Who qualifies for a waiver
We’ll only approve a waiver if your situation meets certain criteria. On this page, we’ll explain what reasons are valid for requesting a waiver.
On this page
- Check the requirements for your age group
- Valid reasons for a waiver (compassionate grounds)
- Invalid reasons for a waiver
Check the requirements for your age group
Not all age groups have the same requirements for citizenship.
- Citizenship test and language requirements: You don’t need to meet these requirements if you sign your application when you’re
- under 18 (a minor) or
- at least 55 years old
- Oath of citizenship: Minors under 14 also don’t need to take the oath of citizenship.
In these situations, you don’t need to request a waiver.
Valid reasons for a waiver (compassionate grounds)
We’ll consider your reason for requesting a waiver valid if your situation meets our criteria for compassionate grounds.
The criteria for the waiver depends on whether you’re an adult or a minor applicant:
Waiver for adults (18 and above)
An adult applicant can request a waiver for any of the test, language or oath requirements.
Test and language waivers
Usually, if you’re between 18 and 54 years old when you sign your application, you must
- take the citizenship test and
- prove your language skills in English or French
If you are in a situation that prevents you from taking the test or meeting the language requirement, you can ask for a waiver. Examples of situations that qualify for a waiver include
- a severe medical condition that has lasted (or may last) for at least 1 year, including
- a serious illness
- a physical or developmental disability
- a mental impairment (such as a cognitive impairment, learning disability, or any condition that affects focus and memory)
- trauma due to
- war
- torture
- living in a refugee camp
- other similar situations
- low levels of education or literacy in the first language (mother tongue)
- other situations that may justify a waiver
Oath waiver
Usually, every applicant aged 14 and above needs to take the oath of citizenship. This is the last step in the process to become a Canadian citizen.
An adult applicant (18 and above) only qualifies for an oath waiver if they can’t understand the oath due to a mental disability (like an intellectual or a developmental disability). For example, they don’t understand that taking the oath makes them a Canadian citizen.
Asking for more than 1 waiver
Depending on the situation, you can request a waiver for more than 1 requirement, such as
- test and oath waivers
- test, oath and language waivers (all 3)
Waiver for minors between 14 and 17 years old
Usually, minors between 14 and 17 years old must take the oath of citizenship.
Oath waiver
Minor applicants can request an oath waiver if they are in a situation that prevents them from taking the oath. Examples of situations that qualify for a waiver include
- a severe medical condition that has lasted (or may last) for at least 1 year, including
- a serious illness
- a physical or developmental disability
- a mental impairment (such as a cognitive impairment, learning disability, or any condition that affects focus and memory)
- trauma due to
- war
- torture
- living in a refugee camp
- other similar situations
- low levels of education or literacy in the first language (mother tongue)
- other situations that may justify a waiver
Automatic waivers
Minors under 18 don’t need to take the citizenship test or prove their language skills.
Minors under 14 don’t need to take the oath of citizenship.
Invalid reasons for a waiver
Time and cost on their own aren’t generally valid reasons for a waiver. For example, we don’t usually give a waiver because of the
- time needed to study for the citizenship test
- cost of taking a third-party language test
If you have a personal or financial hardship that causes a time or cost issue
- you may request a waiver
- we’ll review your request