Applying for citizenship
Permanent resident days: are 730 enough?
Enter how many days ago you became a permanent resident and the whole days you have spent abroad since: the days you hold as a PR and what is still missing appear.
Are my days as a permanent resident enough?
Days in Canada as a PR
740
| Minimum of 730 days | met |
| With no earlier stay, for 1,095 days | 355 to go |
| Most credit an earlier stay can add | 365 days |
Of the 1,095 days of physical presence needed for Canadian citizenship, at least 730 must be days spent in Canada as a permanent resident, inside the 5 years before you sign. The rest can come from time spent in Canada before permanent residence, as a temporary resident (worker, student, visitor) or as a protected person: each such day is worth half a day, and the credit stops at 365 days, which takes 730 days of earlier stay to earn. The arithmetic follows: 730 days as a permanent resident plus the maximum 365 days of credit make exactly 1,095, so no one can apply sooner than about two years after landing, and someone who arrived directly as a permanent resident needs the full 1,095 days in that status. For a protected person, the earlier time counts only from the day protection was granted. Your permanent resident status must be valid, with no unfulfilled conditions, but the card itself does not need to be current: an expired card is still accepted as identification for the online test and at the ceremony.
How many days am I short?
Days short
45
| Days credited | 1,050 |
| Credit before PR (half, max 365) | 150 |
| At least 730 days as a PR | met |
Questions, counts and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
The floor and the ceiling
Two numbers frame the calculation. The floor is 730 days as a permanent resident: below it, no amount of earlier time helps. The ceiling is 365 days of credit from the earlier stay: above it, extra years on a permit change nothing. Between the two, every day counts at its own value, one for a permanent resident day, one half for an earlier one. The calculator at the top checks the floor from your own figures and shows how many days would be missing with no earlier stay at all.
| Days in Canada before PR (in the window) | Credit | Days needed as a PR |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 1,095 |
| 200 | 100 | 995 |
| 500 | 250 | 845 |
| 730 | 365 | 730 |
| 1,200 | 365 (cap) | 730 |
Two newcomers, same landing day
Both became permanent residents on January 15, 2024 and have not left Canada since. The first had held a work permit since January 4, 2021. On the earliest candidate date, January 14, 2026, the window starts on January 14, 2021 and holds 1,096 days of earlier stay, worth 548 at half value but capped at 365, plus 730 days as a permanent resident: exactly 1,095. She can sign that day.
The second arrived on a work permit on January 16, 2023, so only 364 days preceded permanent residence, a credit of 182. He needs 913 days as a permanent resident and reaches the total for a signing date of July 16, 2026, six months after his colleague. The day-by-day calculator gives these dates directly once you type the landing day, the start of the earlier stay and your trips.
Earlier time that falls out of the window
The credit only uses days inside the 5-year window that ends the day before you sign. If you studied in Canada long ago and became a permanent resident years later, that early period may have slipped outside the window by the time you apply, and it no longer counts. In the same way, waiting longer does not always add credit: as the window moves forward, old days drop out at the back while new permanent resident days come in at the front.
What counts as a permanent resident day
Any day from your landing date on which you spent at least part of the day in Canada, as set out in IRCC’s physical presence instructions. A day spent in prison, on parole or on probation does not count, whatever your status. A day abroad is lost, unless you were abroad as a Crown servant or as the spouse, common-law partner or child of one, which is the only case where days outside Canada count in full; it needs a paper application and form CIT 0177. The full list is on IRCC’s eligibility page, and the eligibility checklist covers the conditions beyond days.
The card at the end of the process
For the ceremony, IRCC asks for your permanent resident card, even if expired, or your confirmation of permanent residence; people who became permanent residents before June 28, 2002 can bring their record of landing instead. The card is destroyed or collected at the ceremony; for a virtual ceremony you are asked to have scissors ready to cut it. The ceremony page and IRCC’s list of what to bring have the details.