It’s 2024 Annual Citizenship Week in Canada, and people are celebrating what it means to be Canadian. The celebration week begins on May 13, 2024, and continues until May 19, 2024. Discover more details on Canada’s 2024 Citizenship Week below.

Canada’s 2024 Citizenship Week Celebrations

Recently, Canada’s immigration minister, Marc Miller, announced the beginning of Canada’s annual Citizenship Week, which will run from May 13 to May 19 this year. He stated that this is the time for Canadians to consider what it means to be a citizen of Canada. 

During the week, the Minister will attend various citizenship ceremonies and events. In addition, he will visit local organizations that help newcomers with various services such as official language training and finding employment. 

Notably, between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024, Canada admitted around 393,500 new citizens. This figure has notably surpassed the previous year’s total admissions of around 364,000 new citizens. 

This month’s other newcomer-oriented events include the annual Newcomer Day in Toronto. This day is going to include a citizenship ceremony. Additionally, people in Toronto, on May 23, can go to Nathan Phillips Square and avail of various services. These include accessing information about settlement services, finding jobs, knowing Canada’s history, and more.

What are the top reasons for attaining Canadian Citizenship?

Attaining Canadian Citizenship comes with various advantages. Canadians have a wide range of rights and liberties in a diversified culture. These help promote acceptance of other individuals regardless of their religion, race, gender, or other characteristics.

Canadian citizens can also obtain a Canadian passport. It is also recognized as among the strongest passports worldwide. A Canadian passport permits visa-free access to more than 100 countries across the globe. They may enter and leave Canada without having to seek a visa or permit.

Citizens in Canada can also vote in federal, provincial, and municipal elections. They can also access more government benefits and guaranteed free healthcare (with a provincial health card). 

Moreover, in Canada, post-secondary education is comparatively less expensive for citizens than it is for international students.

How can you obtain Canadian Citizenship?

To attain Canadian Citizenship, an individual must follow several steps. This section will outline the process of achieving Canadian Citizenship.

Firstly, all individuals who want to become Canadian citizens must already have permanent resident status in Canada. Canadian permanent residency is achievable through any one of the numerous immigration pathways in Canada.

Candidates must fulfill the physical residence requirements after obtaining permanent resident status in Canada. In particular, applicants for Citizenship must have lived in Canada for at least three years or 1,095 days within the past five years.

Notably, this does not imply that IRCC will count the three full years after getting permanent residency to calculate the candidate’s physical presence requirement. Instead, IRCC permits candidates to consider time spent as a protected person or temporary resident in Canada within the last five years.

Each day you stay in Canada as a temporary resident is counted as a half day. Also, you can count up to 365 days towards this. 

Finally, you may also need documentation to show that you have filed taxes in Canada for at least three of the last five years. This is especially true for individuals who have operated in Canada as a temporary or permanent resident. Note that individuals who have not filed taxes are ineligible for government refunds, benefits, or credits.

Furthermore, Canadian citizenship applicants are also required to have a CLB score of at least four in either English or French. You can prove this by the following:

• Deliver results from an approved third-party test or
• Offer transcripts or a diploma from a secondary or post-secondary education in English or, French language; or
• Submit evidence of scoring CLB 4 or higher in certain government language programs.

When applicants satisfy these conditions, they must appear for and pass a citizenship test. 

Generally, IRCC conducts a Canadian citizenship test of a duration of 20-30 minutes. This test comprises questions about Canada’s history, geography, and political process, as well as the rights and duties of Canadian Citizenship. In this test, applicants must get 15 points out of 20 to pass the examination.

Canadian Citizenship Ceremonies

Applicants must take part in a citizenship ceremony if they are approved for Canadian Citizenship. In this citizenship ceremony, candidates will have to perform the following. 

• They have to take Citizenship Citizenship;
• Applicants have to obtain their citizenship certificate;
• Applicants must sign the Oath or Affirmation of Citizenship form and
• They must sing the national anthem of Canada.

Notably, this citizenship ceremony occurs in person in front of a judge or via a video link supplied for individuals who are unable to attend in person.

So, this was about Canada’s 2024 Citizenship Week and the overall process of attaining Canadian citizenship.

Are you interested in immigrating to Canada but have concerns about the process and pathways? Feel free to connect with our experienced immigration experts for help at NavaImmigration. You can also send us an email at [email protected].