SOMERVILLE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) – Canada has opened up its citizenship guidelines, qualifying millions of Americans for citizenship.
The barriers to dual citizenship have been relaxed for many Canadian descendants. Now, Americans that have grandparents who were Canadian citizens can apply to be Canadian. Prior to this, only children could apply.
Mary Mangan of Somerville will be taking advantage of the opportunity.
“I couldn’t believe it at first, because I had looked into its years ago, but the barriers at the time were way too daunting,” said Mangan. “I never thought it would become a simple process.”
Mangan is just one of the estimated 300,000 Massachusetts residents who have Canadian ancestry, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
“I’m quite sure there are a lot of people I know both inside my family, and outside of my family who are eligible for this. I expect a lot of interest,” she said.
It’s not always easy; paperwork from over 100 years ago can be hard to find. Mangan was able to get her grandparent’s birth certificates thanks to cousins who were interested in genealogy.
The paperwork is like any other government form, a few pages long. But it’s something that a lot of people with good records can do on their own, though some are opting for immigration attorney’s when their family documentation isn’t as straight forward.
“I really appreciate that Canada is welcoming back its cousins that haven’t been able to apply for citizenship for various reasons,” said Mangan. “Now they are making it possible for us to re-join them and celebrate Canada.”
The cost of applying is $55 to file the paperwork.