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Ontario|Immigration LawGeneral Information 662 Becoming a Canadian citizen In most circumstances, people born in Canada are automatically Canadian citizens. If you have come to Canada and gained permanent resident status, you can apply for Canadian citizenship. As a Canadian citizen, you will be entitled to many rights and freedoms, including the right to vote in all elections, hold a Canadian passport, and run for public office.
To apply for Canadian citizenship, you must be 18 years of age or over, you must have lived in Canada as a permanent resident for three out of the four previous years, you must speak English or French, and you must have some knowledge of Canada. You must not be under a deportation order or be subject to citizenship probation.
You are on citizenship probation if any of the following conditions describe your situation: you have been or are currently an inmate of a jail, reformatory or prison; you are on parole or probation; you were convicted of a crime in the past three years or are now charged with a crime; you were or are now under a deportation order; you were charged with an offence under the Citizenship Act; you were investigated for a war crime or crime against humanity; or if your citizenship has been revoked in the past five years.
You can obtain a citizenship application at Citizenship Court Offices, Citizenship and Immigration offices, or by phoning the Citizenship and Immigration Call Centre. The processing fee is $200 for each applicant over 18, and $100 for each of the applicant's children under 18. Children do not have to live in Canada for three years to apply for citizenship. Parents can apply for their children as soon as the child is a permanent resident as long as the parent is a Canadian citizen or is applying to be a citizen.
If you meet the basic requirements and are aged 18 - 59, you will be scheduled for a citizenship test to make sure you have a basic understanding of Canada and one of its official languages. The test asks simple questions about the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship, the government, the political system, history, geography, people, industry, and voting procedures in Canada. All the information you need to know is available in a booklet called "A Look at Canada". The booklet is free, and it is available from Citizenship and Immigration Canada offices. Children under age 18 and people 60 years and older are not required to write the test. Citizenship and Immigration Canada will notify you to set a date and time for your test.
If you meet all the requirements to become a citizen, you will receive a notice telling you where and when your citizenship ceremony will take place. At the ceremony you will take the oath of citizenship and receive your certificate of citizenship. You will then be entitled to enjoy all of the rights and privileges of Canadian citizenship.
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