Canadian citizenship by descent: proof of citizenship, the certificate queue, and who Bill C-3 covers

Proof of citizenship, and a citizenship grant

Proof of citizenship is a certificate for someone who is already a citizen, including citizenship by descent. A citizenship grant is how a permanent resident becomes a citizen for the first time, after they meet the eligibility rules and take the oath. IRCC says citizenship grants are not part of the Immigration Levels Plan. The Canada pathway pages on this site are about routes to permanent residence and other immigration programs.

On the same estimator, updated 3 September 2026, a citizenship grant was about 12 months, with about 327,100 people waiting. On the inventory dated 31 July 2026, IRCC had finalized 193,320 new citizens since 1 January 2026, with 328,200 grant applications not yet finalized.

The service-standards page sets 12 months for a citizenship grant for adults and minors, with 86% performance against an 80% target in fiscal year 2024–25. That page has no service-standard row for a citizenship certificate. Service standards

A briefing prepared for the Minister and dated 17 June 2026 says that, with the first-generation limit in place, IRCC received about 50,000 proof applications a year. In fiscal year 2025–26 the volume of proof applications was up about 40%, and the note says that rise largely pre-dated Bill C-3. From 15 December 2025 to 31 March 2026, 4,075 proof applications were approved under Bill C-3. Most approved citizenship-by-descent proofs were still from people who qualified without the bill. From 15 December 2025 to 31 January 2026, 6,284 proofs were processed: 4,804 (76%) were not related to Bill C-3, and 1,480 (24%) were confirmed citizens because of Bill C-3. About 780 of those 1,480 were born in the United States (53%). In calendar 2025, about 55,075 proofs were approved, of which 24,530 people were born in the United States (45%). Question Period note IRCC-2025-QP-00003

IRCC’s monthly open-data file of new Canadian citizens by country of birth counts people granted citizenship, from January 2023 through 31 July 2026 (source note 1 September 2026). It does not count proof-of-citizenship certificates. New Canadian citizens by country of birth

Who Bill C-3 covers

Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025), received royal assent on 20 November 2025 and came into effect on 15 December 2025. Before that, citizenship by descent generally stopped at the first generation born or adopted outside Canada to a parent who was born in Canada or naturalized in Canada. IRCC calls that rule the first-generation limit. People who were already citizens remain citizens. IRCC news backgrounder · Change to citizenship rules in 2025

Born or adopted before 15 December 2025

IRCC says that, in most cases, you are automatically a Canadian citizen if you were born before 15 December 2025, outside Canada, to a Canadian parent. That includes the second generation and later, and it includes people born to someone who became Canadian because of these rule changes. The “already a citizen” page says the same for a birth outside Canada before that date when the parent was a Canadian citizen at the time of the birth.

The 17 June 2026 briefing adds the lineage limit used for those claims: a Canadian parent, or a parental ancestor, who became or would have become a Canadian citizen on or after 1 January 1947 (1 April 1949 in Newfoundland). That includes people remedied by the 2009, 2015, or 2025 amendments, Lost Canadians and their descendants, and people who would have been citizens had it not been for the first-generation limit.

People adopted abroad before 15 December 2025 by a Canadian parent who was born or adopted abroad can apply for a direct grant of citizenship for an adopted person. That route is an application for a grant, which is separate from an automatic certificate.

Born or adopted on or after 15 December 2025

Someone born outside Canada on or after 15 December 2025 to a Canadian parent who was also born outside Canada is a citizen if that parent spent at least 1,095 cumulative days (three years) physically in Canada before the birth. The same 1,095-day connection applies before an adoption when the adopted person applies for a direct grant. IRCC calls this a substantial connection to Canada.

If you think Bill C-3 made you a citizen, IRCC says you apply for a citizenship certificate to find out for sure. Applications still in progress under the interim measure are processed under the new rules, and IRCC says those applicants do not submit a new certificate application. Someone who became a citizen automatically and does not want to remain one can apply to renounce through a simplified process.

Documents, including the Ancestry.com limit

Citizenship by descent is derived from a Canadian parent. The briefing says a multi-generation claim still has to show the familial link of each generation back to the Canadian ancestor. It lists sufficient evidence as:

• a provincial or territorial birth certificate
• a Canadian citizenship or naturalization certificate
• a Certificate of Registration of Birth Abroad, or a certificate of retention of Canadian citizenship
• a British naturalization certificate issued in Canada or Newfoundland and Labrador
• a country-specific birth certificate that names the Canadian grandparent, together with proof that at least one grandparent is a Canadian citizen
• proof of acquisition of British subject status
• proof of landed-immigrant status in Canada

The same note says: “Evidence such as information obtained from an online genealogy platform (ex. ancestry.com) cannot solely be used to substantiate a claim to citizenship.”

For a parent’s 1,095 days in Canada, the briefing lists examples that can be used: employment or educational records such as transcripts or T4 slips; residential records such as rental, mortgage, or insurance papers; travel records such as passports or entry and exit records; government records such as social assistance or employment insurance; and other proof the applicant believes shows that physical presence.

Question Period note IRCC-2025-QP-00003, date received 17 June 2026.

June 2026 certificate review

The public rules page, last modified 24 December 2025, explains Bill C-3 and does not describe a pause. The “already a citizen” alert still reads “Updated December 15, 2025.” This page was checked against those URLs on 24 September 2026.

A separate document, the ministerial briefing received on 17 June 2026, includes these suggested responses:

“We have temporarily paused our assessment of new C 3 citizenship applications and are currently reviewing a few dozen cases.”

“The people affected can continue to live and work in Canada.”

“Officials are working quickly to validate these cases and get back to those who have been affected.”

“While the review is ongoing, affected people cannot use their Canadian passports.”

Quoted from IRCC-2025-QP-00003. The public rules page is Change to citizenship rules in 2025. The already-a-citizen page is Check if you may be a citizen.