Residency Obligations
Maintaining permanent resident status and applying for citizenship different residency obligations. The following chart indicates what requirements are needed for each.
| Physical presence requirement | Maintaining PR status | Applying for citizenship |
| Minimum time spent in Canada | at least 730 days (2 years) within a 5-year period | at least 1095 days (3 years) within the 5-year period before you sign the application |
| Time spent outside of Canada that can count towards physical presence in Canada |
1. outside Canada accompanying a Canadian citizen who is their spouse or common-law partner or, in the case of a child, their parent 2. outside Canada employed on a full-time basis by a Canadian business or in the Canadian Federal, provincial or territorial government 3. outside Canada accompanying a permanent resident who is their spouse or common-law partner or, in the case of a child, their parent and who is employed on a full-time basis by a Canadian business or in the Canadian Federal, provincial or territorial government
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1. resided with a spouse or common-law partner who is a Canadian citizen, and is employed outside of Canada in or with the Canadian Armed Forces, the federal public administration or the public service of a province or territory 2. employed outside of Canada in or with the Canadian Armed Forces, the federal public administration or the public service of a province or territory 3. resided with a spouse or common-law partner who is a Canadian permanent resident, and is employed outside of Canada in or with the Canadian Armed Forces, the federal public administration or the public service of a province or territory |
| Time spent in Canada before becoming PR that can count towards physical presence | Not applicable | each day spent in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person within the 5 years counts as 1/2 day for a maximum of 365 days. |
| Exceptions on humanitarian and compassionate ground | Applicable pursuant to IRPA 28(2)(c) | Not applicable |
Citizenship eligibility
The following table outlines the requirements for applying for Canadian citizenship.
| Requirements | Description |
| Physical presence | Have lived in Canada for 3 out of the last 5 years |
| Tax filing | May need to file taxes in Canada for at least 3 years during the 5 years before you sign the application |
| Language skills | If you are 18 to 54 years old on the day you sign your application, you need to meet the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) level 4 or higher. Various certificates, diplomas and tests are accepted as proof of the language skills |
| Citizenship test | If you are 18 to 54 years old on the day you sign your application, you need to take the citizenship test |