No, you cannot buy Canadian citizenship

After many elections, some Americans vow to flee the United States to move to another country, like Canada.

In 2016, for example, data from Google showed searches for “move to Canada” spiked significantly during election night as former President Donald Trump took the lead in several battleground states. Nearly four years later in 2020, “how to move to Canada” searches spiked again after the presidential debate between Trump and then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Recent search trends show that “move to Canada” is spiking again online, with some people wondering if they can buy Canadian citizenship after the upcoming election.

THE QUESTION

Can you buy Canadian citizenship?

THE SOURCES

• Government of Canada
• Gouvernement du Québec
• Sobirovs Law Firm, a business immigration law office in Toronto, Canada
• Henley & Partners, a global consulting company

THE ANSWER

No, you cannot buy Canadian citizenship.

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WHAT WE FOUND

It is not possible to purchase Canadian citizenship. However, you may be eligible to apply for temporary or permanent residency in Canada, which could eventually lead to citizenship.

“Canada is unlike the other countries where foreign residents can purchase citizenship,” the Sobirovs Law Firm says on its website. “The concept of buying citizenship, especially the Canadian one, is a common misconception.”

To become a Canadian citizen, the Government of Canada says you must meet the following requirements:

• be a permanent resident
• have lived in Canada for 3 out of the last 5 years
• have filed your taxes, if you need to
• prove your language skills
• pass a citizenship test
• take the oath of citizenship

But there are other ways to immigrate to Canada outside of applying for citizenship. The country offers multiple temporary and permanent residence programs for anyone interested in moving to Canada, including skilled workers and entrepreneurs, which may eventually lead to Canadian citizenship.

Canada’s Start-up Visa Program, for example, specifically targets immigrant entrepreneurs “with the skills and potential to build businesses in Canada” if they meet certain eligibility requirements.

To qualify under the Start-up Visa Program, the Government of Canada says you must have a qualifying business, get a letter of support from a designated organization, such as a Canadian venture capital fund or angel investor group, meet the language requirements and bring enough money to support yourself and your dependents after you arrive in Canada. 

Since the program began in 2013, about 900 entrepreneurs have become permanent Canadian residents, representing the launch of more than 300 start-ups in the country, the Government of Canada said in April.

The Canadian province of Québec has similar programs available for skilled workers and business investors who want to become permanent residents of Canada and live in Québec.

“These programs provide reliable pathways for foreign entrepreneurs and their families to gain permanent Canadian residence and, later, citizenship,” Sobirovs Law Firm says.

You can use the Come to Canada tool on the Government of Canada’s website to determine which programs you may be eligible to apply for if you’re interested in moving to the country.

Although you cannot buy Canadian citizenship, other countries like Grenada, Malta and St. Lucia allow foreigners to obtain citizenship through investment programs “that could involve buying real estate, financing local enterprises, or supporting educational initiatives,” according to Henley & Partners, a global consulting company.