Becomming a canadian citizen?

Question

how hard is it to move to canada from the states?

i will have a well paying job. i don't know if that matters for anything.

what has to be done and how long does it take?!

Answer 1

I'm actually in the process of doing this now as well and it is not easy at all.  In Feb of 2008, the Canadian gov't changed their rules and all applications were put on hold.  They decided to add a caveat that allows them to quickly reject applications altogether and it has created an incredible backlog.  The application process itself is very time consuming and expensive (I'm already in for over $6000 to my lawyers in Toronto and there is no guarantee that my app won't be rejected even though I am young, have a college degree and am trying to enter as a skilled worker).  It might be easier if you live in canada, but I am living in the U.S. and travel back and forth so my residency is the U.S.

Good luck.  BTW, a well paying job does matter.  They will want to see tax returns.

Answer 2

It's pretty lax. Live here for a bit, work here for a bit, don't go to jail. You already speak English.

To be eligible to become a Canadian citizen, you must meet the requirements in all of the following areas:

    * Age

    * Permanent resident status

    * Time lived in Canada

    * Language abilities

    * Criminal history (prohibitions)

    * Knowledge of Canada

Age

You must be at least 18 years old to apply for Canadian citizenship.

To apply for citizenship for a child under 18, make sure the following conditions are met:

    * the person applying is the child’s parent, adoptive parent or legal guardian

    * the child is a permanent resident, but does not need to have lived in Canada for three years and

    * one parent is already a Canadian citizen or is applying to become a citizen at the same time. This also applies to adoptive parents.

Permanent resident status

To become a Canadian citizen, you must have permanent resident status in Canada, and that status must not be in doubt. This means you must not be the subject of an immigration investigation, an immigration inquiry or a removal order (an order from Canadian officials to leave Canada).

Time lived in Canada

To become Canadian citizens, adults must have lived in Canada for at least three years (1,095 days) in the past four years before applying. Children do not need to meet this requirement.

You may be able to count time you spent in Canada before you became a permanent resident if that time falls within the four-year period.

Use the citizenship calculator to find out if you have lived in Canada long enough to apply for citizenship.

Language abilities

Canada has two official languages—English and French. You need to be able to speak one of these two languages well enough to communicate with people. In other words, you must know enough English or French to understand other people and for them to understand you.

Criminal history (prohibitions)

You cannot become a citizen if you:

    * have been convicted of an indictable (criminal) offence or an offence under the Citizenship Act in the three years before you apply

    * are currently charged with an indictable offence or an offence under the Citizenship Act

    * are in prison, on parole or on probation

    * are under a removal order (have been ordered by Canadian officials to leave Canada)

    * are under investigation for, are charged with, or have been convicted of a war crime or a crime against humanity or

    * have had your Canadian citizenship taken away in the past five years.

If you are on probation or are charged with an offence and are awaiting trial, you should wait until after the probation has ended or the trial is over to apply for citizenship.

If you have spent time on probation, on parole or in prison in the last four years, you may not meet the residence requirement for citizenship.

Time in prison or on parole does not count as residence in Canada. Time on probation also does not count as residence in Canada if you were convicted of an offence. If you have spent time on probation from a conditional discharge, it may be counted toward residence. For details, contact the Call Centre (see Contact Us at the top of this page).

Knowledge of Canada

To become a citizen, you must know the rights and responsibilities of citizens, such as the right and responsibility to vote. You must also know some things about Canada’s history and geography, and about its political system.

The information you need to know is in our free booklet A Look at Canada. We will send you a copy of it once we have received your application. The questions in the citizenship test are based on the information in this booklet.

Answer 3

If you're not a permanent resident yet, then you have to 1st go through Immigration. Then after 3 years of being a permanent resident you can apply for citizenship. If you have a job offer then that is good since you get points for that under the Skilled Worker category, and its also part of the Provincial Nominee program and even part of the new Canadian Experience Class. It can take a while...few months to a year, however you can get a work permit for the time being, then live and work in Canada while your application is being processed. More details can be found here:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/i...