When can you apply for Canadian citizenship?
Work out the exact day you reach 1,095 days of physical presence, including half-day credit for your time here before PR, then check the requirements presence does not cover.
The rules
How the 1,095-day rule actually works
The window moves with you
The 5 years are counted back from the day you sign the application, not from a calendar year and not from the day IRCC opens the envelope. That has a useful consequence: waiting does not just add days at the front, it also drops old absences off the back. Someone who spent six months abroad four and a half years ago can become eligible simply by waiting for that trip to fall out of the window.
A part of a day is a whole day
If you were in Canada for any part of a calendar day, that day counts in full. Landing at 11:45pm counts. So does leaving at 12:30am. This is why the day you depart and the day you return are both days of presence, and why an overnight trip across the border costs you nothing at all.
Pre-PR time is worth half, up to a point
Days in Canada before you became a PR, while you held temporary resident status (worker, student, visitor, permit holder) or protected person status, count as half a day each. The credit stops at 365 days, which takes 730 calendar days to earn. Anything beyond that is worth nothing, and days where you held no status at all are worth nothing either. Because the credit caps at 365, you always need at least 730 days as an actual permanent resident.
What does not count
Time serving a sentence in Canada, on parole or on probation is excluded. So is time spent waiting on a refugee claim before status was granted, and time in Canada without any status. Crown servants posted abroad, and family accompanying them, are the exception in the other direction: their days outside Canada count in full, which this calculator does not model.
FAQ
Common questions
How many days do I need to be in Canada to apply for Canadian citizenship?
You need at least 1,095 days (3 years) of physical presence in Canada during the 5 years immediately before the day you sign your application, and at least 730 of those days must be days you held permanent resident status.
Does time in Canada before I became a permanent resident count?
Yes, at half rate. Each day in Canada as a temporary resident (worker, student, visitor, permit holder) or as a protected person counts as half a day, up to a maximum of 365 days of credit. Reaching that cap takes 730 calendar days. Only days that fall inside your 5-year window count.
Do the day I leave Canada and the day I come back count as days in Canada?
Yes. A day counts in full if you were physically in Canada for any part of it, so both the departure day and the return day are days of presence. A trip that leaves on Friday and returns on Sunday costs you one day, not three.
When exactly does the 5-year window start?
It is measured back from the date you sign the application, not the date IRCC receives it and not a calendar year. Signing on 1 October 2026 gives a window of 2 October 2021 to 1 October 2026. Every day you wait moves the window forward by one day, which is why the window can drop old absences off the back.
Do I have to file taxes to become a Canadian citizen?
You must have met your Canadian income tax filing obligations for at least 3 of the 5 tax years that fall inside your eligibility period, for every year in which you were required to file under the Income Tax Act.
Who has to take the citizenship test and prove language ability?
Applicants aged 18 to 54 on the day they apply. They must prove English or French speaking and listening at Canadian Language Benchmark 4 or higher and pass the citizenship test. Applicants under 18 or over 54 are exempt from both.
Should I apply on the exact day I hit 1,095 days?
Most people do not. A presence shortfall is a refusal, not a request for more documents, and the fee is not refunded. Leaving a cushion of a few weeks covers a trip you forgot or a date you misremembered, and it costs you almost nothing given how long processing takes.
Does time on parole, probation or in prison count towards physical presence?
No. That time is excluded from the count, and serving a sentence is also a prohibition in its own right, so it delays an application twice over.
Still on the road to PR?
The tracker and the draw history cover everything before the landing date this calculator starts from.