If you are living in Canada as a permanent resident, your next goal might be getting a Canadian citizenship certificate.You may live, work, and study anywhere in Canadaas a PR. However, the Canadian citizenship certificate gives you more benefit than PR status.
On your route to become a citizen, you must know the probable Canadian citizenship certificate processing time.When you applied for Canadian citizenship, it takes around five months and more to process the application.
Depending on your documents and records, the processing time may vary. In this article, we’ll discuss Canadian citizenship processing time, requirements, and more in detail. Keep reading.
Canadian Citizenship Certificate
The Canadian permanent residents who apply for citizenship receive a citizenship certificate. The certificate is proof of the individual’s Canadian citizenship. It includes your certificate number, personal details, the actual date of citizenship, etc.
Basic Requirements for Canadian Citizenship Certificate
There is no direct way to become a Canadian citizen from outside of Canada. The first condition to become a citizen is to obtain your Permanent Resident visa. As a permanent resident, you have to live in Canada for 3 of the last five years.
It means you have to spend three years or 1095 days inside Canada in the past 5-years. In a word, you have to stay three years from the day you became a permanent resident.
In the meantime, if you leave Canada for vacation or work, you cannot count those days. The temporary resident will have to count each day as half a day before they become PR.
To apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate, the applicant must;
- Have to pay the income tax for at least three years of the last five years.
- Prove the language skills.
- Pass a test on the responsibilities, rights, and knowledge of Canada.
Canadian Citizenship Certificate Processing Time
If you meet the eligibility criteria, you can proceed on with the Canadian citizenship certificate. The application is available in the IRCC website. You have to download the application, fill all the fields, and gather necessary documents.
Once you fill the application, you have to apply with the required documents. You may have to pay the application fee before submitting it. However, the processing time starts from the day you submit your application.
As mentioned above, the processing time for a Canadian citizenship certificate takes around five months and above. Then, the authority will check whether you’ve submitted all the required questions and documents.
If they find any missing or misleading information, they will send back your application. Otherwise, you’ll get an Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) containing your Unique Client Identifier (UCI).
How to Calculate Processing Time?
The 5-months processing time is an estimated time provided by the immigration department. They calculate the processing time based on the number of applications that have arrived and to be processed.
Besides, they estimate how fast they process 80% of the applications. The processing time for Canadian citizenship also depends on historical data. It means the time taken to process the previous 80% of the applications.
Processing Time Depends On What?
Not every application takes the same processing time. It may vary depending on the following factors.
- Your application type
- If the application is complete or not
- Time is taken to verify the application
- Authorities give estimated processing time
- The t
- ime you take to respond to any queries
What Happens After Processing of Application?
Canadian Citizenship Test
The immigration department calls the application for the Canadian citizenship test. It takes place within four weeks of processing your application. The following things happen in this process.
- The authority will call you 1 or 2 weeks before the test.
- There will have an interview on the same day after the test.
- You have to attend a written test that will assess your knowledge about Canadian culture, geography, and history.
What happens if you fail the test? There will be a second chance to pass the test. The authority will call you within 4-8 weeks after the first test date.
Canadian Citizenship Decision
When you clear the test and interview, the citizenship officer will make the decision. If you meet all the criteria, they will approve the application. Then, the authority will invite you to attend the Canadian citizenship ceremony on a given date. It takes around three months after they take the decision. Finally, you’ll officially become a Canadian citizen in this ceremony.
Conclusion
We hope you learned about Canadian citizenship certificate processing time and the processes afterward. If you meet all the necessary criteria, your chances to become a Canadian citizen are high. So, what are you waiting for? Apply NOW!
