What happens after I send in my application for Canadian citizenship?

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) contacts you by email or by mail using Canada Post to say they have your application.

IRCC tells you if:

they need more information or documents from you
you didn't pay the full amount of fees

IRCC won't deal with your application if:

there's information that's missing, or
you have not paid the full amount of fees.

The current fees you have to pay are listed on the government website.

You can check online to see what’s happening with your application.

Deciding whether you qualify

When IRCC has all of the information or documents they need, they decide whether you qualify for Canadian citizenship.

For example, they can decide that you don't qualify if:

there's a that says you must leave Canada
there are criminal or security reasons
you give information that's not true and correct or you leave out required information, which is called misrepresentation

You also might not qualify if you have not filed income tax returns.

A citizenship officer at IRCC can make this decision without interviewing you. Or they can ask you to come to an interview and decide after the interview.

Deciding if you’ve been in Canada long enough

If a citizenship officer thinks that you have not been in Canada long enough and don't meet the residency requirements to become a citizen, they can:

refuse your application without giving you an interview,
interview you and then decide, or
ask a citizenship judge to decide.

The citizenship judge can:

decide without giving you a hearing, or
give you a hearing and then decide.

If you disagree with a decision

If you disagree with a decision about your citizenship application, you may want to get legal advice. Act quickly because there may be a time limit for steps you can take if you disagree.

If you qualify

If you're between 18 and 54 years old, you usually have to take a . IRCC gives you a date to take the test.

In November 2020, IRCC set up a pilot project to offer some citizenship tests online.