Applying for citizenship
Resume Canadian citizenship: the way back for former citizens
Enter the adults and children who want to resume citizenship: IRCC’s fees are added up and compared with a first application.
Fees to resume Canadian citizenship
Total
$530
| Per adult | $530 |
| Per minor | $100 |
| Against a first application | $123 less per adult |
Resuming Canadian citizenship is the route for people who were citizens, lost or gave up that citizenship, and later came back as permanent residents. IRCC sets four conditions: you have been a Canadian citizen; you became a permanent resident after losing citizenship and have no unfulfilled conditions on that status; you were physically present in Canada as a permanent resident for at least 365 days during the 2 years before applying; and you met any obligation to file income tax for the taxation year immediately before applying. Members of the Canadian Armed Forces can count 182 days of service in those 2 years instead of the 365 days. You cannot resume if your citizenship was revoked, if you are under a removal order or if a prohibition applies. The application is on paper only, with form CIT 0301, mailed to the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia; a form signed more than three months before IRCC receives it is returned. The fee is $530 for an adult and $100 for a minor. Once approved, you are invited to take the oath, and a certificate follows.
Questions, counts and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
Resumption against a first grant
| Resumption | First grant (adult) | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | former citizen, permanent resident again | permanent resident |
| Physical presence | 365 days as a PR in 2 years | 1,095 days in 5 years |
| Armed Forces alternative | 182 days of service in 2 years | Crown service abroad counts in full |
| Taxes | the taxation year just before applying | 3 of 5 years |
| Channel | paper only | online for most |
| Adult fee | $530 | $653 |
| Minor fee | $100 | $100 |
The calculator above adds up the resumption fees for a family and shows the difference with a first adult application: $123 less per adult.
Who it is for
People lose Canadian citizenship for different reasons, for example by renouncing it, as the renunciation page describes. Renouncing ends the right to live in Canada, and the way back starts with immigration: permanent resident status, obtained like any other foreign national. Only then does resumption open. Revocation is the exception: a person whose citizenship was revoked cannot use this route.
The 365 days
The presence condition is counted in days as a permanent resident, inside the 2 years before you apply. Days before you regained permanent residence do not help here, unlike the half-day credit of a first grant. 365 days within 2 years leaves room for travel: in a window of about 730 days, you can spend a substantial part abroad and still qualify, provided the days after your new landing reach the threshold. For members of the Canadian Armed Forces, 182 days of service in the same period replace the 365 days; if you claim that, form CIT 0177 goes with the application.
Taxes and prohibitions
The tax condition is limited to the taxation year immediately before you apply, and only if the Income Tax Act required a return; the tax filing page explains how that obligation works. The prohibitions are the same as for any citizenship application, and a removal order also rules out resumption.
The paper application
Resumption has no online channel. You fill in form CIT 0301, add CIT 0177 if you claim Armed Forces service, pay the fee and mail the package to the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Watch the date: an application signed more than three months before IRCC receives it is returned. Sign it when everything else is ready, and mail it the same week. The full list of documents is on IRCC’s page on applying to resume.
After approval
An approved application leads to an invitation to take the oath, then to a citizenship certificate, the same closing steps as a first grant. The ceremony page explains what to bring and what happens if you cannot attend. The conditions are set out in full on IRCC’s resumption eligibility page.