Guides · When to apply
When can I apply for citizenship after PR?
You reach citizenship’s physical presence requirement on the first day that the five years before it hold 1,095 days in Canada, at least 730 of them as a permanent resident. With no trips and no time in Canada before PR, that is 1,095 days — three years — after the day you became a PR. Time in Canada before PR can bring the date closer, by up to 365 days; trips move it later.
Checked against IRCC’s pages on 17 October 2026. Sources: Canadian citizenship: who can apply, IRCC Help Centre: recalculating after a returned application.
What moves the date
- Time before PR. Days in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person inside the window count half, up to 365 days of credit — see does time before PR count.
- Trips. Each full day outside Canada is a day the count doesn’t have, so trips push the date later — see how IRCC counts your days.
- The 730 as a PR. At least 730 of the days must be as a permanent resident, so the date is never less than 730 days after you became one.
Find your date
The calculator gives the date your days are there, as things stand, and how a planned trip would move it.
Becoming a citizen
19 February 2027
By this count, you reach 1,095 days in Canada then — 124 days from today.
34 days later with the plan.
Keeping your PR status
858 days
in Canada in the last 5 years. 730 needed · it holds.
More about these dates
By this count, you reach 1,095 days on 25 March 2027.
That is 158 days from today. 113.5 of them are credit for days before PR. The planned Brazil trip moves it later by 34 days; without it, by this count, 19 February 2027.
PR card: by this count you have 858 days in the last 5 years — 730 needed. It holds.
Your five years since PR end on 15 April 2029. The planned Brazil trip keeps the 730.
Estimates. Confirm with IRCC’s physical presence calculator before you apply.
Keep counting with an account: these dates and trips go with you, and the count stays up to date.
This browser didn’t let the page keep your dates, so they can’t go with you. Make an account anyway and add them there.
These are example dates — replace them with yours.
The days left
Every day, five years
25 Mar 2022 – 24 Mar 2027 · 1,826 days
The five years start 25 Mar 2022, but nothing counts before 1 Sep 2023, so the calendar starts there. The window slides with the date.
Every day from 25 March 2022 to 24 March 2027. 3 trips taken, 58 days away in all. 1 planned trip. By this count, the 1,095 days are there on 25 March 2027. Without the plan, 19 February 2027. Today is 18 October 2026. Brazil: 20 Dec 2024 to 8 Jan 2025, 18 days away. Portugal: 1 Jul 2025 to 21 Jul 2025, 19 days away. Brazil: 19 Dec 2025 to 10 Jan 2026, 21 days away. Brazil, planned: 20 Jan 2027 to 24 Feb 2027, 34 days away.
The same count has a page of its own: the citizenship calculator.
The rest of what you need
- Valid permanent resident status. An expired PR card is fine.
- Income taxes filed, if you had to file them, for at least 3 of the 5 years before you apply.
- If you are 18 to 54 on the day you sign: speaking and listening in English or French at level 4 of the Canadian Language Benchmarks (NCLC 4 in French), and the citizenship test.
- No prohibition — most are for criminal or security reasons; canada.ca explains them.
Before you sign
Count again on the day you sign. The date in your calculation must be the date you sign your application, and that date can’t be in the future, or more than 90 days before IRCC receives the application. IRCC encourages applying with more than 1,095 days, in case something in the count is off.
Questions
Can I apply for citizenship with an expired PR card?
Yes. canada.ca’s eligibility page says a valid or expired PR card will do; what matters is that you still have permanent resident status.
Does my child need 1,095 days too?
It depends on who applies with them. A child with a Canadian parent, or a parent applying at the same time (minor 5(2)), has no physical presence requirement in canada.ca’s list. A child without one (minor 5(1)) needs 1,095 days in the five years before the application is signed, at least 730 of them as a permanent resident.
Does marrying a Canadian shorten the wait?
No. Marrying a Canadian citizen doesn’t make you one: you still meet the requirements yourself.