Citizenship

Canada welcomes immigrants from across the world: students, business visitors, skilled workers - either temporarily or permanent - to enhance their social and economic workforce.

Canada, a country that is recognized as a leader in the world’s economy, has among the best living standards in the world and embraces a diverse, multicultural society. A stable and politically progressive society, state-of-the-art healthcare services, and excellent employment opportunity make this country one of the most favoured nations to immigrate to. Every year more than 200,000 immigrants come to Canada.

According to a 2001 census, the top ten source countries were China, Philippines, India, USA, UK, France, Pakistan, Iran, South Korea and Morocco.

A Canadian citizenship can be obtained by a Permanent Resident who has resided in Canada for at least three out of their last four years. A Canadian citizen enjoys special rights and benefits, such as the right to vote in public elections and to work for the federal government.

To apply for Canadian citizenship, the applicant has to go through the citizenship test, where his or her knowledge of English or French as well as how much he knows about Canada will be tested. Although the basic guidelines for a Canadian citizenship are the same, each of the provinces has its own provincial immigration program.

There are broadly two types of residency in Canada: Permanent Residency and Temporary Residency.