Canada citizenship: counting the 1,095 days

Canadian citizenship has a physical presence requirement, and IRCC states it as a number of days. The number is simple. The counting has three parts.

This guide explains how the count works, with the official source for every figure. Rules change and your own circumstances matter, so check the source and take decisions to an adviser.

The requirement

IRCC says you must have been physically in Canada for at least 1,095 days, which is three years, during your five-year eligibility period. That period is the five years before the date you sign your application.

What counts in full

Days in Canada as a permanent resident count one for one. At least 730 of your days must be as a permanent resident.

What counts as half

Each day in Canada as a temporary resident or a protected person, inside the five-year period, counts as 0.5 days. You can use at most 365 days of this kind, which is 730 calendar days at half value.

A temporary resident is someone with valid status as a visitor, student, worker or temporary resident permit holder.

What does not count

IRCC says the count does not include time in prison, on parole or on probation, or the time you waited for a decision on a refugee claim. Days outside Canada do not count either, which is why every trip has to be listed.

A worked example

You became a permanent resident three years ago and lived in Canada as a student for the two years before that, all inside your five-year period.

• As a permanent resident: 3 years, less 60 days abroad, gives 1,035 days.
• As a student: 2 years at half value would be 365 days, and 365 is also the cap.
• Total: 1,400 days. You pass, with more than 730 as a permanent resident.

Take the student years away and the same person has 1,035 days: 60 short.

In Residency

Residency keeps each trip out of the country with its dates and counts your days in Canada, so you can see the total and the date you reach it.

Updated 11 November 2026.