Physical presence requirement — 1,095 days
Overview
To be granted Canadian citizenship, an applicant must have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days (3 years) in the 5 years immediately before the date of application. Days in Canada are counted as full calendar days — partial days count as full days for both arrival and departure. Only days as a permanent resident or Canadian citizen count; days spent in Canada as a temporary resident (student, worker, visitor) do not count (under the current rules applicable to applications submitted after June 11, 2015).
The physical presence requirement is distinct from the PR residency obligation (s 28 IRPA — 730 days in 5 years). The citizenship presence requirement is stricter (1,095 days vs 730 days) and uses a fixed 5-year window immediately before the application date.
Legal basis
- Citizenship Act s 5(1)(c) — must have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days during the 5 years immediately before the date of application
- Citizenship Regulations s 2 — day of physical presence means any day on which a person is present in Canada at the beginning or end of the day
How it works
How days are counted
A day is counted if the person was in Canada at any point during that calendar day. Under IRCC's operational approach:
- Day of arrival in Canada: counted as 1 day (even if arriving late at night)
- Day of departure from Canada: counted as 1 day (even if departing early morning)
- A day when the person was entirely outside Canada: does not count
Example: A person departs on June 1 and returns on June 10. That is 2 qualifying days (June 1 and June 10 are each counted). Days June 2–9 (8 days entirely outside Canada) do not count.
The 5-year window
The calculation period is exactly the 5 years immediately before the application date — a rolling window ending on the date IRCC receives the application. The applicant must have 1,095 qualifying days within that specific 5-year period. Days outside the window do not count.
An applicant should calculate their day count as of the intended application date to ensure they meet the threshold before applying.
Only days as a PR count (current rule)
Under the rules applicable to applications submitted after June 11, 2015, only days physically present in Canada as a permanent resident count. Days spent in Canada as a temporary resident — on a student permit, work permit, visitor record, or otherwise — do not count toward the 1,095-day threshold.
Record-keeping
IRCC requires applicants to declare all absences from Canada in the application. Applicants must list every trip outside Canada in the 5-year calculation period (date of departure, date of return, destination, purpose). CBSA travel records may be cross-checked. Providing inaccurate absence information is a misrepresentation and can result in refusal, revocation, or prosecution.
The 1,095-day target in practice
An applicant who has been continuously in Canada since landing rarely needs to calculate. But for persons who travel frequently — for work, to visit family, or for other reasons — careful tracking is important. A person who is abroad 3 months per year accumulates approximately 274 days outside Canada per year — over 5 years that is 1,370 days outside, leaving only 456 days counted: far short of the 1,095-day threshold.