Apply for citizenship: Canadian Armed Forces

If you’re a current or past member of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) you can apply for citizenship using a fast-track process.

This fast-track option lets us speed up the citizenship application process for:

• permanent residents serving in the CAF
• foreign military members on exchange with the CAF

You can use this application process if you are or were a:

• member of the CAF
• foreign military member who is or was attached or seconded to the CAF

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

• meet all of the standard conditions to apply for citizenship (except for the residency requirement)
• have completed three years (1,095 days) of service in or with the CAF in the six years (2,190 days) right before the date of your application
• have met your personal income tax filing obligations in three taxation years that are fully or partially within the six years right before the date you apply

If you are no longer a member of the CAF, you must have been released honourably. If you were released other than honourably, you aren’t eligible to apply using the fast-track process.

If you were a foreign military member attached or seconded to the CAF, you don’t need to:

• be a permanent resident
• meet the tax filing obligation

Residency exception

If you’ve served for one year less than the standard residence requirement for citizenship, you may still qualify. The length of time you served in the CAF is used instead of the length of time you lived in Canada.

You’re able to count your time as a Regular or Reserve Force member regardless of if you were being paid as a full-time member or not. You can count time without pay as long as you were still a CAF member.

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