To get dual citizenship in Canada, you must first become a Canadian citizen — through birth, descent, or naturalization — while your home country also allows you to keep your original nationality.
At Kingwell Immigration Law, we guide clients through every stage of this process, from confirming eligibility to challenging a refused application at the Federal Court.
Speak with a Toronto immigration lawyer about your dual citizenship options today.
Canada fully recognizes dual citizenship. If you are a Canadian citizen, you are free to take on the nationality of another country. If you are a foreign national becoming a Canadian citizen, you generally do not have to renounce your original citizenship — provided the other country also allows it.
Not every country shares this approach. Nations including India, China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia require citizens to renounce their original nationality before naturalizing elsewhere. If you are from one of those countries, becoming a Canadian citizen may mean giving up your original status. We can help you confirm what applies to your situation before you take any steps.
💡 Additional reading: Does Canada allow dual citizenship
There are four main pathways to dual citizenship in Canada. Each comes with its own eligibility conditions, timeline, and potential complications.
To apply for dual citizenship through naturalization, you must meet the same requirements as any other citizenship applicant. IRCC does not run a separate process for dual nationality. The full eligibility requirements are published on the Government of Canada website.
To be eligible, you must meet all of the following:
If you are unsure whether you meet the requirements, book a consultation, and we will review your eligibility with you.
Once eligibility is confirmed, the application follows a set sequence. We walk clients through each stage to reduce the risk of delays, errors, or a return of the application.
Step 1 — Confirm eligibility and gather documents. Physical presence days should be reviewed carefully before applying. You will need your PR card, a complete travel history, tax records, language test results, and identity documents.
Step 2 — Submit your application. Most applicants apply online through their IRCC secure account. The paper application route is available for those who cannot apply online. The relevant application forms are listed on the how to apply page
.
Step 3 — Pay the application fees. As of April 1, 2025, adults pay a total of CAD $649.75 — a $530 processing fee plus a $119.75 right of citizenship fee. Minors under 18 pay a $100 processing fee. Current fees are always listed on the IRCC fees page, as these are subject to change.
Step 4 — Attend a citizenship test and interview (if required). Applicants aged 18 to 54 must pass a 20-question citizenship test. If an application raises questions about language ability or any other issue, IRCC may schedule a follow-up interview with a citizenship officer.
Step 5 — Attend the citizenship ceremony. Once approved, applicants are invited to take the Oath of Citizenship — the final step in officially becoming a Canadian citizen.
Typical processing time: IRCC currently estimates citizenship applications at approximately eight months from receipt of a complete application. Complex or non-routine files — those involving criminal history, security screening, or missing documents — can take significantly longer. Current processing times are published directly on the IRCC website.
Holding dual citizenship in Canada offers real, practical advantages across travel, employment, property ownership, and long-term planning.
| Benefit | What It Means in Practice |
|---|---|
| Travel flexibility | Hold two passports and enter both countries as a citizen, without visa requirements between them |
| Right to live and work | Full rights to live, work, and own property in both countries |
| Access to public services | Healthcare, public education, and social services in both countries are subject to each country’s rules |
| Voting rights | Eligible to vote in elections in both countries |
| Passing citizenship to children | Canadian citizenship can be passed to children born abroad, subject to first-generation rules |
| Consular protection | Access to consular assistance from either country while abroad |
Dual citizenship also carries obligations. You remain subject to the laws of both countries, including tax obligations. Canada taxes residents on worldwide income, and some countries — including the United States — tax their citizens on global income regardless of where they live. Cross-border tax obligations are a separate matter from the citizenship application itself, and one best addressed with a qualified tax professional.
💡 Additional reading: Benefits of Canadian citizenship
Canadian citizens who take on a second nationality do not lose their Canadian status. The process depends entirely on the other country’s rules, and we can help you identify the right steps before you begin.
Countries that commonly permit dual citizenship alongside Canadian status include the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, France, Ireland, Israel, and many nations across the Caribbean, Africa, and Latin America.
Countries that typically do not allow it include India, China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria — though policies change, and it is worth verifying with the relevant embassy or consulate before proceeding.
When applying for citizenship in another country, you may be asked to take an oath of allegiance to that nation. In most cases, this does not affect your Canadian citizenship. IRCC confirms that voluntarily acquiring a foreign citizenship does not cause you to lose Canadian status, provided it was not obtained through fraud against Canada.
A refused citizenship application is not the end of the road. IRCC can refuse an application for a range of reasons, including failure to meet the physical presence requirement, an unsuccessful citizenship test, concerns about language ability, criminal history, or evidence of misrepresentation.
If your application is refused, options remain. In some cases, reconsideration may be available. Where the refusal involves a legal error — such as IRCC ignoring evidence submitted, providing inadequate reasons, or breaching procedural fairness — there may be grounds for a judicial review at the Federal Court of Canada.
📌 In Yasmin v Minister of Citizenship and Immigration (2018 FC 265), we successfully appealed to the Federal Court after IRCC failed to provide a permanent resident with evidence of a fingerprint match before refusing her application — a breach of procedural fairness. The Court ordered IRCC to reconsider. This case reflects the kind of legal error that can and does occur, and that our firm is experienced in identifying and challenging.
If your citizenship application has been refused, contact us, and we will review the decision and identify your options.
Citizenship revocation is rare, but the consequences are serious. The Government of Canada can begin revocation proceedings where citizenship was obtained through fraud, false representation, or the knowing concealment of material circumstances. A successful revocation can strip a person of their status entirely and, in serious cases, result in removal from Canada.
If you receive a notice of citizenship revocation, you have the right to respond — and the sooner we are involved, the more options are available to you. The Federal Court can review revocation decisions where there are grounds to argue that IRCC acted unreasonably or breached procedural fairness.
Our firm has extensive experience representing clients in complex citizenship matters before the Federal Court, including cases where clients faced removal as a direct consequence of decisions about their citizenship status.
For some applicants, the road to dual citizenship is complicated by factors beyond the standard eligibility requirements. Prior criminal history, misrepresentation in an earlier immigration application, or a previous removal order can all create inadmissibility issues that block a citizenship application entirely.
A criminal conviction — whether in Canada or abroad — may render you inadmissible. Depending on the nature and timing of the offence, criminal rehabilitation or a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) may be available to resolve inadmissibility before a citizenship application is filed.
Misrepresentation in a prior immigration application — even an unintentional one — can also create serious problems. IRCC treats misrepresentation very seriously, and a finding carries a five-year bar from most immigration benefits, including citizenship. If there is any such history in your file, we can assess the situation and advise on the most appropriate way to proceed.
Becoming a dual citizen of Canada is one of the most meaningful milestones in building your life here. Whether you are starting the process, responding to a refused application, or facing a more complex situation involving inadmissibility or revocation proceedings, we are here to guide you from start to finish.
At Kingwell Immigration Law, Daniel Kingwell and our team bring over 20 years of experience in Canadian immigration law, with a strong record of Federal Court litigation in citizenship, removal, and inadmissibility matters. We get to know your situation, develop a strategy that fits your goals, and stand firmly in your corner when it matters most.
Dual citizenship is not a formality — it is a legal status that must be secured properly. Before you apply, call 416.988.8853 or book a consultation so we can confirm your eligibility and protect your path to Canadian citizenship.
Yes. Any time spent outside Canada after becoming a permanent resident counts as an absence and reduces your physical presence total. Work travel is not treated differently from personal travel. If your role requires frequent international travel, we can review your full travel history, calculate your physical presence accurately, and advise on the right time to apply.
Canada requires you to enter and exit the country on your Canadian passport. Your other country of citizenship will generally require the same for its own borders. When you are in Canada, the Canadian government treats you solely as a Canadian citizen — and vice versa in the other country — which can limit the consular assistance either country can provide while you are on the other’s soil.
Yes, and it does not affect your PR status — your status remains valid even if the card itself expires. However, an expired PR card cannot be used to board a flight back to Canada. If you need to travel internationally during processing, we can advise on whether to renew your PR card or obtain a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD) before you leave.
Yes. A minor child who holds permanent resident status can be included in a parent’s citizenship application, provided one parent is already a Canadian citizen or is applying at the same time. Minors under 18 are exempt from the physical presence and language requirements. The application fee for minors is CAD $100, and minors without a Canadian parent can also apply independently.
It depends on how you acquired your Canadian citizenship. If you were born in Canada, your children born abroad are automatically Canadian citizens. If you acquired citizenship by descent yourself, your children born outside Canada may not receive citizenship automatically under the first-generation rule in the Citizenship Act. We can clarify exactly how this rule applies to your family’s specific situation.
