Citizenship Act (Canada)
Statutory definition
The Citizenship Act (RSC 1985, c C-29) as amended (most significantly by Bills C-24 in 2014 and C-6 in 2017) provides: citizenship by birth in Canada (jus soli, with exceptions for foreign diplomats); citizenship by descent; naturalization criteria (physical presence, language, knowledge); revocation (for fraud, treason, or terrorism); and renunciation. The current citizenship requirements include 3 years of physical presence in Canada within the 5 years before application, CLB 4 language, and knowledge of Canada and citizenship rights and responsibilities.
Explanation
The Citizenship Act governs who is and is not a Canadian citizen. For permanent residents seeking to naturalise, the key milestones are: accumulating the required physical presence days (1,095 out of 1,825 days — 3 out of 5 years); meeting the language requirement; passing the citizenship knowledge test; and taking the oath of citizenship. Days spent in Canada as a temporary resident (after age 18) count as half-days toward the physical presence requirement, up to a maximum of 365 days. Citizenship applications are processed by IRCC.