Question Period Note: Bill C-3 implementation

On December 15, 2025, Bill C-3 An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act (2025) came into force. There is a high level of media interest on volumes resulting from Bill C-3 with specific interests on (1) how far back one’s claim to citizenship by descent can go and (2) those applying from the United States (U.S.).

To protect the value of Canadian citizenship, we brought in Bill C-3—creating fair, modern rules for citizenship by descent and a requirement that citizenship applicants clearly prove their connection to Canada.

Individuals seeking proof of citizenship through a Canadian ancestor must establish the chain of parent-child relationships through each generation.

From the beginning, we have been clear: having Canadian ancestry does not automatically mean entitlement to citizenship.

Bill C-3 established clear rules for citizenship by descent and continues to operate as intended. This maintains the integrity of our citizenship program and the trust of Canadians.

If pressed:
• We have temporarily paused our assessment of new C 3 citizenship applications and are currently reviewing a few dozen cases.
• The people affected can continue to live and work in Canada.
• Officials are working quickly to validate these cases and get back to those who have been affected.
• I know this causes uncertainty. My job is to safeguard the integrity of our citizenship program, and I will do everything necessary to protect it.

If pressed on why this happened:
• I have instructed my department to review why this happened and to ensure all applications are assessed fairly, consistently, and in accordance with the law.

If pressed on passports:
• While the review is ongoing, affected people cannot use their Canadian passports.

If pressed on volumes:
• From December 15, 2025, to March 31, 2026, a total of 4,075 proof applications were approved in accordance with Bill C-3.
• At this time, the majority of approved citizenship by descent proof applications continue to be from individuals who were eligible without Bill C-3.
• While the department continues to monitor volumes closely, it has not observed a significant increase in proof of citizenship applications to date.

Bill C-3

Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025), introduced on June 5, 2025, received Royal Assent on November 20, 2025 and came into force on December 15, 2025. The bill:

o automatically remedies the status of any person who would be a citizen today were it not for the first-generation limit or certain outdated provisions of former citizenship legislation.

o establishes a new framework for citizenship by descent going forward that would allow for access to citizenship beyond the first generation based on a Canadian parent’s substantial connection to Canada.

o minimizes distinctions for children adopted abroad by a Canadian parent by providing access to the direct grant of citizenship for children adopted abroad beyond the first generation.

Substantial connection is defined as a Canadian parent having at least 3 years (1,095 cumulative days) of physical presence in Canada prior to the birth or adoption of their child.

Proof of citizenship applications and volumes

IRCC receives proof applications from individuals who are seeking documentary evidence of their Canadian citizenship. This includes:
o Individuals born in Canada who wish to have a citizenship certificate
o Individuals who have a claim to citizenship by descent
o Individuals who require a replacement certificate

With the first-generation limit (FGL) in place, IRCC received an approximate average of 50,000 proof applications per year.

In fiscal year 2025-26, IRCC has seen a gradual increase in the volume of proof applications of approximately 40%; however, this increase largely pre-dates the coming into force of Bill C-3 and therefore is not related to the Bill.

World events influence application volumes, for example COVID, wars/conflicts, and changes in the domestic policies of other countries.

Bill C-3 and those born after coming into force

Those born abroad beyond the first generation on or after December 15, 2025, when Bill C-3 came into force, can only derive citizenship from their Canadian parent if that parent has spent at least 3 years (1,095 days) of physical presence in Canada prior to the birth of their child.

Acceptable proof of physical presence in Canada for the Canadian parent may include, but is not limited to:

o Employment/educational records, such as transcripts or T-4 slips
o Residential records, such as rental, mortgage or insurance papers
o Travel records, such as passports or entry/exit records
o Government records, such as social assistance or employment insurance benefits
o Other proof that the applicant feels demonstrates their parent(s) physical presence in Canada.

Bill C-3 and those born before coming into force

To be eligible for Canadian citizenship by descent, those born abroad before Bill C-3 came into force must have a Canadian parent or a parental ancestor who became, or would have become, a Canadian citizen on or after January 1, 1947 (on or after April 1, 1949, in Newfoundland). This includes those whose ancestors were remedied through the 2009, 2015, or 2025 amendments to the Citizenship Act, and includes “Lost Canadians” and their descendants, as well as those who would have been citizens had it not been for the FGL.

Multi-generational claims to citizenship by descent

Individuals can only derive citizenship from a Canadian parent; however, in some cases it may be necessary to go back multiple generations to a parental ancestor on which the applicant’s parent, and prior relatives, claim to Canadian citizenship is based. As part of their application, individuals must provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate that their parental ancestor was Canadian as well as documentation that proves the familial linkage of each generation to the Canadian ancestor. Sufficient evidence would include:

o Provincial/territorial birth certificate, or
o Canadian citizenship/naturalization certificate, or
o Certificate of Registration of Birth Abroad (RBA) or Certificate of retention of Canadian Citizenship, or
o British naturalization certificate, issued in Canada or Newfoundland and Labrador
o Country specific birth certificate displaying the name of the Canadian grandparent(s) AND proof that at least one of the grandparents is a Canadian citizen, or
o Proof of acquisition of British subject status, or
o Proof of landed immigrant (LI) status in Canada.

Evidence such as information obtained from an online genealogy platform (ex. ancestry.com) cannot solely be used to substantiate a claim to citizenship.

United States applicants and volumes

From December 15, 2025 to January 31, 2026, there were approximately 6,284 processed proof applications, of which 4,804 (76%) were not related to Bill C-3 while 1,480 (24%) were confirmed that the applicant is a citizen because of Bill C-3.

Of the 1,480 Bill C-3 citizens, approximately 780 were born in the U.S., representing about 53%. So far since the coming into force of Bill C-3, the percentage of applicants from the U.S. has increased slightly.
In comparison, historically, proof applications from the U.S. have represented a considerable percentage of overall proof application volumes. For example, in 2025 (January 1 to December 31 2025), there were approximately 55,075 approved proof applications, of which 24,530 people were born in the U.S., representing about 45%.

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