Hi Massoodji,

Let me first thank you for your active participation in this forum. You are great resource to everyone.

I landed in Canada in April 2001 on student visa. In April 2004, I got the immigration. So I am wondering, how much time from April 2001- March 2004 will be considered towards the citizenship? (I have been told that Max. one year is considered,. When I called citizenship processing centre, they told me that half of the time spend as student). I'd appreciate if you could shed some light on this subject.

Thanks for the reply.

hi Swabha,

Current citizenship regulations require that you reside in Canada for 36 months (3 years) within the four years leading up to the day that you apply for citizenship. Out of these four years, the time that you hold \\\"Permanent Resident\\\" (Landed Immigrant) status is counted in full. Time spent in Canada in any other legal immigration status (student visa, work permit) is counted half.

The law ONLY considers residence during the four-year window, so if for example) you spent six years in Canada on a work permit or a student visa, and then remained as a landed immigrant, you wouldn't be able to count half of that entire six-year period and immediately apply for citizenship based on three years of Canadian residence.

A side effect of the four-year window is that time spent in Canada prior to becoming a permanent resident can only reduce your required minimum residence period as a PR by, at most, one year. If you spend two (or more) years in Canada immediately before becoming a PR, and then spend two more years in Canada as a PR, you could apply for citizenship based on three = (2 + (1/2 x 2)) years of residence. But there's no way you can do it without spending at least two years in Canada as a PR. This isn't spelt out in black and white in the current Citizenship Act, but it's an implicit mathematical consequence of the rules.

Hope that clear your confusion

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizen/howto-e.html" target="_blank">http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizen/howto-e.html</a>

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Sukhwinder Singh