Being a citizen of this wonderful country opens door to many opportunities
Canadian Citizenship
Citizenship for permanent residents
If you have lived in Canada three out of last five years as a permanent resident, you may be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship. You must have filed your taxes as a Canadian permanent resident. You must also demonstrate your English or French language proficiency and must pass a citizenship knowledge test in order to obtain citizenship. If you are a minor permanent resident, you can apply together with your parents or can submit a separate citizenship application. Please contact us if you have any questions about your citizenship. We can assess your eligibility, prepare your application and represent you in your citizenship application. We will help you all the way from submitting the applications, preparing for your citizenship test and interview and prepare you for the final proud moments of oath ceremony.
Citizenship by birth
Section 3(1)(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act states that anyone born in Canada after February 14, 1977 is considered a Canadian citizen. The Former Act stated that a person born after the 31st day of 1946 was a natural-born Canadian citizen if he/she was born in Canada or on a Canadian ship. Section 3(1)(d) preserves this provision of the Former Act by confirming that a person who was a citizen immediately before February 15, 1977 continued to be a Canadian citizen. The immigration status of the parents at the time of the Canadian citizenship child's birth is not relevant to the child's eligibility for Canadian citizenship. A child born in Canada to two illegal alien parents would still be considered a Canadian citizen. However, Section 3(2) of the Current Act contains an exception to the above rule, at least for persons born in Canada after February 15, 1977. It states that Canadian citizenship is not granted to a child born in Canada if, at the time of his/her birth, neither of his/her parents was a Canadian citizen or Canadian permanent resident and either parent was:
a diplomatic or consular officer or other representative or employee of a foreign government in Canada;
an employee in the service of a person referred to in paragraph (a); or an officer or employee in Canada of a specialized agency of the United Nations or an officer or employee in Canada of any other international organization to whom they are granted, by or any other Act of Parliament, diplomatic privileges and immunities certified by the Secretary of State for External Affairs to be equivalent to those granted to a person or persons referred to in paragraph.
Born outside to a Canadian parent?
Your child is likely a Canadian citizen if at least 1 parent is a legal parent at birth or biological parent was born in Canada, or became a naturalized Canadian citizen before the child was born. You may not be a Canadian citizen if born to second generation Canadian parents (Canadian parents born outside Canada). Your child is not automatically a Canadian citizen if they are an adopted child born outside Canada. In order for the adopted child to be a Canadian citizen, either you will have to apply for Citizenship by grant through direct route or by naturalization. If you have any questions on your citizenship status and want to apply for a grant of citizenship, please contact us. As an authorized immigration consultant, Walras can provide you with the best legal advice and can represent you in the application for citizenship.