How to Apply for a Citizenship Grant (17:VI)

A. The Process

1. Mail-in Process

A citizenship application has to be mailed in on the proper forms provided by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration. The new forms are easy to understand and to complete. To order a citizenship application, phone the Immigration and Citizenship Canada Call Centre or consult the website (see Section II.B: Resources, above). All appropriate application forms and accompanying literature will be mailed directly to the client. In-person application assistance is not available from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

The Department of Citizenship and Immigration publishes Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship, a book that gives general information regarding the right to vote in elections and run for elected office, voting procedures, and chief characteristics of Canadian physical and political geography. It will help the applicant answer questions in the written test he or she must take to become a citizen. This book is mailed to the applicant after the application for a citizenship grant has been received at the case processing centre.

An application should be completed as fully as possible. Only the full legal names of the person seeking citizenship will appear on the certificate of citizenship. The name on the permanent resident document will appear on the certificate of citizenship unless legal name change documents have been submitted.

2. Materials Required with Application

LSLAP clinicians should encourage clients to carefully fill in all the forms they receive in the mail or from the website. Those forms will be the most current, and can be found at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/become.asp The application will list the documents that are needed, which will vary depending on the applicant’s particular situation. Any document that is not in English or French must be accompanied by the English or French translation and by an affidavit from the person who completed the translation. Documents that are usually required with all applications are:

• a birth certificate or other satisfactory proof of the applicant’s date and place of birth
• Record of Landing or Permanent Resident Card
• satisfactory language evidence
• satisfactory proof of entry into Canada and of lawful admission for permanent residence. This could include passport(s) or a Certificate of Identity
• a Certificate of Marriage or legal name change document if the applicant’s name has recently changed
• a provincial identification card, such as a driver’s license, care card, extended health card, or B.C. ID

In addition to these documents, the applicant must supply two identical photographs that:

• have been taken within the last twelve months
• show a full front view of the head and shoulders without head covering, unless a head covering is worn for religious purposes
• must be 35 mm (1-3/8”') by 53 mm (2 1/16”') plus a 10 mm (3/8”') white signature strip at the bottom.
  • NOTE: These photos are smaller than passport photos, and are different than those required for Permanent Resident Cards. Check to make sure that the applicant has signed his or her photographs and the signature matches the applicant's signature on the application.

This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by LSLAP 1 and LSLAP 2, August 10, 2015.

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