Citizenship or Permanent Residence: What Changes

Permanent residents already have most of what citizens have. The differences are few, but they are the ones people apply for citizenship to get. This is from IRCC's page on understanding permanent resident status and its page on what happens after the ceremony, checked on 23 September 2026.

What permanent residents already have

IRCC lists what a permanent resident can do. A PR:

• gets most social benefits citizens receive, including a social insurance number to work and health care coverage
• can live, work or study anywhere in Canada
• is protected by Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• can apply for citizenship

A PR must also pay taxes and respect all federal, provincial and municipal laws, exactly as a citizen does.

What a permanent resident cannot do

IRCC names two things. A permanent resident cannot:

• vote or run for political office
• hold some jobs that need a high-level security clearance

Citizenship removes both limits. IRCC's page on life after the ceremony describes voting as both a right and a responsibility of citizens.

The residency rule goes away

To keep PR status, a permanent resident must have been in Canada for at least 730 days in the last five years. A citizen has no such rule. Citizenship does not expire and does not depend on how long you stay.

Permanent residence can also be lost in ways citizenship cannot: after an officer determines you are no longer a PR following an inquiry or an appeal, if a removal order comes into force, or if you renounce it. IRCC notes that a PR card expiring does not by itself end your status.

Different documents

As a permanent resident, you travel with your PR card and your passport, or a permanent resident travel document if you have no valid card. As a citizen, you travel on a Canadian passport. Your PR card is collected or destroyed at the ceremony, and your citizenship certificate is not a travel document, so you need the passport before travelling abroad.

What does not change

Taxes, the law, and most benefits are the same before and after. You do not need to renew anything about your health coverage or your right to work because you become a citizen.

What it takes

To make the change, most adults need 1,095 days of physical presence in five years, language proof and the citizenship test if aged 18 to 54, and the oath. The test is 20 questions from Discover Canada. Our free practice questions and study guide are built for it.