After many applicants obtain a Canadian green card, their first concern is what requirements must be met to maintain their green card qualifications in the future. If the residence period is met at one time, how soon can they obtain citizenship at the earliest. Now I will explain to you the qualifications for Canadian green card extension, what circumstances do not meet the residence requirements, and how to submit a citizenship application.

Maple Leaf Card Renewal

The Canada Maple Leaf Card is valid for five years, and if you want to extend the card, you must meet certain eligibility requirements.

Meet the basic conditions for renewal:

You must have Canadian permanent resident status, that is, PR status. In some cases, even if the Maple Leaf Card expires, the applicant is still considered a permanent resident. However, if the applicant takes the initiative to apply to surrender the Maple Leaf Card during the expiration period, he will lose his permanent resident status.

2. The application needs to be submitted within the country;

Residency requirements:

Generally speaking, you need to meet the condition of living in the country for a total of two years in the five years before submitting the extension request. It should be pointed out that under three special circumstances, overseas residence experience can also be regarded as the length of residence in Canada, including the following circumstances:

Settling abroad with Canadian citizens, including taking care of your spouse or raising children, as well as supporting your parents

Full-time employees assigned to work overseas by Canadian-registered companies or government agencies;

To provide care for relatives abroad who are permanent residents or citizens of Canada for government personnel or corporate employees working or serving in Canada.

Calculation of residence time:

Nowadays, automatic inspection equipment is mostly used when passing through the border, and there is no customs clearance stamp on the document. If you really can’t remember the exact date of return, you can go to the Canada Border Services Agency to check your entry and exit information. It usually takes about thirty days to check the entry and exit information.

Processing time (approximately):

Renew Maple Leaf Card: 24 days

First time logging in, waiting for Maple Leaf Card: 13 days

Presented here is the registration time in the official system on February 25, 2020. It should be noted that this time will continue to change. If you want to know the most accurate current progress, you must go to the relevant webpage of the immigration department to verify.

Application fee: CAD 50/applicant

Expedited processing:

If the applicant must leave the country immediately within the next ninety days due to personal or relative poor health or work reasons, he can apply for priority processing. However, whether priority processing can be given to you will ultimately be determined by the immigration management personnel.

When applying for a travel permit, if the applicant is waiting for the renewal of the Maple Leaf Card and needs to leave Canada temporarily, since he does not have a valid Maple Leaf Card as a return voucher, he must apply for this special document. This kind of document is also called a return paper and can usually be obtained at Canadian overseas embassies and consulates.

Canadian naturalization

As we all know, the Canadian Citizenship Act underwent major adjustments and became more stringent when the conservatives were in power. Now the liberal government in power has fulfilled its previous promise and implemented a broader citizen registration system since November 10, 2017. In essence, it has revoked the previous reform measures and restored it to its previous status. The details are as follows:

Age: Those who are over 18 years old are eligible to apply independently. Those under 18 years old can be assisted by their parents or legal representatives. The current naturalization policy also supports minors to apply for nationality independently.

The status when submitting the application is permanent resident status, which requires special attention. The expiration of the Maple Leaf Card will not hinder the citizenship application process.

When applying, you need to prove that the total length of residence within five years is up to three years. There is no requirement to live for a specific number of days each year. Within five years after submitting the application, the period of holding a Canadian tourist visa, student status, or work permit can be counted as up to one year of residence.

Tax filing records: 3 years of tax filing records within 5 years;

Aged between 18 and 54 years old, you must submit proof of English or French proficiency, have proof of study or completion of studies in Canada, or pass the language assessment. Both the oral proficiency test and the listening proficiency test must meet the CLB4 standard, which is equivalent to IELTS G speaking 4.0 and listening 4.5.

Take the Citizenship Test: Complete the Citizenship Test to demonstrate your knowledge of Canada (for applicants between the ages of 18 and 54);

Fee: CAD 630 for adults, CAD 100 for minors;

Processing time: 12 months; below is a screenshot of the official website

Advantages of naturalization:

1. Visa-free access to 172 countries around the world;

2. Enjoy the right to vote and be elected;

3. No need to be subject to the so-called "immigration prison" restrictions;

4. Enjoy all benefits in Canada;

The editor would like to remind friends who intend to become Canadian citizens to note that China does not recognize dual nationality, so once you successfully obtain Canadian citizenship, you must return your People's Republic of China passport.