Important Amendments to the Citizenship Act took effect on October 11, 2017
Here are the new changes implemented on October 11, 2017:
| Previous Citizenship Act | Citizenship Act with Bill C-6 Amendments |
| Applicants had to be physically present in Canada for four out of six years before applying for citizenship | Applicants must be physically present in Canada for three out of five years before applying for citizenship |
| Applicants had to file Canadian income taxes, if required to do so under the Income Tax Act, for four out of six years, matching the physical presence requirement | Applicants must file Canadian income taxes, if required to do so under the Income Tax Act, for three out of five years, matching the new physical presence requirement |
| Applicants had to be physically present in Canada for 183 days in four out of the six years preceding their application | This provision is repealed. Applicants no longer have to meet this requirement |
| Time spent in Canada prior to becoming a permanent resident did not count towards the physical presence requirement for citizenship | Applicants may count each day they were physically present in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person before becoming a permanent resident as a half-day toward meeting the physical presence requirement for citizenship, up to a maximum credit of 365 days |
| Applicants between 14 and 64 years had to meet the language and knowledge requirements for citizenship | Applicants between 18 and 54 years must meet the language and knowledge requirements for citizenship |
Many permanent residents welcomed these new changes.
More changes are expected to take effect in early 2018. Here is the link: httpss://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2017/06/bill_c-6_receivesroyalassent0.html
Source: IRCC website
