"Does Marrying a Canadian Grant Me Citizenship?" Canada Addresses Controversial Question

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has addressed a highly debated question regarding marriage and citizenship
• The Canadian government stated clearly whether marrying a Canadian citizen automatically grant the spouse Canadian citizenship or not
• Foreign spouses would have to follow some of the standard migration requirements, as listed by ICC

Among the global immigration community, there is a common misconception that marrying a citizen of a country like Canada offers an automatic passport or a direct fast-track to citizenship.

Dispelling this myth, Canada’s official immigration department, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), has cleared the air, outlining the exact legal steps required for spouses of Canadian citizens to obtain citizenship.

Canada comments on citizenship by marriage myth

In a guide published on its official portal, the IRCC clarified that a marriage certificate alone does not grant citizenship rights.

The immigration department stated:

"No. Marrying a Canadian citizen doesn’t give you citizenship. If you want to become a Canadian citizen, you must follow the same steps as everyone else. There isn’t a special process for spouses of Canadian citizens."

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Canada mentions how many days you must spend in the country before applying for citizenship

This means that whether an immigrant is married to a Canadian or not, they must undergo the exact same rigorous evaluation and screening processes.

Steps foreign spouse takes for Canadian citizenship

For a foreign spouse to eventually become a Canadian citizen, they must go through a two-stage process:

Stage 1: Spousal Sponsorship for Permanent Residency (PR)

If a foreign spouse does not already live in Canada or does not have permanent resident status, their Canadian partner must first officially sponsor them.

Stage 2: Meeting the Citizenship Requirements

Once the spouse is officially a permanent resident, they can begin working toward citizenship. To qualify, they must meet the standard citizenship requirements.

3 circumstances Canada may revoke your citizenship

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Canadian government has outlined the official circumstances under which a person's citizenship can be taken away.

Anyone whose citizenship is revoked by the Canadian government must wait 10 years before they can apply to become a citizen again.

Source: Legit.ng