"How easy is it become a Canadian citizen?"

[theducks]

Today on IRC, hipikat asked the above question.

The short answer, for people like he and I, it is pretty easy, but it'll cost you about $2500 per person, and require you to clear-fell a small section of amazonian rainforest over the 4 and a half years it takes for various paperwork (80+ pages).


Anyway, the long answer is..

There are provisos.. it is especially easy if you're an Australian (or Brit) between 18-31, and work in IT (or a few other careers), at a NOC skill level A, B or 0, and want to move to BC or Alberta.

If you want to move to Ontario under PNP, currently the answer is tough luck, Ontario's PNP is in pilot stages and limited to 500 people per year, and must be employer driven, etc, but with recent changes significantly restricting the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) class, I can see it changing soon.

Alternate options: Marry a Canadian, find a Canadian employer who will do the paperwork to get you an FSW PR Visa, and hold the job vacant for you while this is processed (which could take some time initially), get rich and buy citizenship (current price is $400,000)

So, assuming you go the quick and dirty PNP route;

There are 9 phases to go through to become a Canadian citizen.

Phase 1: Pre arrival
- Get 2 year Working Holiday Program Letter of Introduction (LOI) - $165
- Start looking for work
- Find accommodation

Phase 2: WHP arrival, initial settlement
- Arrive with $4000 and/or return ticket
- Convince immigration officer to issue Visa on basis of LOI
- Change drivers licences over within 90 days
- Apply for Temporary Worker Social Insurance Number (SIN)
- Sign contracts and start work
- From this point on, any children born in Canada automatically become Canadian citizens (just so you know, we're not planning on doing this :P)

Phase 3: Settled, working in job
- Once it is clear that your new job is not going to fire you, apply to the government of BC, under the Provincial Nominee Program - $550
- Your employer has to fill out some forms for you too
- This application is about 30-40 pages worth of documentation in the end
- Takes 8 weeks to process

Phase 4: PNP Nomination Certificate received
- Apply for Permanent Residency (PR), through Immigration Canada on basis of PNP nomination ($550)
- Another 30-40 pages
- 6-8 months to process

Phase 5: PR checks
- PR application accepted, now bend over..
- Medical check ($300)
- Criminal check ($150)
- Financial check (You must have $10,000 in funds available, plus $2,500 per additional person applying)
- Interview (trip to Seattle)
- Right of Permanent Residence (RPR) fee ($490) if all successful

Phase 6: PR visa issued!
- Another trip across the border and back, visit Immigration to get stampy-town happening (technically you can drive down, then walk to the US, and back..)
- You are now a permanent resident of Canada, and can stay for as long as you like (providing you're there for 3 in every 5 year period)
- Apply for new SIN
- Receive permanent resident card
- Total time taken: 11-13 months
- Total costs incurred to this point: about $2000

Phase 7: The waiting games

Phase 8: Citizenship
- Once you have accrued "3" years in Canada, you can apply for citizenship ($220)
- 3 years means 1095 days, time spent prior to PR is counted half, so assuming it took a year to get PR, you get 6 months credit for that
- Holidays outside Canada are not counted
- Nor is time spent in prison..
- Citizenship application takes 10 months or so
- You cannot apply until you have been there for the required 1095 days, even though your application will take 10 months..

Phase 9: Citizenship acquired
- Swear allegiance to the Queen of Canada (Yelling "Same queen! Same queen!" is not acceptable, apparently)
- Vous etes maintenant un Canadien. Congratulations, you hoser.
- Receive Citizenship Card
- Apply for passport

At this point, you will have spent $2500~ per person, and spent 4 and a half years in country. You can now leave Canada and never come back, and unless you take action to do so, you will remain a Canadian citizen, and so will your children, regardless of where they are born. However, their children will need to spend at least 1 year in Canada before they turn 28 to retain citizenship.

4 and a half years seems like a while, but to put it in perspective, my life 4 years ago:

- Just started working for UCS
- Had been using LJ for 4+ years already
- as for $2500, well, I spent almost that much on a Camera in 2001, and used it until 2006.
- Conclusion: time flies when you're having fun