Barefoot, I loved your response. It was straightforward and on-point. The whole question/answer between you and Richie got me to thinking.

Population of North America: 514,600,000
United States: 303,606,020
Mexico: 106,535,000
Canada: 33,163,000
Guatemala: 13,354,000
Cuba: 11,268,000

Each year about 170,000 people become new citizens of Canada.

I looked on the Canada government website under About being a permanent resident of Canada, Immigrating to Canada and Becoming a Canadian citizen.

The section on Canadian citizenship is very interesting. Following is information about becoming a Canadian citizen.

Age
You must be at least 18 years old to apply for Canadian citizenship.

To apply for citizenship for a child under 18, make sure the following conditions are met:

the person applying is the child’s parent, adoptive parent or legal guardian
the child is a permanent resident, but does not need to have lived in Canada for three years and
one parent is already a Canadian citizen or is applying to become a citizen at the same time. This also applies to adoptive parents.
Permanent resident status
To become a Canadian citizen, you must have permanent resident status in Canada, and that status must not be in doubt. This means you must not be the subject of an immigration investigation, an immigration inquiry or a removal order (an order from Canadian officials to leave Canada).

Time lived in Canada
To become Canadian citizens, adults must have lived in Canada for at least three years (1,095 days) in the past four years before applying. Children do not need to meet this requirement.

You may be able to count time you spent in Canada before you became a permanent resident if that time falls within the four-year period.

Use the citizenship calculator to find out if you have lived in Canada long enough to apply for citizenship.

Language abilities
Canada has two official languages—English and French. You need to have adequate knowledge of one of these two languages. You must know enough English or French to understand other people and for them to understand you.

Criminal history (prohibitions)
You cannot become a citizen if you:

have been convicted of an indictable (criminal) offence or an offence under the Citizenship Act in the three years before you apply
are currently charged with an indictable offence or an offence under the Citizenship Act
are in prison, on parole or on probation
are under a removal order (have been ordered by Canadian officials to leave Canada)
are under investigation for, are charged with, or have been convicted of a war crime or a crime against humanity or
have had your Canadian citizenship taken away in the past five years.
If you are on probation or are charged with an offence and are awaiting trial, you should wait until after the probation has ended or the trial is over to apply for citizenship.

If you have spent time on probation, on parole or in prison in the last four years, you may not meet the residence requirement for citizenship.

Time in prison or on parole does not count as residence in Canada. Time on probation also does not count as residence in Canada if you were convicted of an offence. If you have spent time on probation from a conditional discharge, it may be counted toward residence. For details, contact the Call Centre.

Knowledge of Canada
To become a citizen, you must understand the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, such as the right and responsibility to vote in elections. You must also have an understanding of Canada’s history, values, institutions and symbols.

The information you need to know is in our free.




http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizen...ligibility.asp

According to information from the site as a permanent resident, you and your dependants have the right :

To receive most social benefits that Canadian citizens receive, including health care coverage.
To live, work or study anywhere in Canada.
To apply for Canadian citizenship.
To protection under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
You must pay taxes, and respect all Canadian laws at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.

What permanet residents cannot do :

Vote or run for political office.
Hold certain jobs that have a high-level security clearance requirement.
Remain in Canada if you are convicted of a serious criminal offence and have been told to leave the country.




There are six categories of immigration in Canada according to imformation on the website. These categories are Skilled workers and professionals; Quebec-selected skilled workers; Canadian Experience Class; Investors, entrepreneurs and self-employed people; Provincial nominees and Sponsoring your family.

Each of these categories requires you have a job, a promise of a job and knowledge of either English or French. The Quebec Province section for Federal Skilled Workers is separate from the main Canada website info.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/about-pr.asp

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp