Citizenship english proficiency for 54 years old

[Vipanjotboparai]

Hi:

I do have a client who is 54 years and 3 months old but is not yet 55. Does he still have to give an English proficiency exam if we apply for the citizenship today? He should wait other 9 months so he turns 55 so we can apply citizenship without IELTS/CELPIP?

Kindly help.

regards,
VK

[SettlementOrgMod]

Hi there,

Thank you for sharing your question and situation with us.

This may be a matter of preference, according to IRCC’s guide on Citizenship grants: Applicants 55 years of age or older

With amendments to the Citizenship Act in 2017, the age range to meet language and knowledge requirements was amended from 14-64 to 18-54. This provision is retroactive, therefore, applicants who have not yet been assessed, or are in the process of being assessed for knowledge and language requirements and were 55 years of age or older on the date they signed their application will no longer be required to meet these requirements.
Exception: For applications received before June 11, 2015, applicants 55 years of age or older are automatically waived from meeting language and knowledge requirements. If an applicant turns 55 years of age during processing and before a citizenship officer renders a decision, the citizenship officer must not refuse the application and must apply the automatic waiver under subsection 5(3).

While applicants 55 years of age or older are not required to meet the knowledge of Canada and language requirements, they must still be scheduled to appear for an interview as they must meet other requirements under subsection 5(1) of the Citizenship Act.

Your client would have to be 55 or older on the date they sign their application to be waived of the language requirement for this application. They would still need to appear for an interview and meet the other requirements under subsection 5(1) of the Citizenship Act. You can find more information on the eligibility criteria and how to apply in the Settlement.Org article, how do I apply for Canadian Citizenship?

We hope this information is helpful. Please follow up with us if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,

Your Settlement.Org Team