Do I become a Canadian citizen when I marry a Canadian?

No. Marrying a Canadian citizen doesn’t give you citizenship.

If you want to become a Canadian citizen, you must follow the same steps as everyone else. There isn’t a special process for spouses of Canadian citizens.

You must meet several requirements to apply for citizenship. You must be physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days during the 5 years right before the date you applied. This includes time as a

• permanent resident
• temporary resident (lawfully authorized to remain in Canada)
• protected person

Your Canadian spouse can sponsor you to become a permanent resident if you

• don’t live in Canada, or
• aren’t a permanent resident

You may apply for citizenship if you

• are a permanent resident
• have been physically present in Canada long enough
• meet the other requirements

There are different rules to determine if children of Canadians born outside Canada have Canadian citizenship.

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