Canadian nationality law

Citizenship Act Loi sur la citoyenneté
Parliament of Canada
Long title An Act respecting citizenship
Citation	RSC 1985, c. C-29
Territorial extent	Canada
Enacted by	30th Canadian Parliament
Commenced	15 February 1977
Administered by	Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Repeals
Canadian Citizenship Act, 1946
Status: Amended

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Canadian citizenship and immigration
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Nationality History of nationality law Citizenship Test Oath of Citizenship Citizenship Passports Honorary citizenship Commonwealth citizen
Legislation Immigration Act, 1869 Citizenship Act, 1946 Citizenship Act, 1976 Immigration Act, 1976 Immigration and Refugee Protection Act Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act Canadian immigration and refugee law
Agencies Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Canada Border Services Agency Immigration and Refugee Board Public Safety Canada
Issues Lost Canadians "Canadians of convenience"
Demographics Demographics of Canada Canadians Canadian identity Population by year Ethnic origins
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Canadian nationality law details the conditions by which a person is a national of Canada. The primary law governing these regulations is the Citizenship Act, which came into force on February 15, 1977 and is applicable to all provinces and territories of Canada.

With few exceptions, almost all individuals born in the country are automatically citizens at birth. Foreign nationals may naturalize after living in Canada for at least three years while holding permanent residence and showing proficiency in the English or French language.

Canada is composed of several former British colonies whose residents were British subjects. After Confederation into a Dominion within the British Empire in 1867, Canada was granted more autonomy over time and gradually became independent from the United Kingdom. Although Canadian citizens have no longer been British subjects since 1977, they continue to hold favoured status when residing in the UK. As Commonwealth citizens, Canadians are eligible to vote in UK elections and serve in public office there.