Resumption of citizenship (s.11)

CA-RST-01 is the Resumption of citizenship route under section 11(1) of the Citizenship Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-29. It is the statutory pathway by which a FORMER Canadian citizen who lost or gave up citizenship can get it back. It is conceptually distinct from a first-time naturalization grant (s.5(1), route CA-NAT-01): resumption presupposes the applicant was a citizen at some earlier point. Section 11(1) is framed in mandatory language ('the Minister SHALL grant') so, once the enumerated conditions are met and no prohibition applies, the grant is non-discretionary. The two practical gateways are (1) re-establishing permanent-resident (PR) status and (2) accumulating at least 365 days of physical presence in Canada in the 2 years before applying. IRCC administers resumption through its dedicated 'Resume Canadian citizenship' application stream, processed at the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia. As of 2026-06-01 the route is stable and was not altered in substance by Bill C-3 (S.C. 2025, c. 5); C-3 instead expanded who is restored automatically by operation of law (see CA-HIS-03/HIS-04), which can reduce the population that needs s.11 resumption at all.

As of 2026-06-01, the IRCC fee for RESUME citizenship is CAD 530.00 for an adult (18 and over) and CAD 100.00 for a person under 18, per the IRCC citizenship and immigration fee list (date-modified 2026-04-30). These resumption fees are distinct from the adult naturalization GRANT total of CAD 653.00 (which is CAD 530 processing plus the CAD 123 Right of Citizenship Fee). The Right of Citizenship Fee, which rose to CAD 123.00 effective 2026-03-31, applies to grants of citizenship; the resume-citizenship line on the IRCC fee list is stated as CAD 530.00 (18+) and CAD 100.00 (under 18). Applicants should also budget for the separate, and often larger, costs of the prior re-immigration to permanent residence (IRPA processing fees and the Right of Permanent Residence Fee), which are governed by the immigration fee schedule, not the citizenship one. All fee figures must be re-confirmed against the live IRCC fee list at the time of application, because fees are indexed annually under the Service Fees Act.

The controlling provision is section 11(1) of the Citizenship Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-29. Its provenance chain is R.S. 1985, c. C-29; 2005, c. 17; 2008, c. 14; 2014, c. 22; and 2017, c. 14, s. 7. Section 11(1) provides that the Minister SHALL grant citizenship to a person who applies and: (b) is not subject to a revocation order/decision/declaration or a former-Act section 18 order; (b.1) is not subject to a section 20 Governor-in-Council declaration; (c) is not under a removal order and is not the subject of a security/criminality declaration; and (d) has become a permanent resident and, since ceasing to be a citizen, has been physically present in Canada for at least 365 days during the 2 years immediately before the application and has met any applicable Income Tax Act filing requirement for one taxation year within that period. The former 'intent to reside' limb at s.11(1)(e) was REPEALED by S.C. 2017, c. 14, s. 7 (Bill C-6). The Canadian Armed Forces presence-substitution sits at s.11(1.1)/(1.2). The separate gender-remedial election under s.11(2) is a DIFFERENT route (CA-RST-02), not this one. 'Court' for any review means the Federal Court (s.2(1) definition).