Thousands claim Canadian citizenship under new ancestry law
Half are Americans seeking backup as U.S. political climate shifts; processing delays growing.
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Thousands of people around the world have quietly received Canadian citizenship certificates under a law change late last year that opened the door to citizenship by descent.
In just the first three months after the change took effect, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada issued 4,075 citizenship certificates under Bill C-3. Roughly half of them—1,955—went to people born in the United States.
The law allows people living abroad who can trace lineage from Canadian ancestors to qualify for citizenship even if their Canadian ancestor left Canada several generations back. Before Bill C-3, citizenship by descent was limited to the first generation born outside Canada to a Canadian citizen. A court ruled that restriction unconstitutional.
During the same period, another 13,310 people qualified under the previous first-generation rules, including 6,135 born in the U.S., 945 from Mexico, and 720 from the UK.
But the uptick is likely just the beginning. Public records specialists and immigration lawyers report a sharp surge this year in people seeking help locating ancestor documents or advice on applying—and processing delays are growing. Quebec's civil registry received 3,800 requests from people outside Canada since January. Montreal immigration lawyer Lisa Middlemiss said her office hired two associates just to handle the demand.
Most of her inquiries are from Americans. Some cite concerns about their children who are gay or trans; others worry about potential U.S. draft reinstatement under the Trump administration. "The vast majority of our clients are American," Middlemiss said. "In some cases because they would like to have a backup in case, from their perspective, the situation becomes worse for them."
A citizenship certificate allows people to move to Canada or get a Canadian passport, though Elections Canada notes it doesn't confer voting rights unless the person has lived in Canada at some point. The political context south of the border is clearly driving urgency for many applicants.