Canada Lists 3 Categories Of Applicants Who Can Get Citizenship Without Meeting Certain Requirements

Canada Lists 3 Categories Of Applicants Who Can Get Citizenship Without Meeting Certain Requirements

  • Canada's immigration authority identifies three groups of applicants who are automatically exempt from certain citizenship requirements without needing to request a waiver
  • Adults aged 55 and above fall under the automatic exemptions, alongside all minors under 18 and a specific subset of younger children
  • Despite the exemptions, all three groups must still satisfy other core citizenship conditions set out by the IRCC

Canada's Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has outlined three categories of applicants who are automatically exempt from certain requirements when applying for Canadian citizenship, meaning they do not need to submit a waiver request to skip those conditions.

The exemptions apply only to specific requirements and do not remove the obligation to meet all other citizenship criteria.

Canada publishes guidance on citizenship.
Canada outlines citizenship applicants who can skip certain requirements. Photo credit: The Time, NurPhoto/ Getty Images.
Source: UGC

The 3 Categories of Automatic Exemptions

According to the IRCC, the three groups are:

1. Adults aged 55 and above do not need to prove their language skills in English or French, and do not need to take the citizenship test.

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2. All minors under 18 do not need to prove their language skills in English or French, and do not need to take the citizenship test.

3. Minors under 14 do not need to take the oath of citizenship.

What These Applicants Must Still Meet

Being automatically exempt from certain requirements does not mean these applicants are free from all obligations under the citizenship process.

Adults aged 55 and above must still be permanent residents, demonstrate sufficient physical presence in Canada, file income taxes if required, take the oath of citizenship, and must not be under a prohibition.

For minors, the requirements vary slightly depending on age. All minors must be permanent residents and must not be under a prohibition.

However, minors between the ages of 14 and 17 are still required to take the oath of citizenship once their application is approved. Only minors under the age of 14 are exempt from the oath.

It is also worth noting the distinction between automatic exemptions and waivers.

Other adult applicants between the ages of 18 and 54 who are unable to meet certain requirements, such as proving language skills or passing the citizenship test, may apply for a waiver, but approval is not guaranteed.

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The three groups listed above do not need to go through that process at all since their exemptions are already built into the eligibility framework.

Canada lists offence that may get foreign spouses deported

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Canada's Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada flagged marriage fraud as the key risk that could cost a foreign spouse their permanent resident status.

Sponsored spouses found to have entered non-genuine relationships face misrepresentation charges and possible removal from Canada.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Ankrah Shalom avatar

Ankrah Shalom (Human-Interest editor) Shalom Ankrah is a journalist and a Human Interest Editor at Legit.ng with over six years of experience. She has a degree in Mass communication from Alex Ekwueme University. Shalom has worked with reputable news organizations including The Tide and GistReel. Email: ankrah.shalom@corp.legit.ng.