Citizenship

Determining your eligibility

• What are the requirements for becoming a Canadian citizen?
• What is dual citizenship?
• Do I become a Canadian when I marry a Canadian?
• I am Canadian. My children were born outside Canada. Are they Canadian?
• Can I count any time I’ve spent outside of Canada toward the residence requirement?

Language assessment for citizenship applicants

• What is meant by adequate knowledge of English or French?
• How does CIC measure how well an adult applying for citizenship can speak English or French?
• What language level do I need when I apply for citizenship?
• Have you raised the language requirement for citizenship?
• What documents can I use to prove that I have adequate knowledge of English or French when applying for citizenship?
• What third-party tests will CIC accept as proof I have adequate knowledge of English or French when I apply for citizenship?
• I graduated from an English-or French-language high school/college/university. What can I use to show that I can communicate in one of the official languages when I apply for citizenship?
• Can the government-funded language program I took be used as proof of my adequate knowledge of English or French?
• Can I provide my LINC/CLIC placement test as evidence that I have already reached CLB/NCLC 4 in speaking and listening?
• I’ve lost my certificate or transcript showing I meet the citizenship language requirement. What can I do?
• Can I submit the results from a third-party language test that I took when I first applied to immigrate to Canada a few years ago?
• Do you accept certificates from private language schools?

Applying for citizenship

• How do I apply for citizenship?
• How much does it cost to apply for Canadian citizenship?
• I am a citizen of another country. Will I lose that citizenship if I become a Canadian?
• Where can I find out the status of my citizenship application and the processing time?
• I am a Canadian citizen. What documents do I need to include with my application for a citizenship certificate (also known as a proof of citizenship)?
• What are the requirements for the photos I need to include with my application?
• What do I need to do before sending my citizenship application to the Case Processing Centre?

Taking the citizenship exam

• What happens if I fail the written citizenship test?
• Is the citizenship test difficult?
• After I apply for citizenship, how long will it be before I am asked to write the citizenship test?
• What can I do if I fail the written test and/or the oral interview?
• Does the guide have study questions to help me prepare for the test?
• What if I cannot attend my first appointment for my citizenship exam? Can I reschedule it?
• Who has to take the citizenship test?
• When do I know if I passed the citizenship test?

Attending the citizenship ceremony

• How long will I wait between my citizenship test and the ceremony?

Replacing a citizenship certificate

• I’ve lost my citizenship certificate. How do I get it replaced?
• Which documents should I send with my application to replace my citizenship certificate?
• How do I prevent delays or a refusal of my application to replace my citizenship certificate?
• Can I replace my citizenship certificate if there are spelling or other mistakes on it?