How many days do I need to be in Canada before applying for citizenship?

The number of days required in Canada before you can apply for citizenship is set by federal law under the Citizenship Act. The requirement is a minimum number of days of physical presence in Canada within a defined reference period calculated back from your application date. Days spent in Canada as a temporary resident before you became a permanent resident count, but at a lesser rate than days spent as a permanent resident.

The calculation requires careful record-keeping. IRCC may ask for evidence of your travel history, including entry and exit records, passport stamps, and potentially airline boarding passes or other supporting documents. Overstating your days in Canada on your application is a serious matter that can result in refusal and, in extreme cases, fraud allegations.

Because the rules for counting days — especially partial days and time as a temporary resident — are technical and easy to miscalculate, it is worth doing the calculation carefully before applying. IRCC provides guidance documents and calculation tools on its website. If you are close to the threshold, a lawyer can verify your calculation. Applying before you have met the full requirement will result in a refusal, so confirming eligibility first is important.