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Already a permanent resident

How to Apply for Canadian Citizenship as a Permanent Resident

A permanent resident can apply for Canadian citizenship after 1,095 days in Canada in the five years before applying. Applicants aged 18 to 54 also show adequate English or French and pass a test on Canada. Keeping permanent resident status takes 730 days in Canada in every five-year period. IRCC decides each application.

Count your days in CanadaPractise the citizenship test

Checked against official sources:

  • 1,095

    Days in Canada in the five years before applying for citizenship

  • 730

    Days in every five-year period to keep permanent resident status

  • $653

    IRCC’s fee for an adult citizenship application

  • about 12 months

    IRCC’s current estimate for a citizenship grant

The day counts are set in the Citizenship Act and IRPA. The fee was checked against IRCC on November 11, 2026, and the wait on November 11, 2026. See every fee and every wait.

Which case is yours?

Each card states one rule and opens the page that explains it.

  • Your PR card is expiring or lost

    The card shows permanent resident status. The status does not end when the card expires.

    IRPA s.31(1)

    Renewing a PR card

  • You spend long periods outside Canada

    A permanent resident must be in Canada for at least 730 days in every five-year period. Some days abroad count, such as days accompanying a spouse who is a Canadian citizen.

    IRPA s.28(2)(a)

    The residency obligation

  • You are outside Canada without a valid card

    A permanent resident outside Canada with no status document is presumed not to have the status. An officer issues a travel document when satisfied that the person meets the residency obligation.

    IRPA s.31(2), s.31(3)

    The PR travel document

  • You are ready to apply for citizenship

    The Minister grants citizenship to a permanent resident with 1,095 days in Canada in the five years before applying and the tax returns required for three of those years. Applicants aged 18 to 54 also show adequate English or French and knowledge of Canada.

    Citizenship Act s.5(1)

    How to become a citizen

  • You are preparing for the citizenship test

    The test has 20 questions drawn from the study guide Discover Canada. A pass is 15 correct answers in 45 minutes.

    Citizenship Act s.5(1)(e)

    How the test works

  • You were born abroad to a Canadian parent

    A person born outside Canada to a parent who was a citizen at the birth is a citizen, unless s.3(3) applies. Since December 15, 2025, s.3(3) reaches only a birth on or after that date where that parent was a citizen by descent or adoption, was born abroad and had fewer than 1,095 days in Canada before the birth.

    Citizenship Act s.3(1)(b), s.3(3)

    Open the descent explorer

What happens in an adult’s citizenship application?

  1. Count the days

    The count covers the five years before the day the application is signed.

    1,095 days

    Count your days

  2. Gather the documents

    IRCC’s list includes passports, two pieces of photo identification and, for ages 18 to 54, proof of language at CLB 4 or higher.

    Build a document list

  3. Apply and pay the fee

    Most adults apply online. The adult fee is a processing fee plus the right of citizenship fee.

    Adult fee $653

    See every fee

  4. Take the test

    Applicants aged 18 to 54 take a test of 20 questions and have up to three chances to pass.

    15 of 20 to pass

    Practise the test

  5. IRCC decides

    IRCC checks the application against the Act and may call an applicant to an interview or a hearing. Section 22 bars a grant in some cases, such as during probation.

    about 12 months

    Check current waits

  6. Take the oath

    For most applicants, the citizenship ceremony is the last step. A person takes the oath of citizenship there.

    What happens at the ceremony

Which tool answers your next question?

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Can a permanent resident lose status?

Yes. A permanent resident has the right to enter and remain in Canada, subject to the Act (IRPA s.27(1)), and to live and work in any province (Charter s.6(2)). Section 46 of IRPA lists the ways the status ends.

Too few days in Canada
A permanent resident who does not meet the residency obligation is inadmissible (IRPA s.41(b)). The status ends on a final determination made outside Canada, or when a removal order comes into force (s.46(1)(b) and (c)).
Serious criminality
A permanent resident is inadmissible after a conviction in Canada for an offence with a maximum sentence of at least 10 years, or after a prison term of more than six months (IRPA s.36(1)(a)). A removal order that comes into force ends the status.
After citizenship
Neither rule applies to a citizen. Every citizen has the right to enter, remain in and leave Canada (Charter s.6(1)).

A person stays a permanent resident until an official decision is made, and many decisions can be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division (IRPA s.63).

The residency obligation guideGo to Criminal record

Which guide covers your question?

What do permanent residents ask about citizenship?

How many days do I need to be in Canada to apply for citizenship?

At least 1,095 days of physical presence in the five years before the day you sign the application. Each day in Canada before permanent residence, as a temporary resident or protected person, counts as half a day, up to 365 days of credit. Full days outside Canada do not count.

The guide: Presence Calculator

How do I apply for Canadian citizenship?

Most adults apply to IRCC online once they meet the 1,095-day rule. The adult fee is $653. Applicants aged 18 to 54 show CLB 4 in speaking and listening and take the test.

The guide: How to become a Canadian citizen

How long does Canadian citizenship take to process?

IRCC’s current estimate for a citizenship grant is about 12 months. A citizenship certificate is a separate application, and IRCC’s estimate for it is about 34 months.

The guide: Current IRCC processing times

What is on the Canadian citizenship test?

The test has 20 multiple-choice or true-or-false questions, in English or French, all based on IRCC’s study guide, Discover Canada. A pass is at least 15 correct answers in 45 minutes. Applicants aged 18 to 54 take the test.

The guide: Canadian citizenship test guide

How do I apply for Canadian citizenship by descent?

Through an application to IRCC for a citizenship certificate, which is proof of a citizenship a person already holds. The fee is $75, and IRCC’s current estimate is about 34 months. IRCC states that a person born abroad before December 15, 2025 to a Canadian parent is a citizen in most cases.

The guide: Citizenship by descent

How do I renew my PR card?

A permanent resident in Canada applies online, on form IMM 5444, when the card will expire in less than 9 months or has expired. The fee is $50, and IRCC’s current estimate is 46 days. An expired card does not end the status.

The guide: PR card renewal

What is the PR residency obligation?

A permanent resident must be in Canada for at least 730 days in every five-year period (IRPA s.28). The days do not need to be continuous, and some days abroad count, such as days working full time for a Canadian business.

The guide: The PR residency obligation

Can I lose my permanent resident status?

Yes. Under IRPA s.46, the status ends on a final determination, made outside Canada, that the residency obligation was not met. It also ends when a removal order comes into force, or when an officer approves a renunciation.

The guide: Returning residents and PR status

Where is the full explanation?

This page is the short version. The textbook explains the subject in full.

The chapters on this subject

  • Citizenship: From Permanent Resident to the Oath
  • The Published Numbers: Fees, Funds and Timelines, and the Dates They Carry
  • How the System Works: Programs, Departments, and Why the Rules Move
Cover: Volume 2: Immigrating to Canada

The textbook on this subject

Volume 2: Immigrating to Canada $79

The economic and family pathways to permanent residence, explained from the published criteria.

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Where do these rules come from?

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