Canada is well known for its hospitality globally, attracting expats and tourists from all corners of the world. It has a fully developed economy, numerous opportunities to promote your career, and some of the best outdoor activities you can find around the world. Mix its wonderful people, along with a dynamic cultural life and some great cosmopolitan cities and you will have a lot to fall in love with.
The Best way to move to Canada – the land of opportunities, is by getting a Canada PR Visa. It is a type of permanent visa that allows the immigrant to live, work or study anywhere in the country for a duration of five years.
If you are thinking of staying in Canada for an extended period of time, you may want to consider becoming Canadian citizen two or three times, rather than simply accepting a permanent residence permit. This gives you the opportunity to “join a Canadian family” and has one of the most powerful passports in the world.
Whether you are only applying for a work visa in Canada or you are an expat who is already living in the country, it is always a good idea to know what options you have to change the visa or permit for permanent Canadian citizenship.
Canadian citizens have different rights (and responsibilities) compared to immigrants with permanent residence. For example, one of the advantages of being a Canadian citizen is the right to vote and to be an electoral candidate in the Canadian elections. The Canadian passport allows you, in fact, to travel to 159 countries, being one of the most powerful passports worldwide (all the more reason to consider nationalizing in Canada).
Apart from the path listed below, there is a fast track to citizenship for those who served in the Canadian army. And this process is also different for those seeking humanitarian assistance in Canada.
No matter where you are going to follow, you must meet certain basic requirements in order to qualify. In order to apply for yourself, you will have to be over 18 years of age, have the status of Canadian Permanent Resident (PR), have filed your tax return correctly according to your resident status, be able to speak one of the official languages of the country and understand Canadian culture and laws.
There are also quite strict residence rules that determine who can be a candidate to apply for citizenship. Some of them are, for example, having maintained the status of PR for four of the six years prior to the request, and having been present in the country for an established number of days during that time. This calculation is sometimes complex, so here is a specific calculator that will help you find out if you can be a candidate to apply for Canadian citizenship taking into account your previous place of residence.
To indicate that you meet the language requirements, you need to demonstrate your knowledge of English or French. You can present various documents as evidence listed on the government website.
The Canadian Immigration Department manages applications for Canadian citizenship , and the government’s online Immigration “Help Center” is a good place to look for details on the application process and forms.
It is possible to be a Canadian citizen and at the same time to be a citizen of another country; This is what is known as dual citizenship. However, the possibility of having dual citizenship will depend on your personal circumstances. Although Canada will not force you to give up any particular citizenship to recognize yourself as Canadian, there are some countries that do not recognize dual citizenships and will force you to choose between the two. If you have questions, you can consult a lawyer or ask at the embassy.
Can I get citizenship by investment?
If you are an investor or entrepreneur, you will see that you have a large number of doors open to apply for a work visa and Permanent Resident (PR) status, but you will still have to meet a series of requirements before your application can be approved.
Can I obtain citizenship by descent or family descent?
However, this rule is applicable only to the first generation, which implies that resident status can be obtained from parents to children and not from grandparents to grandchildren, something that is common in other countries. If your parents or grandparents were employees with Canadian government or if they served in the army.
You will need to meet the same requirements as any other adult applicant and follow any of the procedures detailed above (such as acquiring citizenship after fulfilling the residency requirements).
However, one of the advantages is that getting married will work in your favor when evaluating whether you plan to reside in Canada once you are nationalized, which is something that must be proven by applicants.
How to apply for Canadian citizenship
Regardless of the reason for your request, the basic process to follow will be the same. Checking if you are eligible to apply for citizenship on the Canadian government website is a good idea, so you will know what documents you will need for the application.
You will have to create an account on the page and download the necessary forms. You will need to complete and submit all forms to the Nova Scotia Processing Center . In most cases, to process your application, you must attend a citizenship exam. This moment is known as the “Welcome to the Canadian Family”.
Costs and fees of the application process
You must submit your application and also pay the fees. Once you have the approval, you can reserve an hour to take the citizenship test, or for an interview if necessary.
Fees must be paid for any of the citizenship application forms , although there are some advantages in certain circumstances. A breakdown of all applicable fees is on the government website, but currently prices are CAD 530 for adult applicants and CAD 100 for those under 18.
If you are doing the procedures from abroad and need to make an international transfer, your bank will surely charge you more than the account, and it will also use an unfavorable exchange rate along with the occasional additional management fee.
Proof of citizenship
If you are between 14 and 64 years old at the time of applying for Canadian citizenship, then you will have to prove that you know the history of the country, its culture and its laws on a citizenship test. Normally it is a written exam, but there are times that it can be by way of an interview with an official in charge of citizenship.
How can I request a passport?
Once you have been granted citizenship, you can apply for the Canadian passport .
Since applying for a passport is a separate process from applying for citizenship, it will incur additional costs. There are specific rules on payment methods, there are even offices that do not accept cash payments. You’ll have to pay by card, bank check, or money order, and all of them, of course, must be in local currency.
If you have not already done so, it is time to open a bank account in Canada to reduce expenses.
Dealing with the authorities is usually not much fun, no matter where you are in the world, but it will all be worth it when you get your new citizenship and passport. If you are about to start the adventure of becoming a Canadian citizen, just think of the warm welcome that awaits you when all the paperwork is done. To apply for Canada PR contact AP Immigration.
