Residence Calculator

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The residence calculator is for permanent residents applying for citizenship as adults (18 years of age or older).

You can use the calculator to find out if you have lived in Canada long enough to be eligible for citizenship. If you have, the calculator will tell you that you are eligible to apply. If you have not, it will tell you when you will be eligible to apply.

What is the residence requirement?
To be eligible for Canadian citizenship, you must have lived in Canada for at least three years (1,095 days) out of the four years (1,460 days) preceding your application. Please note that you cannot meet the residence requirements for citizenship without a minimum of two (2) years as a permanent resident.

When calculating your time in Canada:

• only the four (4) years preceding the date of your application are taken into account;
• each day you lived in Canada before you became a permanent resident counts as half a day;
• each day you lived in Canada after you became a permanent resident counts as one day;
• time spent serving a sentence for an offence in Canada (e.g. prison, penitentiary, jail, reformatory, conditional sentence, probation and/or parole) cannot be counted toward residence - there are some exceptions to this rule;
• absences from Canada may have an impact on your residence. Only a citizenship judge can determine if you meet the residence requirements with fewer than 1,095 days of physical presence.

In order to help you decide when to apply, the residence calculator does three different calculations:

• basic residence,
• basic residence taking into account time spent serving a sentence, and
• physical presence.

How do I use the residence calculator?

• Fill in all the required information
• Make sure you enter all dates correctly
• Make sure you list all time spent serving a sentence in Canada in the last four years
• Make sure you list all your time away from Canada in the last four years

What happens next?
The calculator will tell you if you meet the residence requirement.

If you meet the residence requirement, you can print the calculation and attach a copy to your Application for Canadian Citizenship - Adults. If you attach a copy, you do not need to fill in sections 7(e) and 7(g) of the application. Simply check the box 'Residence Calculator results submitted with my application'. Make sure that the date of application used in this calculation and the date of signature on the application form and on the calculation printout are the same.

If you do not meet the residence requirement, the calculator will give you a date when you should be eligible to apply. You can print the results for your records. When you are eligible to apply, you should redo the calculation before sending in your application. Your circumstances might have changed. For example, you might have more absences and this could impact your eligibility.

For more information
Consult Frequently Asked Questions or call the Citizenship and Immigration Call Centre.