New citizenship rules

Canada’s long-awaited reform to citizenship by descent is now fully in effect. As of December 15, 2025, Bill C-3 officially removes the long-criticised first-generation limit that prevented many people born abroad from inheriting Canadian citizenship. While the political symbolism has drawn attention, the law’s real impact lies in its immediate, practical consequences for families, applicants, and so-called Lost Canadians.

The law delivers two major outcomes. First, it retroactively recognises citizenship for many people who were previously excluded solely because their Canadian parent was also born or adopted abroad. Second, it establishes a new forward-looking rule that allows citizenship to pass beyond one generation only when the Canadian parent demonstrates a substantial connection to Canada.

Before Bill C-3, citizenship by descent typically stopped at the first generation born outside Canada. If your Canadian parent had also been born abroad, citizenship usually ended there. That restriction is now eliminated for anyone born or adopted before December 15, 2025. Individuals who would have been citizens but for the old rule are now legally Canadian and may apply directly for a citizenship certificate as proof.

Several long-excluded groups are now automatically covered under the amended Citizenship Act. This includes people born abroad in the second or later generation before the cutoff date, descendants of Lost Canadians who remained excluded after earlier legislative fixes, and people adopted abroad by Canadian parents who themselves were born or adopted outside Canada. No discretionary grant or special approval is required—only an application for proof.

For future generations, however, citizenship is no longer unlimited. Children born or adopted abroad on or after December 15, 2025, to Canadian parents who were themselves born or adopted abroad, are subject to a new “substantial connection” requirement. The Canadian parent must demonstrate at least 1,095 days (three years) of physical presence in Canada before the child’s birth or adoption. This rule reflects the government’s attempt to balance constitutional compliance with limits on citizenship transmission.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has confirmed that existing applications do not need to be resubmitted. Files previously held or assessed under interim measures following the government’s 2023 court loss will now be processed under Bill C-3. While processing delays may continue, refusals based solely on the former first-generation limit should now disappear.

Beyond individual cases, Bill C-3 closes a constitutional issue the federal government chose not to appeal after losing in court. It resolves years of legal uncertainty for families with genuine Canadian ties but no formal status. At the same time, it draws a clear boundary for the future: Canadian citizenship may pass on beyond one generation, but only when Canada is a lived reality rather than a distant concept.