Eligibility for Canadian Citizenship

QUESTION:

Hi, I am an Inidan citizen and am a Canadian Permanent Resident and currently working in the US, have doing so ever since marriage.

My wife is a Canadian citizen and lives on and off with me in the USA and also in Montreal, Canada.

She does not have stable job in Canada and I provide for her expenses.

So, my question is, "Can I apply for Canadian citizenship, my residency criteria being met by marriage and supporting a Canadian citizen". If so what is the procedure.
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david ingram replies:

To qualify for Canadian citizenship, you must be physically present IN Canada for 1,095 out of 1,460 days (3 out of 4 years).

To keep your permanent residence status current you must be physically in Canada for 24 months out of 60, or 730 out of 1,825 days OR living out of the country with a Canadian Citizen.

If your wife was linving with you in the US, you could be in the US for 20 years and keep your PR card alive.

However, if your wife is living in Montreal and visiting you in the USA for a couple of months at a time, and remains a member of the Quebec Medical Plan, it is my opinion that your PR card is at risk.

Even if she was living with you on a full time basis and you were supporting three children, it would NOT qualify you for Candian
citizenship if you are not physically living in Canada, or, in your case, the province of Quebec.

To keep her Quebec medical alive, your wife must be in Quebec 183 nights or more.

Now, Quebec is a different animal when it comes to immigration. If you talk to the immigration people in Quebec itself, they may give you a different answer because they are eager to encourage immigration to Quebec and their rules do superseded the Federal rules to some degree.

However, if you do get a contrary opinion (to mine) from a Quebec government official, make sure that you have it in writing with your name on it and that it specifically describes YOUR situation and applies to YOU. THEN, make sure that you live within the parameters in your comfort letter and do not change them one bit. If the letter says that your wife has to be with you in the US for four months a year (as an example), make sure that you have documentary proof that she 'was there' for four months a year.

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