About Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

The Canadian citizenship is managed by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenships, Canada (IRCC) and can be availed by native Canadians as well as the permanent residents. About 260,000 permanent residents have been residing in Canada since 2010 and most of them are now on the verge of becoming Canadian citizens. Each of Canada’s citizens is liable to the responsibilities and privileges offered by the Canadian government.

Eligibility of Canadian Citizenship

With the new legislation in 2018, many changes have been made in the regulations which has eased and fastened the process of getting Canadian citizenship. Given below are mandatory requirements for an applicant to avail Canadian citizenship:

• He or She should be a permanent resident of Canada.
• The individual must have stayed in Canada for at least 3 years out of the last 5 years. An exception is given to children below the age of 18 years.
• He or She should be able to communicate in any of Canada’s official languages: English and French.
• The applicant must not be involved in any kind of criminal activity in the past.
• The individual is well versed with citizens’ rights and responsibilities.
• He or She has good knowledge of the country’s geography, history and political system.
• The individual (between 18 to 54 years) must pass a citizenship test.

Steps to Get Canadian Citizenship

• A completed application is sent to the IRCC office for review.
• Once the application is verified, a notice is sent to the applicant to take a 30 minutes citizenship test.
• The candidate is also provided with a study guide named ‘A Look at Canada’.
• Candidate is expected to carry essential documents like immigration drafts, passports, identity cards, etc to the test venue.
• In a few cases, the applicant is also required to attend an interview of about 15 to 30 minutes before a citizenship judge.
• Individuals in the age group of 18 to 54 should submit language proficiency evidence by achieving a minimum of CLB 4 in all abilities of a recognized English proficiency test.
• Once the candidate passes all the required tests, he or she must attend the citizenship ceremony to receive a certificate of Canadian citizenship. The candidate is required to sing the Canadian national anthem and recite the Oath of Citizenship to Canada in either English or French before a judge.

Citizenship Test

The citizenship test is a 30 minutes long test taken to assess a potential applicant’s knowledge about Canada and his/her capability to qualify for getting Canadian citizenship. The test is compulsory for applicants between the age of 18 to 54 years.

The test contains 20 questions about rights and responsibilities about Canada and its history, geography, economy, Government, laws, and symbols. The questions are based on an official citizenship study guide titled: ‘Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship’. This guide is available either online or in the form of MP3 version, PDF version, or hard copy version, for free.

Applying for the Test

Once a candidate has filed his/her application, the IRCC will send an acknowledgement of receipt before inviting the candidate for taking the test. A notice regarding the date, time and location of the test will be sent through email, two weeks prior to the test.

In case the candidate is not able to attend the test, prior intimation should be given to IRCC, though mail or online web form, stating genuine reason. If the reason is found to be reasonable, IRCC would schedule a new test date and intimate the same through electronic mail or post.

Documents to be brought for the test

• Document confirming invitation to the test (notice to appear).
• Candidate’s permanent resident card (if present).
• Current and expired passports and other travel documents (mentioned in the citizenship application).
• Certificate, transcript, diploma, or degree proving candidate’s English or French language skills.
• Personal Identification documents containing photographs and signatures, such as driver’s license or health cards or Government issued foreign ID documents.
• Other documents requested in the ‘Notice to Appear’ letter.

Note: Translated documents must be accompanied with an affidavit from the translator.

Passing the Test

The candidate needs to get at least 15 correct answers to pass the test. Once the test is passed, he or she will be invited to attend an interview with a citizenship official. During the interview, candidates will be given results of the test, checked for his or her language skills, verified for the given application and documents, and asked other questions regarding the application.

However, if the candidate does not qualify in the first written test, he or she will be given a second chance, usually 4 to 8 weeks after the first chance. If the candidate does not pass the second test either, IRCC will send a notice for attending a hearing with a citizenship official. The hearing will be of 30 to 90 minutes long and assesses the candidate’s knowledge of Canada and linguistic skills. Still, if he or she does not qualify after 3 tries, the application will be refused, and the candidate needs to file a fresh new application.

Once both the test and interview is qualified, candidates will be notified regarding the date and time of the citizenship oath ceremony.

Rights and Responsibilities

A Canadian citizen is entitled to the following rights and freedoms:

• Right to equality
• Mobility rights
• Right to peaceful assembly
• Right to vote
• Freedom of speech
• Freedom of thought
• Freedom to practice religion

 

Apart from the rights and freedoms, a Canadian citizen is also expected to fulfill the following responsibilities:

• Obey Canadian laws.
• Respect rights and freedom of others before expressing one's opinion.
• Protecting the environment and preserving the heritage.
• Eradicate discrimination and injustice.
• Provide volunteer help to community members.

Dual Citizenship

Canada is among the list of countries which allows its citizens to retain their citizenship even while acquiring citizenship of another country. However, the same cannot be said for all other countries which require the applicant to fulfil certain requirements before renouncing their citizenship.

Gateway Visas as your passage to Canadian Citizenship through PR Visa

Despite a multitude of consultants in India offering immigration services catering to different programs, only few stand out with their exceptional services. Gateway Visas, with an expert team of visa and immigration consultants, provide you with an exceptionally dedicated and committed service to help with each step to procure PR visa and then citizenship in Canada.

From assessing your profile for PR eligibility, helping you with the documents, to providing you with PR visa services, Gateway Visas is a true companion to guide you to your final destination of achieving citizenship in Canada.

• We will help you evaluate your profile and meet all eligibility requirements.
• We will guide you in updating and preparing your resume as per requirements.
• Our experts will help you in gathering and submitting all required documents.
• We will help you clear your English proficiency exams and get a medical and police clearance certificate.
• We will provide a dedicated case officer who will be your point of contact throughout the process.
• We will also help you settle in your dream country of destination with our customized services.

Contact us now for applying to the citizenship test.