Can I leave Canada after I mail my citizenship application?

Yes. You can leave Canada after we receive your application.

If you need to leave Canada and want to stay eligible for Canadian citizenship, you must:

• make sure that you live in Canada long enough to keep your Permanent Resident (PR) status
• be a permanent resident (when you apply)
• not lose PR status before you take the Oath of Citizenship
• bring your PR card with you when you leave Canada so you can return easily

Make sure your PR card won’t expire while you are outside Canada.

We usually only mail letters, notices and other documents to addresses in Canada. In some cases, you may receive an email from us. You must reply to these letters or emails within a specified amount of time. If you don’t reply within the time frame and don’t provide an acceptable reason for not being able to keep your appointment with us or providing requested information, we may stop processing your application.

You must attend appointments and other events at our offices, like your:

• citizenship test (for applicants 18 to 54 years of age)
• interview or hearing
• ceremony

These events only take place in Canada. If you can’t attend the appointment or event, you must either e-mail or write to the local office that sent you the event notice. You can also use the online web form to contact us.