Since Canada expanded citizenship eligibility late last year, more than 6,100 people have obtained proof of citizenship under the new rules, with the majority coming from the U.S.
According to data provided by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), as of May 31, people born in the U.S. have accounted for 51 per cent of all approved citizenship certificate applications under the expanded eligibility criteria.
Canada’s Citizenship Act was amended with Bill C-3, which came into effect on Dec. 15, 2025. For those born before that date, Bill C-3 expands citizenship eligibility to people who can prove they are directly descended from a Canadian ancestor, even if that ancestor left Canada generations ago. Previously, only the first generation born outside Canada was eligible for citizenship by descent, which was ruled unconstitutional by the Ontario Superior Court in 2023.
The eligibility change has led to an expected surge in proof of citizenship applications. After Americans, the most approved applications under the new rules have so far come from people born in Mexico (20.5 per cent), Bolivia (6.1 per cent), the U.K. and its territories (3.2 per cent), and Belize (2.2 per cent).
Toronto-based immigration consultant Al Parsai tells CTVNews.ca that his firm has seen steady interest in Canadian citizenship certificates, especially from people in the U.S.
“My sense, however, is that two developments are working together: the current geopolitical climate in the United States and Canada’s recent change to the first-generation limit on citizenship by descent,” said Parsai, who is also an adjunct professor at Queen’s University. “The timing gives some Americans both a reason to explore their options and, in some cases, a new legal avenue to establish Canadian citizenship.”
The citizenship eligibility change has also sent would-be Canadians scrambling for archival documents and genealogical records to support their applications. They include the descendants of the thousands of French-speaking Acadians who settled in Louisiana after being forced out of the present-day Canadian Maritimes by the British in the 18th century.
But locating or verifying supporting documentation like older marriage certificates or naturalization records can be easier said than done.
“The documentary side can be much more complicated than people expect,” Parsai explained. “Finding a Canadian ancestor is only the starting point. The applicant still has to establish the legal and documentary chain that supports citizenship.”
Amid a surge in applications, processing times have also skyrocketed. According to the IRCC, it now takes about 25 months to process citizenship certificate applications – a significant increase from nine to 10 months earlier this year. For those outside Canada and the U.S., processing times can be three to four months longer.
The IRCC says about 121,800 people are currently waiting for a decision on their citizenship certificate applications. They include people eligible under the new rules as well as others, like those seeking replacement documents or whose parents were born in Canada.
In a statement to CTVNews.ca, an IRCC spokesperson defended its handling of citizenship certificate applications.
“IRCC took a number of steps to prepare for the implementation of Bill C-3, and we continue to process applications as quickly as possible while protecting the integrity of Canada’s citizenship program,” the IRCC spokesperson said. “That means taking the time to verify that applicants meet the legal requirements for a citizenship certificate and making decisions that are fair, consistent and in line with the law.”
With files from The Canadian Press
