They look at two things to determine if you can receive the Old Age Security pension: your age and your years of residence in Canada.

If you fall into either of the categories below, you may be eligible to receive the Old Age Security pension.

Category 1 - People living in Canada

• You are 65 or older.
• You live in Canada and are a Canadian citizen or a legal resident at the time your pension is approved.
• You lived in Canada for at least 10 years after reaching age 18.

Category 2 - People living outside Canada

• You are 65 or older.
• You left the country and you were a Canadian citizen or a legal resident of Canada when you left.
• You lived in Canada for at least 20 years after reaching age 18.

If you do not fall into either of these two categories, you may still qualify for a pension since Canada has social security agreements with many countries. If you have lived in one of these countries or contributed to its social security system, you may qualify for a pension from that country, from Canada or from both countries.