If you’ve been living in Canada as a permanent resident, you may be working toward becoming a citizen of Canada too. While permanent residents have most of the same benefits as Canadian citizens, getting your citizenship certificate will allow you to apply for a Canadian passport, register to vote, run for office, and qualify for other privileges.
To become a citizen, you’ll need to pass the Canadian citizenship test. Luckily, there are ways you can get some Canadian citizenship test practice before you actually take it.
Can You Take The Canadian Citizenship Test?
You can apply for Canadian citizenship if you pass certain eligibility requirements:
- Be a permanent resident of Canada
- Demonstrate your language abilities (English, French, etc.)
- Have resided in Canada for at least 3 out of the last 5 years (1,095 days)
- Have filed your income taxes during that time (if you must pass a citizenship test)
If you’re 18 to 54 years old on the day that you sign your application, you must take a Canadian citizenship test with Citizenship and Immigration Canada. During it, you have to answer questions about the rights and responsibilities of our citizens, as well as our:
- Laws
- Government
- Economy
- Geography
- History
- Symbols
If you fall into any of the categories below, there will be additional or different eligibility requirements when you apply for Canadian citizenship:
- Applying on behalf of a minor (under 18 years old)
- Canadian applying for an adopted child born outside of Canada
- Current or former member of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and applying under the “fast-track” process
- Past Canadian citizen who needs their citizenship back (including current and former CAF members)
Keep in mind that being the spouse of a Canadian citizen doesn’t mean you’re entitled to Canadian citizenship. If you marry a Canadian, you must meet the criteria above. If you have a Canadian parent or grandparent, you could be a Canadian citizen already.
How Much Does It Cost To Apply For A Canadian Citizenship?
You can apply for your Canadian citizenship by visiting the Government of Canada website or sending them a paper application by post. The fees are the same either way:
- $630 for an adult (age 18 or older)
- $100 for a minor (under age 18)
However, no matter which method you choose, you must pay your fees online first and include your receipts when you send in your application for Canadian citizenship.
What If You Can’t Afford To Pay For The Canadian Citizen Application Upfront?
If you can’t afford to apply for Canadian citizenship upfront, you may want to consider a personal loan, which is a lump sum of cash you can borrow from a bank (or alternative lender if you can’t qualify with a bank) and use it to pay your application fees. You’ll then be left with a set repayment term, allowing you to spread those costs out over time.
To qualify for the largest personal loans with the best terms and interest rates, it’s very important to have a good credit score of around 700 to 900 when you apply. If you have a bad credit score of roughly 300 to 600, you may get denied or charged higher rates for loans. If you don’t know your credit score, you can check it for free using CompareHub.
Where Can You Get The Canadian Citizenship Test Practice?
Currently, Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Canadians is the only official study guide for the Canadian citizenship test. It’s what all the test questions are based on and is available for free from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. It contains everything you need to know about Canada’s history, government, symbols and regions.
Be wary that if you use study materials other than the Discover Canada manual, you’re doing so at your own risk. Also, there are small differences between the electronic, print, and audio versions of the manual, but they won’t affect your ability to study for the test.
Canadian Citizenship Practice Test Questions
If you download this Discover Canada manual as an ebook or PDF, you’ll find a series of study questions for the Canadian citizenship practice test on Page 52. With the online version, they’re located on Page 16. If you’re listening to the audio version, you’ll hear the study questions section at around the 2:20 mark of the 2 hour and 53-minute video.
According to the manual, here are some questions that are similar to the ones you’ll find on the Canadian citizenship test, which you can use to study for it:
- What are the three (3) responsibilities of citizenship?
- What is the meaning of the Remembrance Day poppy?
- How are Members of the Parliament chosen?
- What are the three (3) branches of the government?
What Do You Do After The Citizenship Ceremony?
Once you pass your Canadian citizenship test, you’re required to attend a ceremony, where you’ll take the Oath of Citizenship and receive your Certificate of Citizenship. Then, as soon as you’re a citizen of Canada, you can start getting involved in your community, register to vote, apply for a Canadian passport, and run for political office.
Looking To Get Your Canadian Citizenship?
Then make sure to study and get in a lot of Canadian citizenship test practice. While the testing process is long and complicated at points, the effort will be worthwhile once you obtain all the rights and freedoms of a Canadian citizen.
Cool Facts About Canada
- The Quebec Act of 1774 was passed by the British Parliament and repealed British assimilation efforts in Quebec.
- The three main Fathers of Confederation are: Sir John A. MacDonald, George Brown, Sir George-Étienne Cartier.
- Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were the first to form the confederation.
- The Canada Pacific Railway (CPR) company built the transcontinental that linked British Columbia to Montreal.
- Canada did not get the maple leaf flag until 1965.
- Quebec held two independence referendums: one in 1976 and another in 1995.
- The head of Canada is the British sovereign, currently King Charles III, but Canada is a constitutional monarchy.
- The three parts of Parliament are the Sovereign, The House of Commons, and the Senate.
- Every year, Canadians wear the poppy to remember the sacrifice of Canadians who have served or died in wars up to the present day.
- Canada is a founding member of Organisation internationale de La Francophonie, also known as La Francophonie, an international association of French-speaking countries.
- Canada has three main aboriginal groups: First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.
- Dr. Wilder Penfield pioneered brain surgery at McGill University in Montreal, and was called “the greatest living Canadian.”
Canadian Citizenship Test FAQs
How long is the Canadian citizenship test?
What do you need to pass the Canadian citizenship test?
- A piece of identification, like your permanent resident card or driver’s license
- Your application number and unique client identifier (UCI)
- A valid email address
- A reliable internet connection and a Chrome or Safari web browser
- A desktop computer, laptop, or tablet with a webcam
- No other applications open, good visibility, and no one else in the room
