Citizenship and Immigration Canada
www.cic.gc.ca
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Resuming citizenship: Who can apply
General eligibility
To be eligible to resume your Canadian citizenship, you must meet the following requirements.
You must:
- have been a Canadian citizen
- have become a permanent resident of Canada after you lost your Canadian citizenship and
- have lived in Canada as a permanent resident for at least one year immediately before you apply.
You must not:
- have had your Canadian citizenship taken away (revoked)
- have been convicted of an indictable (criminal) offence or an offence under the Citizenship Act in the three years before you apply
- be currently charged with an indictable offence or an offence under the Citizenship Act
- be in prison, on parole or on probation
- be under a removal order (an order from Canadian officials to leave Canada) or
- be under investigation for, be charged with or have been convicted of a war crime or a crime against humanity.
If you are in any of the above situations, contact the Call Centre (see Contact Us at the top of this page) before you apply.
Eligibility if you lost your citizenship as a minor between 1947 and 1977
If you lost your Canadian citizenship as a minor (under the age of 21) between January 1, 1947 and February 14, 1977, the requirements for resuming your citizenship are different.
You must:
- have been a Canadian citizen.
You must not:
- have had your Canadian citizenship taken away
- have been convicted of an indictable (criminal) offence or an offence under the Citizenship Act in the three years before you apply
- be currently charged with an indictable offence or an offence under the Citizenship Act
- be in prison, on parole or on probation
- be under a removal order (an order from Canadian officials to leave Canada) or
- be under investigation for, be charged with, or have been convicted of a war crime or a crime against humanity.
If you are in any of the above situations, contact the Call Centre (see Contact Us at the top of this page) before you apply.
You can apply to resume your citizenship without having to become a permanent resident and live in Canada for one year.
