Citizenship by descent after Bill C-3

If you were born outside Canada to a Canadian parent, you may have spent years unsure whether you belong. Maybe a parent told you that you were Canadian and a passport office told you that you were not. Maybe your child was born abroad and you worried about what that meant for them. On December 15, 2025, the rules changed. Bill C-3 updated how Canadian citizenship passes from parent to child when a child is born or adopted outside Canada, and many people who were left out are now citizens. This guide explains what changed, who it covers, and the calm, practical steps to get proof.

The first-generation limit, and why it changed

Since April 17, 2009, citizenship by descent was limited to the first generation born outside Canada. A child born abroad to a Canadian parent who had been born in Canada, or naturalized, was a citizen. But if that Canadian parent had also been born abroad, the child (the second generation) generally was not. In December 2023, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled that this limit was unconstitutional for many people. IRCC introduced an interim measure in March 2025 to help those affected. Then Parliament passed Bill C-3, which received royal assent on November 20, 2025 and came into effect on December 15, 2025. It does not take citizenship away from anyone who was already a citizen.

Who is now a citizen automatically

• People born outside Canada before December 15, 2025 to a parent who was a Canadian citizen at the time of their birth. In most cases you are now a citizen automatically, even if you are in the second or a later generation born abroad.
• People born to someone who became Canadian because of these changes. If your parent became a citizen under Bill C-3, that can carry through to you.
• Remaining "Lost Canadians" and their descendants, including people who lost citizenship under the former section 8 of the Citizenship Act.
• Not automatic: if your parent became a citizen only after you were born, or if you were adopted abroad by a Canadian, you are not a citizen automatically. There are other routes, explained below.

Becoming a citizen automatically means there is no application to become one. The law already applies to you. What you may not have yet is proof, and you will need proof for things like a Canadian passport. That is the next step, and it is covered further down this page.

Children born or adopted abroad on or after December 15, 2025

For children born or adopted outside Canada from December 15, 2025 onward, the law uses a substantial connection test. If the child's Canadian parent was born in Canada or naturalized before the child's birth, the test does not apply and the child is a citizen as before. If the Canadian parent was themselves born or adopted outside Canada, that parent must have spent at least 1,095 days (three years) physically present in Canada before the child's birth, or before the adoption. The days are cumulative: they do not need to be in a row or in any recent period, but they must all fall before the birth or adoption. The parent shows this on the form How to calculate physical presence in Canada for a Canadian parent (CIT 0555).

If the test applies, start gathering the parent's records early, because they may be years old. IRCC lists these kinds of evidence of the parent's time in Canada:

• Employment or education records, such as T4 slips or school transcripts.
• Travel records, such as passports or entry and exit records.
• Residential records, such as rental, mortgage or insurance records.
• Canadian government records from federal, provincial, territorial or municipal sources.
• Affidavits from people or organizations who knew the parent was in Canada, such as a religious institution, union or volunteer program. A family member cannot prepare or swear one.

"Lost Canadians"

"Lost Canadians" is the name IRCC uses for people who lost or never got citizenship because of certain outdated rules. Changes in 2009 and 2015 restored or granted citizenship to about 20,000 people, but some were still left out, including people affected by the former section 8 of the Citizenship Act and the descendants of Lost Canadians. Bill C-3 restores citizenship to the remaining Lost Canadians and their descendants. If your family history includes a parent or grandparent who was told they had lost their status, it is worth looking at your situation again under the new rules.

If you were adopted abroad

Adoption by a Canadian parent does not make a child a citizen automatically. Instead, there is a separate route called a direct grant of citizenship for adopted people. A child adopted abroad before December 15, 2025 by a Canadian parent who was born or adopted abroad can apply through this route. For an adoption on or after that date, the Canadian parent (if born or adopted abroad) must have spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the adoption. Do not apply for a citizenship certificate for a child born and adopted abroad: IRCC returns those applications. Use the citizenship for an adopted child process instead.

How to get proof: the citizenship certificate

1. 01

   Check your situation

   Read IRCC's "Check if you may be a Canadian citizen" page and the 2025 rules page. Note your date of birth, where you and your Canadian parent were born, and when your parent became a citizen.

2. 02

   Gather documents for each generation

   IRCC needs authentic records issued by the original authority, such as a civil registry, for each link in the chain (you, your parent, and sometimes your grandparent). Documents not in English or French need a translation and the translator's affidavit.

3. 03

   Apply and pay the fee

   Apply for a citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship) online if you qualify, or on paper. The fee on IRCC's fee list is $75. If you have an interim-measure application still in progress, you do not need to send a new one: IRCC is processing it under the new rules.

4. 04

   Track it, then apply for a passport

   After IRCC confirms your application is complete you get an acknowledgement of receipt and a unique client identifier (UCI). Once you have your certificate, you can use it to apply for a Canadian passport.

Our proof of citizenship guide walks through the certificate application, tracking and replacements step by step. If you came to Canada as a permanent resident instead, the citizenship overview explains how to apply to become a citizen.

If you are unsure, or if this is not what you want

If you cannot tell whether the new rules cover you, IRCC's advice is simple: apply for a citizenship certificate, and IRCC will check your status. If it turns out you are not a citizen, you get a refusal letter instead (the fee is not refunded), and you can look at becoming a citizen another way; our eligibility guide explains the usual route. Some people became citizens under Bill C-3 without wanting to. If you were born before December 15, 2025 and became a citizen automatically, IRCC offers a simplified way to renounce, with fewer requirements, and no fee when you apply under section 7.1 of the Citizenship Regulations.