How physical presence is counted
These rules are from IRCC’s “Who can apply” page and its operational bulletin on calculating physical presence, for applications received on or after October 11, 2017.
You need at least 1,095 days (3 years) of physical presence in the 5 years before the date you sign. The signing day is not counted.
Each day as a temporary resident or protected person counts as half a day, up to 365 days of credit, so you always need at least 730 days as a PR.
Only days spent entirely outside Canada are absences. The day you leave and the day you return are not.
Time in prison, on parole or on probation, and time waiting for a refugee decision, does not count as time in Canada.
IRCC’s own example, checked against this counter
IRCC’s bulletin gives this worked example (Example 2). Entering the same dates here gives the same answer.
| Temporary resident from | April 1, 2012 (5-year period starts April 1, 2013) |
| Out of status | April 1 to August 15, 2015 (137 days, does not count) |
| Permanent resident from | January 1, 2016 |
| Trips abroad | March 1–31, 2014 and December 15–31, 2014 (44 absent days) |
| Sentence served | February 1 to March 31, 2017 (59 days) |
| Signed | April 1, 2018 |
| Result | 365 days of credit + 762 days as a PR = 1,127 days |
What this counter leaves out
- Time abroad as a Crown servant or as their family member, which counts as a day in Canada. This counter does not credit it.
- Applications received before October 11, 2017, which used different rules.
- The other requirements: filing taxes if needed (for at least 3 of the 5 years), language skills at CLB 4 and the citizenship test (ages 18 to 54), having valid PR status, and not being under a prohibition.
- Your own records. IRCC checks your travel history and may ask for passports and other proof.
- The official calculator. For an actual application you must use IRCC’s physical presence calculator in your account, or form CIT 0407 for paper.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I need for Canadian citizenship?
At least 1,095 days (3 years) of physical presence in Canada in the 5 years before the day you sign your application. Time as a PR counts as full days. Time as a temporary resident or protected person before you became a PR counts as half days, up to 365 days of credit.
Do the day I leave and the day I return count as days abroad?
No. IRCC treats only days spent entirely outside Canada as absences. The day you leave and the day you return are not absences, and a same-day trip is not an absence at all.
Does the day I sign the application count?
No. You must meet the requirement the day before you sign, and the day you apply is not counted.
What if I am a few days short?
Wait. IRCC returns applications that declare fewer than 1,095 days, with a refund. It also encourages applying with more than 1,095 days, in case there is a problem with the calculation.
Does time on a study or work permit count?
Yes, at half a day per day, for the time before you became a PR and inside the 5-year period, up to 365 days of credit. Visitors, students, workers and temporary resident permit holders are all temporary residents here.
Is this the calculator I use to apply?
No. It is a planning tool. IRCC requires its own physical presence calculator, in your online account for online applications, or the same calculator printed (or form CIT 0407) for paper applications.
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How we check it
Automated tests (Node’s built-in test runner) reproduce IRCC’s worked Examples 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 from the operational bulletin, giving 1,095, 1,127, 730, 1,461 and 1,186 days. They also check that leave and return days are not absences, that overlapping trips are not double counted, and that the signing day is excluded.
The earliest-date result is checked by hand-derived dates, not by an IRCC tool.
Limits: we did not compare against IRCC’s online calculator, which sits behind a login. Your dates are processed in your browser and are not sent anywhere.