Physical presence
An adult applicant generally needs at least 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada during the 5 years before signing the citizenship application, including at least 730 days as a permanent resident. Eligible time in Canada before becoming a permanent resident as a temporary resident or protected person can count as half a day, up to a maximum credit of 365 days.
Citizenship research checklist
Physical presence
Calculate days carefully using travel history and status dates.
Income tax
Check whether tax filing obligations for the relevant years are met.
Language
Applicants in the applicable age range must prove language ability using accepted evidence.
Knowledge test
Applicants in the applicable age range may need to pass the citizenship knowledge test.
Prohibitions
Criminal, security, immigration or other prohibitions can affect eligibility.
Oath
Approved applicants complete the citizenship oath before becoming Canadian citizens.
Do not count days casually
Border stamps alone may be incomplete. Build a travel chronology using passports, tickets, work/study records, tax documents and other records as needed, then compare it with the official physical-presence calculator.