand whether they qualify.
"Before you can apply to become a Canadian citizen, you must first be a permanent resident of Canada and meet specific eligibility requirements," IRCC stated on X on Thursday, October 22.
What are the requirements for Canadian citizenship?
1. Be a permanent resident
The first requirement is that an applicant must already hold permanent resident status in Canada.
2. Have enough physical presence or have lived in Canada
Applicants must demonstrate sufficient physical presence, meaning they must have spent enough time living in the country within a set period prior to applying.
3. Tax compliance
Tax compliance is also mandatory where applicable. Applicants who were required to file income taxes in Canada must show that they have done so before their application will be considered.
4. Prove your skills in English or French
For adults between the ages of 18 and 54, two additional steps apply. They must prove proficiency in either English or French, and they must successfully pass a citizenship test that assesses knowledge of Canada's history, values, institutions, and symbols.
5. Pass the citizenship test
6. Take the oath of citizenship
All applicants, regardless of age, must be prepared to take the oath of citizenship, a formal declaration of allegiance to Canada.
7. Do not be under a prohibition
Finally, applicants must not be under any prohibition, such as a criminal prohibition or a removal order, that would make them ineligible at the time of application.
Why is Canada pushing to attract foreign workers?
The citizenship pathway has taken on added significance in recent years as Canada has actively sought to attract foreign nationals to address persistent labour shortages across several sectors.
The country has faced gaps in areas including healthcare, construction, agriculture, and technology, prompting the federal government to expand immigration pathways and recruitment programmes targeting skilled workers abroad.
Permanent residency, which is the gateway to citizenship, is frequently granted to workers who fill roles in these high-demand industries.
Canada has positioned immigration as a central pillar of its long-term economic strategy, with targets to admit hundreds of thousands of new permanent residents annually to sustain its workforce and population growth.
Source: TUKO.co.ke