Becoming a citizen of both the United States and Canada is beneficial for you. You can freely travel in both countries, vote or be eligible for whatever public office in either country, and get all the social rights in both countries at the same time. Given how many advantages you get as a dual citizen of the US and Canada, you may want to become one.

Acquiring dual citizenship is not very easy, however. But we will review the main methods to become a US and Canadian citizen to clarify this topic.

Are you already a US or Canadian citizen?

The easiest way to become a citizen of both countries is to obtain citizenship of a country when you are already a citizen of another country. Put simply, if you are a Canadian citizen, all you need to do is live in the United States for at least five years as a green card holder. You need to live in the US for a shorter period (three years) if you are a spouse of a US citizen. You still must obtain a green card. After the minimal period of your residency in the US passes, you can apply for US citizenship. Note, however, that you should first verify if you are eligible for acquiring US citizenship. Upon obtaining a Certificate of Naturalization, you are a dual citizen of the US and Canada.

You should also check if your parents were lawful US citizens, either born in the US or naturalized citizens. If so, you can also become a dual citizen – simply acquire US citizenship through parents, which is a faster way to dual citizenship status than living in the US for several years.

But I am neither US nor Canadian citizen. How do I obtain dual citizenship in this case?

If you are not a United States or Canadian citizen, then you may need an entire decade to become a dual citizen of both countries. We recommend that you first become a US citizen through naturalization. As we have mentioned earlier, you need to get a green card and live in the US for a minimal period of time. Next, you can become a Canadian citizen. Canadian immigration laws have requirements similar to those in the US for you to become a Canadian citizen. You need to get a green card or Permanent Resident Card and live in Canada for at least four years during last six years.

Note that if you firstly acquired US citizenship, in five years during your life in the US, the Canadian immigration laws may change.

To summarize, you should find out if any your parent was Canadian or US citizen. If this is true, getting a second citizenship is relatively easy.