On June 11, 2015 Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced that the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act is now in force. The new rules will increase the residency requirement and impose stringent “physical presence” requirement on applicants applying for Canadian citizenship.
New Changes Include:
An increase in the number of days adult applicants must be present in Canada to four years out of six, from the previous three years out of four;
An introduction of knowledge test for all applicants from ages 14 to 64 years old;
Requirement that adult applicants be physically present in Canada for at least 183 days for each of the four years within the qualifying residency period;
Applicants must submit proof of tax filings for the qualifying period;
Applicants must now declare their intent to reside in Canada;
What does this mean for Permanent Residents?:
The new changes now make it more challenging for Permanent Residents to qualify for Canadian citizenship. The physical residency requirement will affect business travelers and other permanent residents whose work requires their absence from Canada for periods of time.
However, Permanent Residents who are frequently away from Canada may still qualify for citizenship if they can prove that they are established in Canada during the qualifying period.
If you have questions about the new citizenship requirements or would like to submit a Canadian Citizenship Application please contact us at 647-556-1781