It's no secret that sometimes the living conditions in his country for some reason may not satisfy a person, and then he turns his attention to other states. And he goes there permanently, hoping to find there that which he so lacked in his homeland. People have always emigrated, do it now and will do so in the future. Residents of Russia very often leave for the American continent. Most often settle, of course, in the United States, but some focus on Canada. However, it’s not enough just to live there: in order to have all the opportunities, benefits and advantages, it is best to obtain citizenship. What does it take to become a citizen of Canada?
Canada in brief
Located on the North American continent, Canada is second only to our country in terms of area. Despite this, the number of inhabitants there is low: a little more than thirty million people. Two languages are considered to be official languages at once - English and French (the majority speak them, but in Quebec and in the adjacent territories the French-speaking population has settled down, the rest is mostly dominated by English), and even more unofficial ones. The capital of the state is Ottawa (and not Toronto, as many are accustomed to think of; however, it is also a very large and significant city), and the Queen of England is the “supreme ruler” (besides her, the country also has a parliament).
Mention of this state dates back to the thirties of the sixteenth century - then French colonies were founded on the site of modern Canada. Then came the colonies of Britain, which ultimately contributed to the birth of the Canadian Confederation and separation from the United Kingdom.
Immigration to Canada from around the world began in the postwar period (meaning, of course, the period after the Second World War). It was then that people began to flock en masse to the Maple Leaf Country, leaving their destroyed, war-damaged cities. Since those years, the demographic situation in the state began to change for the better.
Why canada
It remains to note only some of the features of this country that so attract immigrants from around the world. Really, why Canada? Why is she, like a magnet, attracting immigrants? Each, of course, has its own weighty arguments and reasons, but there are at least two objective reasons, and they, as they say, are worth its weight in gold.
Firstly, Canada has a well-developed economy. Secondly, which is also very, very important, this country has a low crime rate.
Another reason can be called good ecology - Toronto, for example, occupies one of the highest places in the ranking of the cleanest cities in the world. Also, free medical care is available to all residents, and free education to all children. And there are high salaries!
For many people who love to travel and cannot sit still, life in Canada has its advantages also because with a Canadian passport (how to get it, we will tell later) you can visit more than one hundred and fifty countries without a visa! A lover of voyages from Russia can only dream of such visa-free travels.
In addition, immigrants are always welcome in this country: they have special programs at the legislative level to attract new residents. More details about these programs will be discussed later. For now, we only mention that Canadians not only willingly accept new fellow citizens, helping them to become part of their society, but also absorb other people's traditions and culture. By the way, another significant plus: in this power it is allowed to have dual citizenship, which means you can not worry about how to move to Canada without losing the citizenship of your country.
And finally, according to many world polls and ratings, Canada is recognized as one of the best places to live, because it corresponds to this in many different indicators.
About some of the shortcomings
How to obtain Canadian citizenship to a Russian citizen is described further in the article, but first you need to highlight some of the disadvantages of life in this truly beautiful country. There can be only one pluses! And moving to another country, moreover, to another continent is a troublesome, serious matter, and you need to approach it responsibly, weighing all the pros and cons.
So, the first minus can be considered climate. In some places, Canada has rather harsh and long winters (although the inhabitants of Siberia, for example, are not afraid of this). There is also a lot of rainfall, strong winds. From the first minus, the second follows: impressive bills come for heating.
It is necessary to mention the fact that Canada is a very expensive country for life. There are expensive products and very expensive real estate. And there are huge taxes in this country.
What gives citizenship
Before discussing how a Russian can become a citizen of Canada, let's see: why do you need this citizenship? Why can't you live in Canada without him? What benefits does it provide? We list at least a few.
First of all, these are all sorts of benefits and social guarantees that can in no way be obtained by a person who does not have Canadian citizenship, even if he has been living in this country for many years. In addition, it is an opportunity to leave the country at any time and as much as necessary, as well as return when you want. As mentioned above, this is also an opportunity for visa-free travel, and obtaining a complex visa to Australia is also not a problem.
In general, Canadians have many advantages. So how to become a citizen of Canada?
Requirements
Regardless of which country a person wants to move to and the citizenship of which state, there are a number of certain requirements. In some ways they are similar, in something, each state is different.
These requirements are simple, and, in principle, meeting them is also easy. Regarding the specific requirements that Canadians make to their future fellow citizens, we will consider each separately below.
"18+"
First, eighteen years of age. And above, of course. If you are not yet eighteen, becoming a Canadian citizen yourself, alas, will fail. All relevant activities will be undertaken by parents or other relatives. More details about the children that their parents transport to other countries will be described below.
Do you speak English?
The second requirement that must be fulfilled in order to have the right to call yourself Canadian is a knowledge of English or French, or two at once. This choice is due to the fact that in Canada it is these languages that are both spoken and official, as mentioned above. There are special programs by which you can demonstrate the level of language proficiency.
"What do you know about Canada?"
Another important requirement for potential citizens, in general, quite logical, is the availability of knowledge about the country, its history, its traditions and the like. This is really logical and justified: how do you want to live in this country if you do not know anything about it, except for obscured banal facts known to everyone around? The desire to move to a particular state implies an interest in him and in what it lives on.
"Live first"
Finally, the last, but no less important requirement: in order to apply for Canadian citizenship, a person must first live on its territory for at least three years in the status of permanent resident. This status can be obtained by registering as an immigrant. It gives certain rights and benefits. An important point: three years must be lived “from call to call”, that is, if a person left the country during this three-year period, this period of time is not taken into account. Another nuance: if a person first lived in Canada on a work or study visa, and then became a resident, half of the period spent on a visa is already counted towards him (he lived on a visa for two years - a year goes to the "piggy bank", he will have to extend two more as a resident )
That’s all the requirements for those who wish to move to Canada. Now let's talk about the programs provided for this.
Canada Immigration Programs
There are a lot of similar programs, and all of them comply with the requirements of the state. There are immigration programs to Canada for the relatives of those who have already moved, for businessmen, for highly qualified specialists, and so on - for a very large number of different categories of people. They differ from each other, as a rule, by the requirements for potential immigrants, as well as by the period for which the application will be considered. Usually those who have relatives in Canada, who used to have one of the visas in the country before, who have a certified invitation, have extensive experience and are competent specialists with good recommendations, usually have chances of success. As a rule, the fact of an invitation to work is a decisive factor.
Having decided to move the program (you can also "savage"), before collecting documents and applying, carefully study all the available programs for immigration to Canada and decide which one is most suitable. The further process is simple: collecting documents, filing an application, its consideration by the authorities, issuing a verdict. If he is positive, not only the applicant will receive the desired visa to Canada, but also his family members with whom he can leave.
Immigration programs are divided into federal and provincial. We’ll touch on the latter in more detail. They are called provincial because each province in Canada (the province they have is not that important for us, the so-called region) has its own projects to attract immigrants - every region is interested in this. They are simpler than federal ones, and often people who have not passed the federal immigration program can easily move to Canada using the provincial one. The conditions of such programs are easier, because sometimes in the regions there are not enough personnel, and thus the authorities are trying to solve this problem. However, not all provinces have their own programs, and you need to clarify this issue in advance, preparing for the trip.
Each province has its own requirements for potential participants in the program, however, the general conditions for all are eighteen (at least) age and knowledge of English and / or French. By the way, one does not need to think that with knowledge of French one can settle down only in Quebec - some other provinces are also ready to work with French-speaking specialists.
Below are examples of cities and provinces in which the aforementioned programs exist for those wishing to leave for the Maple Leaf Country (we’ll immediately say that it’s not possible to indicate everything at all, we emphasize once again that there are a lot of them). So this is Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Yukon.
A few words about the federal immigration program
Briefly go over the main features of the federal program:
- Canada-compliant education.
- Work experience of at least one year in the last ten years in one of the so-called transitional professions - managers in the field of healthcare, insurance, construction, advertising specialists, mechanical engineers and so on. Or an invitation to work from a Canadian organization (as an option - obtaining a doctorate in Canada).
- Ability to adapt in a foreign country.
- The need to obtain a medical certificate, a certificate of no criminal record, confirm that there will not be a move to Quebec (the federal program does not support this province because there is a separate program for it).
- Great importance is given to the age of the candidate.
- To participate in the program as a candidate for exit, you will need to pass a certain test, where points will be assigned. To be able to participate in the program, you must get at least sixty-seven points.
"But I do not want, I do not want to be calculated ..."
It also happens that girls jump out to marry foreigners - not so much out of love as out of a desire to become a citizen of a country. Somewhere, probably, this is possible, but a similar number will not work with Canada: it will not be possible to obtain Canadian citizenship through marriage. A newly made wife will still have to apply for immigration, collect all the documents and go through all the relevant procedures.
Required documents
So, what you need to collect in order not to worry about how to become a citizen of Canada:
- A copy of the passport - both Russian and foreign.
- A copy of the resident card, as well as all available documents that can confirm that a person has lived in the country for the required number of years.
- Copies of Canadian documents (medical policy, for example, law and so on).
- Two photographs.
- Copies of documents proving knowledge of English and / or French.
- Copies of immigration documents.
- Copies of education certificates.
- Receipt of payment of state duty for citizenship ($ 200 per adult, half as much for a child).
- Application form of the applicant.
- Additional documents available during your life in Canada - for example, payment checks, bank statements, and so on.
In addition to copies that should be of excellent quality, the originals of all these documents will also be required.
Children and citizenship
What to do with children? How to obtain citizenship to them?
If a minor moves to the country with his parents (or guardians), they are the ones who deal with all the necessary issues as legal representatives. If the baby was born in this state - then what? Regardless of whether the mother and father are Canadian citizens, a child born in Canada receives the citizenship of this country. And therefore, many tend to come to give birth to Canada: this does not give any advantages to the parents themselves, but opens up great opportunities for a small new citizen of Canada. And returning to his homeland, he will also receive the citizenship of his country: immediately, from birth, to have dual citizenship - it sounds tempting!
Is it possible to buy?
Some people believe that you can simplify your life by simply buying the document you want. In this regard, the question arises: "How much is Canadian citizenship?" In fact, it is impossible to buy citizenship. Of course, you will have to spend money: for sending documents, for paying a fee (the amount was named above), but that's all.
What to do next?
So, the documents are collected, the application has been submitted, but this still does not explain how to become a citizen of Canada. Everything is very simple: the next action comes down to expectation only. This process is quite lengthy, it can even take up to 18 months. After the required period, the result will come. If it turns out to be positive, then the potential citizen of the Maple Leaf Country will be invited to the exam. In this exam, you will need to pass a test consisting of twenty questions. There must be at least fifteen correct answers. This test is a test of citizenship - because, again, as already mentioned, how to become a citizen of Canada without knowing anything about it?
After passing the exam, there is only one thing left: the oath ceremony and the receipt of the long-awaited certificate, indicating that now the Canadians have arrived.
That's all the simple information on how a Russian citizen to obtain Canadian citizenship.