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Canada is targeting to welcome about 300,000 people to apply for citizenship for the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
A memo accessed by CIC News recommended that IRCC process a total of 285,000 decisions and 300,000 new citizens by March 31, 2023. A decision is a review of an application that is then approved, denied, or marked as incomplete.
The memo also recommended that IRCC continue with its current system of first-in-first-out for all citizenship applications. It meant focusing on older, paper applications while also emphasizing newer digital applications to avoid accumulation and backlog growth.
According to the latest immigration data, Canada has already welcomed 116,000 new citizens in the 2022-2023 fiscal year that ends on 31 March. Over the same period in 2021, Canada had only sworn in 35,000 people.
How to Qualify for Canadian Citizenship?
Once you have decided to immigrate to Canada, here is how you can qualify for Canadian citizenship:
- Determine your eligibility by taking the online assessment
- Apply directly Canada PR visa based on work experience and academic profile.
- Express Entry programs like Federal Skilled Worker Program are specially designed for direct PR entry.
- Other programs like Canada Experience Class, and Provincial Nominee Programs require prior Canadian experience to qualify. There are 100+ federal and provincial programs to invite economic-class & family-class immigrations.
- Further, you must fulfill the criteria for citizenship through naturalization which is 1,095 days out of the 5 years on a Canada PR visa.
- Upon passing the Canadian citizenship test, all approved applicants take the oath of citizenship, either in person or virtually.
You may enjoy reading our Updated Guide On How To Become A Canadian Citizen. Here we have detailed the residency requirements, language criteria, and test format.
Canadian Permanent Residency vs Becoming a Canadian Citizen
Holding permanent residency in Canada is as prestigious as obtaining Canadian citizenship. While Canada PR holders enjoy the same rights and constitutional protections that exist for citizens, they are barred from –
- casting their right to vote or contest in any government elections within Canada
- from holding a high-level government post
Further definitional differences are listed below –
| Canadian Permanent Residence | Canadian Citizenship |
| An individual holding Canada PR is a citizen of another country but a permanent resident of Canada. | Canadian citizenship allows its holders to become citizens of another country. |
| Any foreign individual applying to immigrate to Canada through Express Entry Programs, Provincial Nominee Programs, or Entrepreneur programs may qualify for permanent residency status. | A foreign individual can obtain Canadian citizenship by naturalization and by the virtue of holding Canada PR. |
IRCC is making good progress toward clearing the immigration backlog, and processing 80% of all new applications within service standards.
If you are planning to move to Canada, book your free appointment with our immigration consultants to learn more about your eligibility for Canadian immigration, and determine your best chances of qualifying and eventually obtaining citizenship based on a case-to-case basis.
