In the globe, the Canadian passport is placed seventh, after the passports of the United States, Poland, Greece, and Czechia, according to Henley & Partners, a worldwide immigration advisory business.
As per the survey, a Canadian passport is among the most advantageous in the world as it grants visa-free entry to 183 countries. This year, the Singaporean passport held the title of most recognized passport, allowing entry into 193 countries. Japan’s passport, which allows entry into 192 countries, came in second place. This year, the Afghanistan passport achieved the highest ranking, granting visa-free entry to 27 nations.
Using a Canadian passport when traveling
Traveling with a Canadian passport affects your options. It allows for unfettered admission and departure into Canada without the requirement for visas, permits, or other travel restrictions. Passports, however, are only issued to Canadian citizens; temporary or permanent residents are not eligible.
As was previously noted, holders of Canadian passports are granted visa-free travel to more than 183 countries worldwide, some of which include:
The United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Schengen Area, and South Korea.
If you apply for a Canadian passport, you are not required to give up your present one. If one’s home country also allows for multiple passports, Canada allows for dual citizenship. You may thus keep as many passports as you are eligible for.
First, you must get citizenship.
Obtaining citizenship is necessary in order to obtain a Canadian passport. There are several steps in this.
Prior to anything else, you have to be a permanent resident of Canada and follow its laws on physical presence. For instance, you must prove that you have spent at least three of the previous five years—or around 1,095 days—living in Canada.
You have to file your taxes as well, if appropriate. It’s also essential to demonstrate your language proficiency and pass a citizenship exam in Canada in order to emphasize your comprehension and communication capabilities.
These requirements must be fulfilled even if your permanent resident status was obtained in a different way. In general, if choosing the naturalization path, obtaining Canadian citizenship usually requires a minimum of three years.
Be aware that you could be able to inherit your parent’s citizenship if you are the direct offspring of a Canadian citizen who was a citizen at the time of your birth.
How to Apply for a Passport in Canada
You can apply for a passport once your citizenship ceremony is over and you’ve been given your certificate of citizenship. It is rare to be judged ineligible to apply for this document; all Canadian citizens are entitled to do so. However, if your application is proven to be invalid due to deception or if there are issues with security, human or international rights breaches, or links to organized crime, your citizenship may be withdrawn.
There are additional documents needed for the Canadian passport application process. One of the most important papers is your citizenship certificate, which you must include with your application in its original copy. To prove their citizenship, even Canadians who were born here must present their birth certificate.
The following papers must be included with your application:
- evidence of Canadian citizenship (just a citizenship or birth certificate);
- any current passport issued in Canada or other travel document (such as a proof of identification or refugee travel document) issued in your name;
- two recommendations to back up your passport request;
- a proof of identification paper; and
- Two passport-sized photos that are the same.
A guarantor is also required when applying for your first passport. A guarantor needs to meet specific standards, which vary depending on the kind of passport and the country in where your application is being filed.
Applying for a passport may be done online, and the procedure can be finished by making an appointment or walking in to a Service Canada center.
Duration of Passport Processing
Due to the pandemic’s lowering travel restrictions worldwide, Canadians presently require a lot of new passports and passport renewals.
Recently, the Canadian government released a tool to monitor processing delays. Currently, it shows that processing a passport application from within Canada may take anything from 10 to 20 business days for standard service, to as little as 2 to 9 days for urgent processing, which might be completed by the end of the next day.
Therefore, it is best to start the application process well in advance if you want to travel outside of Canada in the near future.
Additional Advantages
In addition to unlimited travel, a Canadian passport has several other benefits. You will have all the same rights and freedoms as any other citizen of Canada with the passport, including the ability to vote in elections, run for public office, and apply for positions that could need higher security clearances.
An other noteworthy benefit is the elimination of the inconvenience associated with renewing one’s status every five years, which is often required for permanent residents. This translates into avoiding the trouble of contacting Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for extensions and saving money on application submission fees.
Finally, during the first year after obtaining their new citizenship, permanent residents of Canada are also granted free benefits. Because of these advantages, more than 80% of Canadian permanent residents would like to become citizens.
How to apply for a passport
Obtaining a Canadian passport is a crucial first step towards enjoying all of your rights as a citizen of Canada. This phase in the immigration process needs to be followed properly, just like any other, since any kind of deception, whether intentional or not, can result in harsh consequences, including the possibility of losing one’s status. Because of this, a lot of people decide to use immigration attorneys to manage their passport applications. Their services may offer piece of mind in addition to ensuring adherence to best standards.