CIT 0407 Physical Presence Calculation: Fill Out Online

What is CIT 0407 physical presence calculation?

To become a Canadian citizen, an adult permanent resident has to have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days in the five years immediately before signing the application. IRCC recommends its online Physical Presence Calculator. If you can't use it, CIT 0407 is the paper version, and it goes in with your citizenship application. It is a chain of boxes from A to L: the five-year window, your days as a permanent resident, your trips abroad, and a partial credit for time spent in Canada before you became a permanent resident.

The counting rules are where people slip up. Only full days away count as absences, because the day you leave and the day you come back both count as days in Canada. Every trip must be listed, including same-day trips across the border. Days as a visitor, student, worker, permit holder or protected person before becoming a permanent resident count as half days, up to 365 days. The form also says that work or study permits issued during a refugee claim or PRRA did not give temporary resident status.

FileIt asks for your signing date, your PR date, each trip and any earlier status, then does the counting. It works out the five-year window, the days in each box, the full days on each trip and the half-day credit, and prints them on IRCC's own PDF, including the small blanks in the calculations. You sign it by hand and include it with your application. The completed form is kept in your FileIt vault.

Requirement: At least 1,095 days in Canada in the five years before you sign your application
Pre-PR credit: Each day as a temporary resident or protected person counts as half a day, up to 365
What counts as absent: Only full days outside Canada. Departure and return days count as present
Online alternative: IRCC's Physical Presence Calculator, which the form recommends
Edition: CIT 0407 (05-2019) E
Signature: The applicant signs the declaration by hand

Who needs to fill out CIT 0407 physical presence calculation?

Permanent residents applying for Canadian citizenship on paper who don't use the online calculator.
Applicants who travel often and want to see their absences add up before they apply.
People who were students, workers or visitors in Canada before becoming permanent residents and want the half-day credit.
Protected persons counting time from their positive decision to the day before they became permanent residents.

When to use CIT 0407 physical presence calculation

Before you sign your citizenship application, using the date you'll sign as Box A.
When you want to check you meet the requirement on the day before you sign, as the form reminds you to.
Again, if your signing date moves: the five-year window, and so every box, moves with it.

What you need before you start

The date you'll sign your citizenship application.
The date you became a permanent resident, from your Confirmation of Permanent Residence or Record of Landing.
The dates you left and returned to Canada for every trip in the last five years, with the destination and reason.
For the pre-PR credit: the start and end dates of each temporary resident or protected person status, and any trips abroad during that time.
Travel records such as passport stamps or a travel history from the CBSA, if you need to check dates.

What’s on CIT 0407 physical presence calculation

The 2019 edition has 4 pages. FileIt asks for it in 4 parts:

Section 1: Your eligibility periodApplicant
Section 2: Physical presence as a permanent residentApplicant
Section 3: Time as a temporary resident or protected personApplicant
Total and declarationApplicant

How to fill out CIT 0407 physical presence calculation, step by step

1 Section 1: Eligibility period

Box A is the date you'll sign your application. Box B is the same date five years earlier, and Box C counts the days between them, at most 1,827. The window from B to A is the only period the rest of the form looks at.

2 Section 2: Time as a permanent resident

Box D is the date you became a permanent resident and Box E counts the days from then, or from Box B if that's later, to Box A. List every absence after you became a permanent resident. FileIt works out the full days of each trip, totals them in Box F and gives you Box G, E minus F.

3 Is Box G over 1,095?

If it is, the form says you meet the requirement. It still recommends doing Section 3 so all your allowable time is counted.

4 Section 3: Time before becoming a permanent resident

List each period of temporary resident or protected person status within the window, before your PR date (Box H), then your trips abroad during that time (Box I). Box J is H minus I, and Box K is half of J, up to 365 days.

5 Total and declaration

Box L, G plus K, is your total physical presence. You declare that the information is true, correct and complete, then sign and date the form.

Common mistakes to avoid

Counting the day you left or the day you returned as an absence. Only the full days in between count.
Leaving out short trips, such as same-day or next-day trips to the United States. The form says to list them all.
Counting time on a work or study permit issued while a refugee claim or PRRA was being assessed. The form says that wasn't temporary resident status.
Including a period you're not sure you had status for. The form says to leave it out so you don't apply too early.
Calculating to the date you sign. You must meet the requirement on the day before.

After you fill it out

Check Box L against the 1,095-day requirement, and consider confirming with IRCC's online calculator.

Print the PDF, sign and date the declaration, and include it with your citizenship application.

Keep a copy and your travel records in your FileIt vault in case IRCC asks about your absences.

Fill out CIT 0407 physical presence calculation online with FileIt

Pick the person. Choose someone from People and FileIt fills in their name, date of birth, address and other details it already knows.
Answer plain-language questions. One part of the form at a time, with the official help text beside each question — 168 fields in all. Your answers save as you go.
Check the live preview. Watch your answers land on the real Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) form, and let FileIt do any worksheet arithmetic.
Generate the official PDF. FileIt prints your answers into the agency’s own PDF and files it in that person’s folder in your vault.

FileIt fills the form — it never files or submits anything for you. Deliver the finished form to whoever asked for it, the way the form’s instructions say.

Start CIT 0407 physical presence calculation now — it’s free

CIT 0407 physical presence calculation: frequently asked questions

How many days do I need in Canada to apply for citizenship?

The form says the Citizenship Act requires at least 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada during the five years immediately before the date you apply.

How are absences counted on CIT 0407?

Only full days outside Canada count. The day you leave and the day you return count as days in Canada, so a same-day trip counts as 0 days absent, and leaving July 1 and returning July 6 counts as 4.

Does time before becoming a permanent resident count?

Yes, if you had temporary resident or protected person status during the five-year window. Each day in Canada then counts as half a day, up to 365 days.

Do I have to use this form?

IRCC recommends its online Physical Presence Calculator to avoid mistakes. The form says that if you can't use the calculator, you must complete CIT 0407 and include it with your application.

What if I have more than ten trips?

The form says to attach another sheet of paper if you need more space. In FileIt you list the extra trips on a separate sheet and enter their full days, which are added to your total.

Can FileIt fill out CIT 0407 for me?

Yes. FileIt asks for your dates and trips, calculates every box and prints them on IRCC's official PDF. You sign it and send it with your application. FileIt doesn't submit anything to IRCC.

Official sources

Blank form (PDF), published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC): https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ircc/documents/pdf/english/kits/forms/cit0407/01-05-2019/cit0407e.pdf
Official instructions and guidance: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/application-forms-guides/cit0407.html
Edition shown on this page: CIT 0407 (05-2019) E (checked 2026-10-19).

FileIt is not affiliated with or endorsed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-10-19.