What is a citizenship grant?

It is the official term in the Citizenship Act for citizenship given by government decision to someone who does not hold it from birth: in practice, a permanent resident who meets the requirements, applies, passes the test and takes the oath. It is what other countries call naturalization.

Are grant and naturalization the same thing?

Essentially, yes. Canada has used "grant" in its laws and forms since 1947; "naturalization" is the everyday word, still used in the United States and the United Kingdom. A citizen by naturalization and a citizen by grant are the same person.

Is there a grant (money) to pay the citizenship fee?

No. In "citizenship grant", grant means the act of granting, not funding. The $653 adult fee stays with the applicant, and IRCC offers neither a waiver nor financial help for a regular citizenship application.

Does a citizen by grant have the same rights as a citizen by birth?

Yes. Once the oath is taken, the law makes no distinction: the same rights to vote, hold a passport, move freely and pass on citizenship, with a single nuance for children born abroad, where the way the parent became a citizen matters.

Eligibility and feesAugust 29, 2026 · 8 min read · By Julien Durand

Citizenship Grant vs Naturalization: Which Kind of Canadian Are You?

Grant, naturalization, citizenship by birth or by descent: what these terms mean in Canada, which one applies to you, and when the difference actually matters.

A Canadian citizenship certificate lying on a desk next to a Canadian passport and a pen

In Canada, a "citizenship grant" is the official term for citizenship given to someone who does not hold it from birth, in other words what most people call naturalization. The two words describe the same reality: a permanent resident who meets the requirements, applies, passes the test and takes the oath. Alongside it, there are two other ways to be Canadian: by birth in the country and by descent. Here is what each term means, which one applies to you, and the few cases where the difference matters.

The three ways to be a Canadian citizen

The Citizenship Act recognizes three main routes. The first is birth in Canada: with a few exceptions involving the children of foreign diplomats, anyone born on Canadian soil is a citizen from birth. The second is descent: a child born abroad to a Canadian parent is a citizen from birth, under the conditions described below. The third is the grant: the government gives citizenship, by decision, to a person who applies for it and meets the conditions set out in the law.

The first two routes are automatic: you are a citizen without having asked for it, and the certificate only proves it. The third is a procedure, with requirements, fees, a test and an oath. That procedure is what our guide on how to become a Canadian citizen describes, and it is what this site is built for: the citizenship test exists only for grants.

What "grant" means

The word comes from section 5 of the Citizenship Act: "the Minister shall grant citizenship to any person who" meets a list of conditions. It is therefore an act of government, not a right acquired at birth. The conditions are the ones you know: being a permanent resident, having been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days in the five years before applying, having filed taxes when the law requires it, proving language skills and passing the test between 18 and 54, and not being subject to any prohibition. Our article on the eligibility requirements goes through them one by one.

On IRCC forms you will see the term everywhere: "Application for Canadian Citizenship (Grant)", form CIT 0002 for adults, and its equivalent for minors. The fees shown are grant fees, namely $653 for an adult and $100 for a minor. When a document or an officer refers to "your grant application", they simply mean your citizenship application.

So what about "naturalization"?

Naturalization is the historical and international word. Before January 1, 1947, there was no separate Canadian citizenship: people living in the country were British subjects, and immigrants became British subjects through naturalization, under the Naturalization Act. The document they received was called a naturalization certificate. The Canadian Citizenship Act of 1947 created Canadian citizenship and replaced the vocabulary: since then, the law speaks of a grant, and that is the only term you will find in official texts.

The word did not disappear, though. In the United States, people still talk about naturalization and a naturalization certificate; in the United Kingdom, about naturalisation as a British citizen. Many Canadians and newcomers therefore say naturalization out of habit, and IRCC itself sometimes uses "naturalized citizen" in plain-language explanations, notably for citizenship by descent. Remember this: citizen by naturalization, naturalized citizen and citizen by grant all describe exactly the same person. No Canadian document has carried the word naturalization since 1947, except certificates issued before that date, which remain valid.

A "grant" is not funding

One frequent confusion deserves a clear answer. In English, a grant is also a sum of money, and some people search for a "citizenship grant" hoping for help with the fees. There is none in Canada: grant fees stay with the applicant, and there is neither a low-income waiver nor a federal funding program for a regular application. The $123 right of citizenship fee is refunded if the application is refused or withdrawn, but that is all. The only help available is local: some settlement agencies offer free assistance to fill out the application, never to pay for it.

Citizen by birth: in Canada or by descent

Birth on Canadian soil gives citizenship whatever the parents' status, except for the children of foreign government representatives. Descent is more subtle. Since December 15, 2025, when Bill C-3 came into force, the rule has changed. The first-generation limit, which prevented a Canadian who was themselves born abroad from passing citizenship to a child born abroad, was removed for people born before that date. For children born or adopted abroad on or after December 15, 2025 to a Canadian parent who was also born abroad, a substantial connection test applies: that parent must have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days before the birth or adoption.

One point reassures many new citizens: a parent who obtained citizenship by grant is treated like a parent born in Canada. Their children born abroad are citizens from birth by descent, with no presence condition. The substantial connection test only concerns the following generation. Our article on citizenship for a child born abroad and the one on Canadian citizenship for children cover these situations in detail.

Which citizen are you? The one-minute table

Born in Canada: citizen by birth. No procedure; the provincial birth certificate or a citizenship certificate serves as proof.
Born abroad to a Canadian parent: citizen by birth through descent, subject to the rules above. You must apply for a citizenship certificate to prove it.
Permanent resident who applied, passed the test and took the oath: citizen by grant, what others call a naturalized citizen. The certificate is handed over at the ceremony.
Adopted abroad by a Canadian: citizen by direct grant, a special route with no test and no physical presence requirement.
Former citizen who lost citizenship: resumption, another form of grant provided for by the law.

Does the difference change anything?

For almost everything, no. Once you are a citizen, by grant or by birth, you have the same rights: voting and running in elections, holding a Canadian passport, entering and staying in Canada without conditions, sponsoring relatives, working in the federal public service. The benefits of citizenship do not depend on the route taken, and no Canadian law creates second-class citizens. Revocation for fraud, which targets a grant obtained through misrepresentation, is the only situation specific to citizens by grant, and it presupposes fraud on the application itself.

Two places remain where the distinction shows. First, passing citizenship to children born abroad, described above, where what counts is how the parent became a citizen. Second, forms: the citizenship certificate does not mention the route, but some applications, such as a passport or a proof of citizenship, ask whether you were born in Canada or obtained citizenship, along with the ceremony date.

The citizenship certificate: one proof for everyone

Whatever the route, the official proof is the same: the Canadian citizenship certificate, now issued electronically. Citizens by grant receive it after the ceremony; citizens by descent must apply for it, with proof of the parent's citizenship; citizens born in Canada rarely use it, since a birth certificate is almost always enough. Old naturalization certificates from before 1947 and laminated citizenship cards remain valid as proof, but are no longer issued.

Key takeaways

Grant is the Canadian legal term; naturalization is the everyday and foreign word: same thing.
Grant does not mean funding: citizenship fees are neither waived nor subsidized.
Birth in Canada and descent are automatic; a grant is a procedure with a test and an oath.
Once you are a citizen, rights are identical; only passing citizenship to children born abroad involves the route you took.

If you are preparing a grant application, the test is the step you can work on right now. Our chapter quizzes follow the Discover Canada guide, and our practice exams reproduce the official format of 20 questions in 30 minutes.