Applying for Citizenship - Owing Tax from 2016

[kriskammy]

Hi there,

I’ve been a permanent resident of Canada for 10 years now.

When I had saved enough to apply for citizenship the fees were increased and made it unaffordable for me at the time and until now.

Currently, I am ready to apply for citizenship, I’ve paid all my taxes except last year around $5000 due (recently received this correction by mail from a reassessment which I don’t have the money for).

Can I still apply for Citizenship or do I need to make this payment?
Thank you

[SettlementOrgMod]

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.

We can appreciate that you would be concerned about this situation.

You can find some helpful information on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in an Operational Bulletin regarding Income tax filing.

Here is an excerpt,

Roles of IRCC and the CRA

IRCC is responsible only for assessing whether the applicant met the income tax filing requirement of the Citizenship Act. Citizenship officers are not responsible for interpreting the Income Tax Act to determine tax compliance. At present, IRCC does not yet have the necessary agreements in place to return information to the CRA to assist the CRA with their investigations/enforcement. Work is ongoing to develop procedures to allow IRCC to advise the CRA of potential issues with tax filing history. Until procedures are in place, please contact CIT Operations (IRCC) for guidance in these circumstances.

If you have any other questions, you may want to contact the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Call Centre directly.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions and if there is any follow up to your question/situation.

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Anna
Settlement.Org Content and Information/Referral Specialist, CIRS
Settlement.Org