What can I expect from the Citizenship Judge? 

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All adult grant applicants undergo a Program integrity (PI) interview with a citizenship official, usually as part of their written test session. Adult applicants who are not required to meet the language or knowledge requirement are also interviewed.

The purpose of the interview is to verify the applicant’s identity, authenticate photocopies of documents on file with originals that are presented at the interview, and obtain information to determine if the requirements for a grant of citizenship have been met, including screening for language ability, if applicable.

For most applicants, the next face-to-face interaction with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is during their citizenship ceremony. However, some applicants are asked to appear for an in-depth residence interview and/or a hearing with either a citizenship officer or a citizenship judge.

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Citizenship officers can conduct in-depth residence interviews with all applicants where, based on the initial PI interview and all information on file to date, there is an indication that residence/physical presence concerns continue to exist. These interviews may be conducted by any means (in person, where practical, by telephone or by videoconference). Further interviews should be conducted only when specific evidence submitted by an applicant requires further clarification. Interviews should not be conducted when the decision maker is seeking only to confirm facts or evidence prior to making a final decision. Once the interview has been conducted,

-if the officer is satisfied that the applicant has met the residence/physical presence requirement and all other requirements, they may grant citizenship; or

-if the officer is still not satisfied that the applicant has met the residence/physical presence requirement, they will refer the application to a citizenship judge for decision. The citizenship judge may make a decision based on the evidence on file or may request a hearing be scheduled. A long File Preparation and Analysis Template (FPAT) [CIT 0509] must be completed for these cases. Refer to Referring applications to a citizenship judge.

For applications received before June 11, 2015

-The applicant is a permanent resident.
-The applicant has accumulated at least 3 years (1095 days) of residence in the 4 years immediately before the date of their application.

For applications received on or after June 11, 2015

-The applicant has been physically present in Canada for at least 4 years (1460 days) during the 6 years immediately before the date of their application.
-The applicant has been physically present in Canada for at least 183 days during each of 4 calendar years that are fully or partially within the 6 years immediately before the date of their application.