An IMGlobalWealth.news Report
Canada has made its documentary requirements for citizenship by descent more specific, months after a major reform opened citizenship to generations of Canadian families previously excluded by the country’s first-generation limit.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) updated its proof-of-citizenship application package on August 25, including its application form, document checklist, physical-presence form and instruction guide. The changes give applicants more detailed guidance on proving that a Canadian parent spent at least 1,095 cumulative days in Canada before the birth or adoption of a child abroad.
“historic citizenship rights can now extend further through family descent, while passing citizenship to future generations requires a demonstrable connection to Canada itself”
The requirement stems from Bill C-3, which received Royal Assent on November 20, 2025 and came into force on December 15. The legislation removed the former first-generation limit in a number of cases. People born abroad before December 15 who would have been Canadian citizens but for that limit or certain earlier provisions may now have citizenship recognised.
For generations born abroad from December 15, 2025 onwards, however, Canada introduced a connection test. If the Canadian parent was also born or adopted abroad, that parent generally must have spent three years, or 1,095 days, physically present in Canada before the child’s birth or adoption.
The new forms spell out acceptable evidence more clearly. This can include employment and educational records, passports and entry-exit records, residential documents and Canadian government records. Affidavits from organisations or third parties may also be used, subject to verification requirements.
The numbers show the potential scale. IRCC says 4,075 proof-of-citizenship applications were approved under Bill C-3 between December 15, 2025 and March 31, 2026. In the earlier period to January 31, 1,480 applicants were confirmed as citizens because of Bill C-3, of whom approximately 780 were born in the United States, or 53%.
Americans were already a major component of Canada’s citizenship-proof system. In 2025, IRCC approved approximately 55,075 proof applications overall, including 24,530 from people born in the US, about 45%. These figures include replacement certificates and other proof cases, so they should not be interpreted as citizenship-by-descent applications alone.
Demand across the wider proof system remains substantial. IRCC recorded 31,980 proofs issued in the first half of 2026, while 99,520 applications remained unfinalised at June 30.
The US operates differently. For a child born in wedlock on or after November 14, 1986 to one American and one non-American parent, the US citizen parent generally needs five years of prior physical presence in the United States, including two after age 14. Other rules and exceptions apply depending on the circumstances.
Canada’s reform therefore draws a clearer line: historic citizenship rights can now extend further through family descent, while passing citizenship to future generations requires a demonstrable connection to Canada itself.
