Citizenship by Descent Canada

Under the old law, citizenship by descent stopped with the first generation born outside Canada. That was the first-generation limit. A child born outside the country to a Canadian mother or father could be a citizen. But that child usually could not pass citizenship to their own kids if those kids were also born abroad.

The limit began with changes on 17 April 2009. Under the 2009 rules, only the first generation born abroad to a Canadian parent could normally become a citizen, though there were exceptions. The same was true if the parent had become a citizen through adoption.

A court ruling came first: in December 2023, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice found that the limit broke the Constitution for many people. Then in March 2025, the government brought in an interim measure to help those people while the law was being fixed.

Bill C-3 amended the Citizenship Act. It passed on 15 December 2025 and came into force that very day. In some cases it ended the first-generation limit.

The new law may have restored or granted citizenship to people in the second generation or later who were born abroad before the new law began. Were you born abroad before that date? If your mother or father was already a citizen at the time of your birth, you are likely a Canadian citizen.

Nothing changes for anyone who already held citizenship before Bill C-3 took effect.

If a child is born outside Canada on or after 15 December 2025, and their Canadian parent was also born outside Canada, the parent needs enough time in Canada. The child is likely a Canadian citizen if the parent spent at least 1,095 days living in Canada before the child arrived.

Adopted children are treated much the same way. For them, there is a separate application route for citizenship, and a Canadian parent's time in Canada before the adoption can affect eligibility.

Older rules caused some people to lose their Canadian citizenship or never get it at all. To bring many of them back in, Parliament changed the Citizenship Act in 2009 and 2015.

In 2009, citizenship went to people who had lost it or never had it under former rules and who:

• became a Canadian citizen on the law's first day, 1 January 1947
• were born in Canada, or naturalized there, once 1 January 1947 had passed
• were adopted abroad by Canadian parents from 1 January 1947 onward
• were the first generation born outside Canada to a Canadian parent from that date onward

The 2015 round brought in more people. That included people who were:

• born in Canada, or naturalized there, before 1 January 1947, and who stopped being British subjects without becoming citizens that day
• British subjects who made their home in Canada but could not become citizens when the law began on 1 January 1947
• born abroad before 1 January 1947, in the first generation, with a parent who was born or naturalized in Canada before that date, or who was a British subject living in Canada then
• born outside Canada and adopted before 1 January 1947, by a parent who became a citizen that day and can pass citizenship down by descent

For Newfoundland and Labrador, swap in 1 April 1949 for 1 January 1947. The government points out that the 2025 changes touch these rules too, so parts of this may not fit your case.

If you think the new law made you a citizen, the only way to know for sure is to apply for a citizenship certificate. This certificate is official proof of your Canadian status. After you send in your application, the government looks over your file to see if you count as a citizen.

Here are the official steps:

1. Apply for a citizenship certificate. That page has the forms and fees, plus a way to search past citizenship records.
2. If citizenship is confirmed, use the certificate to get a Canadian passport.
3. Gather the papers you will need for your trip to Canada.

This proof makes it easier to get a passport and to cross the border without delays as you enter Canada. Right now, the wait for proof of citizenship is about 34 months.

If the descent rules leave you out, a grant of citizenship may still be within reach. For example, you may qualify after spending many years in Canada as a permanent resident. Right now, a citizenship grant takes about 12 months to process.

Some people became Canadian automatically under the new law, without any step on their part. If that is you and you would rather not be Canadian, you can formally give up your Canadian citizenship. Renouncing it means handing it back on purpose.