Citizenship physical-presence requirement

Overview

Citizenship physical-presence requirement

Citizenship applicants generally need 1,095 qualifying days in Canada during the five years immediately before signing. The calculation must include at least 730 days as a permanent resident.

Fix the signing date first

The five-year window ends on the application date. Changing the signing date changes every boundary and can move trips or temporary-resident days into or out of the calculation.

Do not sign after the calculator printout without updating it.

Use limited pre-PR credit

Each eligible day in Canada as an authorized temporary resident or protected person within the window counts as one half-day, to a maximum of 365 days. Time waiting for a refugee claim decision is treated differently.

Status records should support the dates claimed.

Subtract absences and excluded periods

Record every departure and return, including short trips to the United States. Time serving a sentence, on probation or on parole may not count.

Crown-servant rules are narrow and should not be confused with ordinary work abroad for a Canadian company.

Leave a practical margin

IRCC encourages more than 1,095 days because one mistake can make an application premature. Keep passports, CBSA records and address, employment and school evidence.

Travel after applying does not reduce the historical count but can affect ceremony and document delivery logistics.