CA · Citizenship by descent

Canadian citizenship by descent

Reaches a great-grandparent. Every answer on this page is what Postern’s rulebook returns, word for word, with the law it cites. The free check runs the same rules.

Last verified 25 September 202614 sourcesNot legal advice

CA · PARENTLIKELYThrough a parentCitizen by descent (Bill C-3)CA · GRANDPARENTLIKELYThrough a grandparentCitizen by descent (Bill C-3)CA · GREAT-GRANDPARENTLIKELYThrough a great-grandparentCitizen by descent (Bill C-3)
Routes
Citizen by descent, any generation for births before 15 December 2025 (Bill C-3)
Dual citizenship
Kept on every open route

The stamps assume no one in the line became a citizen of another country before the next person in the line was born. What changes each answer is below.

On this page
  1. 01Who qualifies
  2. 02Dates that matter
  3. 03Mothers’ lines
  4. 04Keeping your citizenship
  5. 05The routes and the law
  6. 06The documents
  7. 07What it takes
  8. 08Where the records live
  9. 09Former places
  10. 10Law changes
  11. 11Other doors
  12. 12Sources

01Who qualifies

Who qualifies, generation by generation

LIKELY

Can you claim Canadian citizenship through a parent?

Citizen by descent (Bill C-3)

Since December 2025, anyone born abroad to a Canadian parent, in any generation, is a Canadian citizen and can apply for a certificate of citizenship. Processing is slow: IRCC quoted 33 months in September 2026.

LIKELY

Can you claim Canadian citizenship through a grandparent?

Citizen by descent (Bill C-3)

Since December 2025, anyone born abroad to a Canadian parent, in any generation, is a Canadian citizen and can apply for a certificate of citizenship. Processing is slow: IRCC quoted 33 months in September 2026.

What changes the answer

  • POSSIBLE
    If you were born in 2025 or later

    For a birth on or after 15 December 2025, a Canadian parent who was themselves born abroad must have spent 1,095 days in Canada before the birth; earlier births in any generation are citizens.

  • POSSIBLE
    If the grandparent is your grandmother and you were born in 2025 or later

    For a birth on or after 15 December 2025, a Canadian parent who was themselves born abroad must have spent 1,095 days in Canada before the birth; earlier births in any generation are citizens.

LIKELY

Can you claim Canadian citizenship through a great-grandparent?

Citizen by descent (Bill C-3)

Since December 2025, anyone born abroad to a Canadian parent, in any generation, is a Canadian citizen and can apply for a certificate of citizenship. Processing is slow: IRCC quoted 33 months in September 2026.

What changes the answer

  • POSSIBLE
    If you were born in 2025 or later

    For a birth on or after 15 December 2025, a Canadian parent who was themselves born abroad must have spent 1,095 days in Canada before the birth; earlier births in any generation are citizens.

  • POSSIBLE
    If the great-grandparent is your great-grandmother and you were born in 2025 or later

    For a birth on or after 15 December 2025, a Canadian parent who was themselves born abroad must have spent 1,095 days in Canada before the birth; earlier births in any generation are citizens.

02Dates that matter

The dates that matter

  1. 2025
    15 December 2025

    Bill C-3 repealed the first-generation limit; persons born abroad before 15 December 2025 with a Canadian parent in any generation are citizens, and later births require the parent to show 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada before the birth. Citizenship Act as amended by Bill C-3 (in force 15 December 2025), following Bjorkquist v. Canada: the first-generation limit repealed

03Mothers’ lines

How mothers’ lines were treated

In Canada’s rule, the answer changes when the line runs through a woman:

  • POSSIBLE
    If the grandparent is your grandmother and you were born in 2025 or later

    For a birth on or after 15 December 2025, a Canadian parent who was themselves born abroad must have spent 1,095 days in Canada before the birth; earlier births in any generation are citizens.

  • POSSIBLE
    If the great-grandparent is your great-grandmother and you were born in 2025 or later

    For a birth on or after 15 December 2025, a Canadian parent who was themselves born abroad must have spent 1,095 days in Canada before the birth; earlier births in any generation are citizens.

04Keeping your citizenship

Dual citizenship with your home country

You keep your citizenship.

On every open route, the rule lets a citizen of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina or South Africa keep that citizenship.

05The routes

Every route, and the law behind it

Citizen by descent (Bill C-3)

Open through a parent, a grandparent or a great-grandparent

  • LIKELY
    Through a parent
  • POSSIBLE
    Through a grandparent, if you were born in 2025 or later

The law

What would settle an unsure case

  • The exact birth date (before 15 December 2025 the test does not apply), and otherwise whether the Canadian parent spent 1,095 days in Canada before the birth.

06The documents

The documents, as the rule lists them

Citizen by descent (Bill C-3)

Through a parent or grandparent or great-grandparent

  • Your Canadian ancestor’s birth or citizenship record
  • Birth records linking each generation to you
  • Proof-of-citizenship application (CAD $75)

Most countries also want proof that no one in the line became a citizen elsewhere before the next birth: the naturalization record with its date, or a letter that none exists.

07What it takes

What it takes: time, cost, the hard part, who decides

Citizen by descent (Bill C-3)

Time
About 33 months for a citizenship certificate (IRCC's quoted processing time in September 2026, up from 9 months before Bill C-3), then a passport.
Cost
About $100: the CAD 75 certificate fee and copies.
The hard part
The wait. Anyone born abroad before 15 December 2025 to a Canadian parent is already a citizen in any generation; the 1,095-day substantial-connection test applies only to a child born on or after that date to a Canadian parent who was themselves born abroad.
Who decides
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, online.
The first record
Your parent’s or grandparent’s Canadian birth certificate, from The province’s vital statistics office. Order from the province of birth; 2–6 weeks. canada.ca

How it’s filed

Where
IRCC Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia, by mail or courier, from anywhere. Multi-generation claims (a Canadian parent who was also born abroad) must use the paper application; the online application is only for a first-generation claim. office list
How
By post; no appearance needed
Fee
About $53
Decision
9–39 months
What goes in the file (9)
  1. Document checklist (CIT 0014), completed
  2. Application form CIT 0001, completed, dated and signed
  3. Receipt for the CAD 75 fee, paid online
  4. Two identical citizenship photos (not stapled or glued to the form)
  5. Two pieces of identification, one with a photo
  6. The applicant's birth certificate listing the parents
  7. For every generation back to the Canadian ancestor: that person's birth certificate listing their parents (and a marriage certificate where a name changed)
  8. The Canadian ancestor's proof of Canadian citizenship: a Canadian provincial birth certificate, or a citizenship or naturalization certificate, or IRCC's search result
  9. English or French translations of any other-language document, each with the translator's affidavit and a copy of the original
What goes wrong (7)
  • Paper applications go to CPC-Sydney, P.O. Box 10000, Sydney, NS B1P 7C1 (proof of citizenship); courier to IRCC Digitization Centre - Citizenship, 3050 Wilson Ave, New Waterford, NS B1H 5V8.
  • The queue: IRCC's quoted processing time rose from about 9 months before Bill C-3 to 33 months on 3 September 2026, with about 136,000 people waiting (IRCC's processing-time tool, reported by CIC News). Budget for three years and watch the tool monthly.
  • Born before 15 December 2025: no residence test for the Canadian parent. Born on or after that date: the Canadian parent born abroad must show 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada before the birth.
  • IRCC asks for documents for every generation; a gap in any link is the usual reason for a request for more documents.
  • A random quality-assurance programme can call an applicant to an interview; otherwise no appearance.
  • Colour copies, not originals, unless IRCC asks.
  • From GB, AU, NZ, BR, AR, ZA: the same application to Sydney. A paper certificate is not mailed outside Canada and the United States: choose a Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate to collect it, or take the e-certificate. Filing through an embassy adds 3–4 months.

Checked 25 September 2026 · source ↗

Estimates are honest ranges from official fee tables and what families report; where a fee or time could not be confirmed, it says so.

08Where the records live

Where each record lives, and how to ask for it

  • birth

    ServiceOntario, Office of the Registrar General (births registered in Ontario)

    The province where the birth happened holds it. Ontario: ServiceOntario. Very old Ontario registrations are also held (for research) by the Archives of Ontario.

    Ask
    Online, in English · request page ↗
    Fee
    35 CAD (about $25)
    Takes
    3–9 weeks
    Good to know (4)
    • Order the certified copy of the birth registration (long form, CAD 35), not the short-form certificate: it shows the parents, which is what links the generations.
    • For a deceased person, only next of kin, an executor or an estate trustee may order the certified copy. Next of kin includes the person's children; a grandchild must order through the living child (their parent) or show they are executor.
    • Standard service is 15 business days plus mail; premium service (+CAD 30) is 5 business days.
    • unverified: the exact year range of historical Ontario registrations transferred to the Archives of Ontario (its site blocks automated fetch). Archive copies are research copies; for the IRCC application, order the certified copy from ServiceOntario.

    Checked 25 September 2026 · source ↗

  • birth

    Directeur de l'état civil du Québec (births registered in Quebec)

    Quebec births. Parish registers (the civil record in Quebec until 1994) are also held for research by BAnQ.

    Ask
    Online, in French · request page ↗
    Fee
    46.75 CAD (about $33)
    Takes
    2–6 weeks
    Good to know (5)
    • Order the copie d'acte de naissance (a full copy of the act, CAD 46.75 online, 10 business days), not the certificat (CAD 38.50), because the copy shows the parents.
    • For a deceased person, the copy is issued to their spouse, civil-union partner, child, brother or sister without further proof. A grandchild orders through the living child.
    • Online requests (DEClic!) need a Government of Quebec authentication account; by mail the copy costs CAD 64.25. Accelerated service is CAD 75 (online) in 3 business days.
    • French-language records need no translation for IRCC (French is an official language of Canada).
    • unverified: whether the DEC issues copies for events before 1994 in every case; confirm before ordering, and use BAnQ parish images to find the exact date first.

    Checked 25 September 2026 · source ↗

  • birth1854–1906

    BC Vital Statistics Agency; the BC Archives holds the historical index and images

    British Columbia births registered 120 or more years ago are public through the BC Archives' index; newer ones are restricted to the person or next of kin.

    Ask
    By post, in English · request page ↗
    Fee
    50 CAD (about $35)
    Takes
    4–9 weeks
    Good to know (2)
    • A genealogy certificate (form VSA 013) is CAD 50, printed within 20 business days plus mail from Victoria.
    • Births under 120 years old are released only to the person or next of kin through the ordinary birth-certificate service.

    Checked 25 September 2026 · source ↗

  • birth

    Vital Statistics, Service Nova Scotia; the Nova Scotia Archives hosts the historical images

    Nova Scotia births: 1864–1877 (incomplete) and continuously from 1 October 1908. Delayed registrations for births 1830–1912 exist.

    Ask
    Online, in English · request page ↗
    Takes
    2–9 weeks
    Good to know (3)
    • Images of historical registrations download free; certified paper copies can be bought through the archive's site, and the records themselves stay with Vital Statistics, Service Nova Scotia.
    • No civil birth registration for 1878 to September 1908: use church baptism records and delayed registrations for those years.
    • unverified: the fee for a certified copy of a historical registration.

    Checked 25 September 2026 · source ↗

  • birth

    The vital statistics office of the province or territory where the birth happened (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the territories)

    Each province and territory keeps its own register and rules for who may order a deceased person's record; historical registrations are usually also at the provincial archives. Find the office from the province's government site.

    Ask
    Online, in English (French also in New Brunswick)
    Takes
    2–13 weeks
    Good to know (2)
    • unverified: per-province fees and eligibility rules for the other provinces and territories were not checked in this pass; the IRCC checklist accepts any provincial birth certificate that shows the parents.
    • Always order the long form (the one listing parents).

    Checked 25 September 2026 · source ↗

  • citizenship1854–2026

    Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which holds citizenship and naturalization files from 1854 to today

    Search by name, date and place of birth, and the certificate number when known (the LAC naturalization index gives it for 1915–1951).

    Ask
    By post, in English or French · request page ↗
    Fee
    75 CAD (about $53)
    Takes
    3–18 months
    Good to know (4)
    • Online search (CIT 0058) is only for your own record. To search for an ancestor you must apply on paper.
    • The result is a letter stating when the person became a citizen, or that no record was found.
    • Only needed when the Canadian ancestor was naturalized rather than born in Canada.
    • unverified: current processing time for searches; IRCC's processing-time tool loads dynamically and could not be read.

    Checked 25 September 2026 · source ↗

  • naturalization1915–1951

    Library and Archives Canada (index); the files themselves are at IRCC

    Ask
    By post, in English or French
    Fee
    75 CAD (about $53)
    Takes
    3–18 months
    Good to know (2)
    • The index (from the Canada Gazette lists) gives the name and certificate number; order the file itself from IRCC with a paper search of citizenship records.
    • Before 1 January 1947 there was no Canadian citizenship; people were British subjects. Who became Canadian on 1 January 1947 depends on birth, naturalization and domicile in Canada; the IRCC officer decides this for pre-1947 ancestors.

    Checked 25 September 2026 · source ↗

  • other1865–1935

    Library and Archives Canada: passenger lists for arrivals in Canada

    Ask
    Online, in English · request page ↗
    Fee
    0 CAD (about $0)
    Takes
    0–1 days
    Good to know (1)
    • Free images, searchable by ship and date; useful to date an ancestor's arrival before a naturalization, not as proof of citizenship.

    Checked 25 September 2026 · source ↗

Translations

Into
English or French
Who may translate
Any certified translator
About
$25–$60 a page

Only documents not in English or French need translating. The translation must come with an affidavit from the translator, sworn before someone authorized to administer oaths, unless the translator is a certified member of a Canadian provincial or territorial translators' association. The applicant and their family may not translate. Include a copy of the original with the translation.

Checked 25 September 2026 · source ↗

The passport

Where
Passport Program (IRCC), by mail from the United States with the original citizenship certificate, photos, a guarantor and two references. From elsewhere, through the nearest Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate.
Fee
About $189
Time
4–9 weeks

Checked 25 September 2026 · source ↗

09Former places

Places on old papers that lead to Canada

If your family’s records name one of these, Canada’s law may be the one that applies. The town decides.

  • Newfoundland

    Part of Canada since 1949.

10Law changes

Recent and pending changes

The legislative watch has no pending bill or recent ruling recorded for Canada.

Already in the rule

The watch re-reads the official pages behind this guide every day. When one changes, a person re-checks the rule before anything here moves.

11Other doors

If descent doesn’t reach you

3 residence programs lead to Canada without an ancestor, each with its own law and road to citizenship.

12Sources

Every source on this page

1 laws and official pages behind the answers, then the offices and pages behind the records and filing. Records and filing checked 25 September 2026.

  1. LawCitizenship Act as amended by Bill C-3 (in force 15 December 2025), following Bjorkquist v. Canada: the first-generation limit repealed
  2. RecordsThe province’s vital statistics office: Your parent’s or grandparent’s Canadian birth certificate
  3. RecordsHow to file: Citizen by descent (Bill C-3) · checked 25 September 2026
  4. RecordsApplication for a Citizenship Certificate for Adults and Minors (Proof of Citizenship) under Section 3 (CIT 0001), with the document checklist (CIT 0014) · checked 25 September 2026
  5. RecordsBirth records: ServiceOntario, Office of the Registrar General · checked 25 September 2026
  6. RecordsBirth records: Directeur de l'état civil du Québec · checked 25 September 2026
  7. RecordsBirth records, 1854–1906: BC Vital Statistics Agency · checked 25 September 2026
  8. RecordsBC Archives genealogy search (historical vital events) · checked 25 September 2026
  9. RecordsBirth records: Vital Statistics, Service Nova Scotia · checked 25 September 2026
  10. RecordsBirth records: The vital statistics office of the province or territory where the birth happened · checked 25 September 2026
  11. RecordsCitizenship records, 1854–2026: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada · checked 25 September 2026
  12. RecordsNaturalization records, 1915–1951: Library and Archives Canada · checked 25 September 2026
  13. RecordsOther records, 1865–1935: Library and Archives Canada · checked 25 September 2026
  14. RecordsThe passport: where, the fee and the wait · checked 25 September 2026

Not legal advice. Postern’s rulebook is written from the statutes and tested against documented cases; where the law is unsettled, the answer says “possible” or “unsure” rather than guess.

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