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In December, new citizenship laws took effect that can enable certain children born outside of Canada to claim Canadian citizenship.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The new law<\/a>, commonly referred to as Bill C-3, has two parts: one that applies to people born before Dec. 15, 2025, and the other to people born on or after that date.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here, we explain the new rules, why Ottawa introduced them and the process for applying:<\/p>\n People born abroad before Dec. 15, 2025<\/p>\n People born or adopted abroad before Dec. 15, 2025 who can show an ancestral connection to a Canadian can be \u201cdeemed\u201d Canadian citizens, says Sara Pesko, a Toronto-based lawyer at Abramovich Immigration Law.\u00a0<\/p>\n These people do not need to be granted citizenship; if they demonstrate eligibility, they are simply affirmed as having it.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re really applying for a citizenship certificate, which is proof of that fact,\u201d said Pesko.<\/p>\n Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada confirmed to Canadian Affairs that anyone who can demonstrate a Canadian \u201cparental ancestor\u201d is eligible.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople born outside Canada before December 15, 2025, must show they have a Canadian parent \u2014 or a parental ancestor, such as a grandparent or great-grandparent \u2014 who became a Canadian citizen on or after January 1, 1947 (or April 1, 1949, in Newfoundland and Labrador),\u201d the department spokesperson said in an email.\u00a0<\/p>\n (The years 1949 and 1947 are when Canadian citizenship as a legal status came into existence in Newfoundland and the rest of Canada, respectively.)<\/p>\n This means, for example, that an individual whose great-grandparent was born in Canada and emigrated to the United States may now be a Canadian citizen \u2014 even if the individual, their parents and grandparents never lived in Canada.<\/p>\n Clara Morrissey, an immigration lawyer at BARTLAW LLP, says her firm has seen applicants tracing their ancestry back to the 1800s \u2014 and in some cases even earlier \u2014 although proving those claims can be difficult.<\/p>\n People born abroad after Dec. 15 2025<\/p>\n The second part of the new rules apply to people born or adopted abroad on or after Dec. 15, 2025 to a Canadian parent who was also born abroad.\u00a0<\/p>\n Thank you for being a paid subscriber. Your support makes our original and Canadian-focused journalism possible. \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 <\/p>\n Subscribe to Editor’s Picks. Receive our free Saturday newsletter featuring our best stories from the week.<\/p>\n These individuals are \u201cable to access citizenship\u201d provided the Canadian parent who was born abroad can demonstrate they spent at least 1,095 cumulative days in Canada before the child\u2019s birth or adoption, the government spokesperson said.<\/p>\n Why Ottawa changed the law<\/p>\n Previously, Canadian citizenship laws had a \u201cfirst-generation limit\u201d that prevented Canadian citizens born abroad from automatically passing citizenship to a child also born abroad.<\/p>\n In 2023, an Ontario court ruled that this first-generation limit was unconstitutional. Rather than appeal, the federal government amended the Citizenship Act through Bill C-3.<\/p>\n In announcing<\/a> the changes, IRCC said the legislation was designed to make citizenship law \u201cfair, clear and reflective of how Canadian families live today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis new legislation strengthens the bond between Canadians at home and around the world, and reaffirms the values we hold as a nation,\u201d Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said when the legislation came into force.\u00a0<\/p>\n The application process<\/p>\n Individuals born or adopted abroad before Dec. 15, 2025 can apply to have their citizenship affirmed. Applicants must submit documentation showing a complete chain of descent between their Canadian ancestor and themselves.<\/p>\n Applicants may need to provide certified provincial birth records, baptismal records or other archival documents. The key is to provide documentation showing a connection at every generational level, such as to a great-grandparent, grandparent and parent.\u00a0<\/p>\n Documentation can be a big challenge, says Morrissey.\u00a0The further back a claim reaches, the more challenging that process becomes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe onus is on the applicant to prove that they have this Canadian ancestor and prove that the line of citizenship was not broken,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Printouts from genealogy websites alone are generally insufficient, she says.<\/p>\n Pesko says some clients have produced family Bibles, census records and historical church documents when official birth records are unavailable. But she cautioned that inconsistencies in names or dates can complicate applications.<\/p>\n