HOW TO QUALIFY:

You can apply for citizenship if you:

• are at least 18
• have been a legal permanent resident of Canada for three out of the previous four years
• can communicate in English or French
• have knowledge of Canada and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship

It takes eight months to a year from application to citizenship ceremony. The fee is $200 for everyone aged 18 and over and $100 for children (non-refundable). The application is sent to Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Your application must include your record of landing, two pieces of identification and two signed photographs. A form for each child must also be submitted.

You will be sent a study book, A Look at Canada, after the Sydney centre gets your application. Once the citizenship judge in your area decides you meet the qualifications, you will receive a letter telling you to go for a test. Children under 18 don't have to write the test.

CANADA QUIZ:

Once approved to take the citizenship test, all applicants are told to study the guide A Look at Canada. The guide is available online. The actual citizenship test is a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions.

The questions in the test are about the privileges of citizenship, history, politics, economics and geography. A pass mark of 12 out of 20 is required. In addition, there are four mandatory questions the applicant must answer on the test. The applicant must pass three out of the four mandatory questions (concerning voting, citizenship responsibilities and elections).

Study the guide and take our Canada Quiz. You must receive a mark of 12 out of 20 in order to continue on to the citizenship ceremony. If you got fewer than 12, go to the failure page.

CITIZENSHIP:

After passing the test or interview, you will be notified of the ceremony, which takes place a few weeks after. Adults and children over the age of 14 are obliged to be there. Friends and family members are allowed to attend. A typical ceremony will begin with the clerk of the ceremony explaining when applicants are to stand, how to take the oath and how they will be called to receive their certificates. The audience will be asked to rise while the citizenship judge or a presiding officer is ushered in. The judge will make a speech and then ask the audience to rise to take the Oath of Citizenship in both official languages.

THE OATH OF CITIZENSHIP:

From this day forward, I pledge my loyalty and allegiance to Canada and Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada. I promise to respect our country's rights and freedoms, to defend our democratic values, to faithfully observe our laws and fulfil my duties and obligations as a Canadian citizen.

After the oath, the clerk calls out the name of each new citizen to get his/her certificate from the judge. There are closing remarks and then the singing of the anthem.

Congratulations! You've become a Canadian Citizen.