Canada's Bill C-3: who can now claim citizenship by descent

For years, Canadian citizenship by descent stopped at the first generation born abroad — if your Canadian parent was themselves born outside Canada, you were generally shut out. Bill C-3 (in force December 15, 2025) changed that by removing the first-generation limit, opening descent to a much wider group of people with Canadian ancestry.

Who newly qualifies

If you have a Canadian-citizen parent or grandparent — by birth or naturalization — you may now be eligible for a citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship), even across multiple generations born abroad.

What you'll need

• Your long-form birth certificate
• Proof of your Canadian ancestor's citizenship (birth certificate or naturalization record)
• IRCC form CIT 0001, with the $75 CAD fee

Canada's rules are stable post-reform, so there are no pending court advisories to track right now. Run the free eligibility check to see your specific path.