Difference between revisions of "How to Apply for a Citizenship Grant (17:VI)"

=== 1. Interview and Test ===

All adult applicants and some minor applicants will be scheduled for a meeting with a citizenship officer, which is generally referred to as an “interview”. This interview happens the same day that the citizenship test is scheduled, and is conducted at the test location. The applicant must bring with them their passports, and other documents that they provided as part of their citizenship application. They should be prepared to speak briefly with the citizenship officer conducting the Interview in English or French, and the officer may ask questions about the application (such as requesting clarification on travel dates or other facts that are material to the application).

Where an applicant meets a minimum language requirement (which are assessed at the interview), meets the residency requirements, and has no suspected prohibitions, he or she will be required to take a written examination if his or her age is between 18 and 54 years. Applicants may be able to have an oral test instead if they have problems like difficulty in reading and writing in English or French. The examination consists of multiple-choice questions and true or false questions. It tests an applicant’s knowledge of Canada, including aspects of history, geography, economy, government, laws, symbols, citizens’ rights and responsibilities. There will be 20 questions and an applicant need to get 15 correct answers to pass the test. It is mandatory for citizenship applicants to correctly answer two questions related to s 15(a) of the Citizenship Regulations and one question related to s 15(b). Subsection 15(a) sets out the right to vote and run for elected office and s 15(b) deals with voting procedures. Applicants who fail their first citizenship test, but otherwise met all other criteria, have the opportunity to rewrite the test about 4-8 weeks later before being referred to a citizenship officer. If the applicant passes the test, he or she returns later for the citizenship ceremony.

Questions in the citizenship test are based on the information provided in a free booklet called ''Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship''. IRCC will send this booklet to applicants once their applications for citizenship are filed. [http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/ A PDF version of the booklet] can also be downloaded from the IRCC website.

The test takes place in a relatively informal environment where the applicants are required to write the exam on their laps. The majority of people find the 30 minutes provided to be sufficient to finish the exam. However, people who lack adequate knowledge of English or French could experience difficulties with passing the test.