That includes great, great grandparents.
In order to obtain proof of Canadian citizenship, you would need to document your line of descent through historical documents and birth records.
This means that in most cases you’re automatically a Canadian citizen if you were born
- before December 15, 2025
- outside Canada to a Canadian parent
This rule also applies to you if you were born to someone who became Canadian because of these rule changes.
I wonder if I, too, could be a citizen by recursion.
That can’t be right. That’s infinitely recursive…
Canada has only existed since 1867, so not exactly.
So, if I understand this correctly, if I can prove that one of my ancestors was a Canadian citizen, then all their descendants have automatically been made Canadian citizens, including me?
Yes it seems so, but only up to people born before Dec 15 2025. Anyone born after require that their Canadian parent had spent at least 3 years in Canada, in order to also be Canadian
Ugh, just missed it. I was born on the 16th
The citizenship law looks back before Confederation.
In fact, Canadian citizenship only came into existence in 1947. Canada has the separate constitutional authority from the 1930s but WW II held up the legislation.
Before 1947, Canadians were British subjects domiciled in Canada.
The law looks back further than Confederation. This was addressed in previous amendments to the Act.
It has to since Canada didn’t have independent citizenship legislation until 1947.
I was hopeful for a moment then realized that my Canadian ancestors would have been British.
If they had status as British subjects domiciled in Canada pre1947, or domiciled in a predecessor colony before Confederation, that would be considered Canadian.
For example, they could have been born in the colony of Nova Scotia before 1867, or they could have moved from the UK to Nova Scotia and, effectively, become British subjects domiciled in Nova Scotia.
It’s worth the deep dive genealogically if you’re seriously considering applying for a certificate of citizenship.
Very interesting. I’ll have to look into it. Fortunately, I have family on both sides who were very into family history; they were diehard Mormons.
Even if you and others don’t want to get citizenships in place for yourselves, it would be important to get it in place and document time in Canada, as future generations born after December 15, 2025 will have to have parents who spent 1095 in Canada.
This is real! I’m one of these people and my family is working on assembling the documentation!
Hell yeah get up here bud!
I’m already from Michigan, so I feel right at home in the cold north :) 🍁
Holy shit congrats buddy.
I didn’t qualify as a kid (which is interesting because one of the things I was considering was moving to Montreal for university which would probably have lead to a very different life than I have now), but the law changes allowed me to later claim citizenship (under the 2009 change, IIRC). There is (or at least was when I did) a fair amount of documentation to write and provide about all your relatives so be ready for that.
I just wanted to add that many countries have similar ancestor laws allowing you to apply for citizenship if you have any roots there. It’s not always easy - but at least you may have an “in” that others would not. So if you think you have a grandfather who immigrated from somewhere or other, look it up and see if you might be able to get on a path to citizenship there. My wife did this earlier this year, and all it took was some paperwork and a visit to a consulate with her parents.
wait what. fuck yes. i have easy access to all of these. original birth certs back four generations. what’s this law
The law is The Citizenship Act with Lost Canadians amendments that came into force on December 15, 2025.
The 2023 Bjorkquist decision on Lost Canadians found the first generation limit on citizenship by descent violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Parliament passed amendments in bill C-3 in early December.
For persons born after December 15, 2025, their new amendments to the Act will require Canadians born outside Canada to meet a 1095 day presence requirement, but the C-3 amendments effectively do away with the first generation limit on citizenship by descent for persons born or adopted before it came into effect.
Thank you so much! I have the last 3 generations’ birth certs, but it’s Gramma Shirley who was born in Canada and it’s hers i need (4 generations ago). I know the right city hall to order it from tho. See you in three years or so!
Damn. My wife and I were just talking about this. My Great grandmother was Canadian and I thought it was too far out for me to consider going for citizenship.
You’re probably Canadian, just need to submit for your certificate
My relatives from Canada are like 6 or more generations back, is that too far?
Technically no, though you need to show some documentation of that lineage. The most straightforward way would be through birth or baptismal records. Otherwise, some have suggested census and immigration records can work.
You can find a lot of documents on sites like ancestry and similar.
Yeah, it’s all documented on ancestry thanks to one of my cousins. This makes me very happy 💜
Neat. My grandfather moved to America from New Brunswick.
That includes great, great grandparents.
Two of my great, great grandparents (my grandfather’s grandparents) were born in Canada. Reading through the law, I’m having trouble identifying exactly where this makes me eligible. Can I ask for a bit of help pointed in the right direction?
I have my birth certificate linking me to my father, his birth certificate linking him to my grandfather. Then US census records linking my grandfather to my great grandmother, and US census records linking her to her (Canadian born) parents. I guess I need to find proof of their Canadian births…
Go read the FAQ on this… you are probably reading some old info. The law changed due to the old law being ruled unconstitutional. You are most likely eligible based on what you’ve stated.
What I would do is pay a lawyer in Canada to get their birth certificates.
I would look at the FAQ on finding n documentation in the subreddit.
Family Search and Ancestry will help find Census records, birth certificates and baptismal records (for periods before civil registration which came quite late in several provinces).
Once you know where and when your Canadian ancestors were born, you will be in a good place to get a baptismal record from the appropriate provincial archives.
For this, it’s unlikely that you’ll need a lawyer.
However, if you’re looking for legal expertise, the two most experienced in citizenship by descent (practising in BC and Quebec) were guests on this recent Borderlines Podcast.
Holy shit, I might be a Canadian citizen!
My genealogy might finally pay off! I have a lot of French Canadians back in my family tree. Now to track down the documents to prove it
BanQ is an official archival database from the province of Quebec.
The subreddit has information in its ‘How to find Documents’ FAQ.
For Quebec you can find a lot of birth records here
Looks like my 2nd great grandfather was born in Hawkesbury, Ontario in 1881! I think that means I qualify!
You’ll want to start here for a birth record.
https://www.archives.gov.on.ca/topic/birth-marriage-and-death/
Hawkesbury has a really good Taco Bell. Probably didn’t in 1881 though.
Oh, that’s interesting. My father had our lineage researched and learned that an ancestor took the side of the British during the USA revolutionary war. He had to move to Canada after the colonies won their independence due to a campaign of harassment in which his barn was burned down.
The most interesting thing about it before now was that someone in my family history had supported the other team. Now it might have actual bearing on my life instead of just being a fun story.
So it’s blood only? My mum was Canadian, but I’m adopted.
If you were born or adopted before December 15, 2025
Citizenship may have been restored or given to people who were born outside Canada in the second generation or later before December 15, 2025.
This means that in most cases you’re automatically a Canadian citizen if you were born
- before December 15, 2025
- outside Canada to a Canadian parent
This rule also applies to you if you were born to someone who became Canadian because of these rule changes.
If this change made you a Canadian automatically, but you don’t want to be one, you can apply to give up (renounce) your Canadian citizenship.
Adopted people are likely eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship through a direct grant for adopted people if they were born and adopted outside Canada in the second generation or later before December 15, 2025.
This is a straightforward case as long as you were adopted when your mother had citizenship status and the adoption took place before December 15, 2025.
Whether your mum was born in Canada or a Canadian citizen by descent, you’ll need go through a two-step process with some help from your mum.
Step 1 - Your mother’s citizenship status needs to be confirmed by IRCC. When this is done, an identifier will be created so you can complete step 2.
Step 2 - your adoption is documented so that IRCC can provide a grant of citizenship.
Here is the page with the forms - they haven’t all been updated yet to say that the first generation limit doesn’t apply to your parent.
Holy crap. That’s awesome
I did my genealogy a couple of summers ago, and found out that my maternal grandmother’s family came from Canada to Syracuse for factory work, in the late 19th century.
I am definitely going to be looking into this.
