Seven reasons you think you don’t qualify for Canadian citizenship by descent (and why you probably do)

You might actually be a Canadian citizen and not even realize it.

On December 15, 2025, Bill C-3 came into effect, removing the first-generation limit that previously cut off citizenship by descent after one generation born outside Canada*.

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That change opened the door for thousands of “Lost Canadians” who’d previously not been eligible for citizenship.

Still, there are many misconceptions that keep people from claiming citizenship. Here are seven of the most common and why they’re usually wrong.

My grandparent was born in Canada, but they moved away decades ago

A grandparent born in Canada is often the strongest possible starting point for a claim. Most likely, you can apply for proof of citizenship under Bill C-3, depending on the chain between them and you.

Canada recognizes birthright citizenship. That means those born on Canadian soil automatically become Canadian citizens, in most cases. It does not matter if they moved away from Canada decades ago, or if they were a baby when they left and have no recollection of the country.

What matters is if your grandparent was a Canadian citizen when your parent was born. That would make your parent a Canadian citizen, even if they were born outside Canada. And because the first-generation limit has now been removed, this Canadian citizenship is passed down to you, the second generation.

That means you are already a Canadian citizen, and can submit a proof of Canadian citizenship application.

If successful, you will receive a citizenship certificate that you can use to apply for a Canadian passport.

I have a Canadian ancestor, but that was several generations ago

Some people assume that if their Canadian ancestor is several generations back, such as a great-grandparent, the connection is too distant to count. That’s not true.

Distance in generations doesn’t disqualify you. What matters is whether each person in the chain was a citizen at the time the next person was born.

For example, if your great-grandparent was a Canadian citizen when your grandparent was born, your grandparent would have been a citizen. And if your grandparent was a citizen when your parent was born, your parent would be a citizen too. With the first-generation limit removed in most cases, that citizenship is carried down to you.

Proving a chain like this usually means gathering documents for every generation, not just the original Canadian ancestor. It can mean more research, but it doesn’t make the claim any less real.

I was not born in Canada, nor have I lived there

Citizenship by descent flows through your parent, not just by being born in Canada. If your parent was a Canadian citizen when you were born, you may already be a citizen yourself, regardless of where you were born, and whether you lived there or even visited the country.

For many people born outside Canada to a Canadian parent before December 15, 2025, IRCC’s guidance doesn’t list residence in Canada as a requirement at all.

My parents never held a Canadian passport or knew they were Canadian

Citizenship by descent doesn’t depend on anyone claiming it. Your parent may have been a Canadian citizen their whole life without a passport, a certificate, or any idea that they qualified. An unclaimed citizenship is still a citizenship, and it still passes to you.

We don’t have any real ties to Canada anymore

No property. No relatives who still live there. No trips back. None of those are factors that determine eligibility for citizenship by descent.

What matters for Canadian citizenship by descent is ancestry and documented lineage, not how connected a family feels to Canada today. A family can lose touch with Canada entirely, with no visits, no correspondence, and no one left who’s ever set foot there, and still have a living claim to citizenship.

My grandparent or ancestor has no proof they were born in Canada generations ago

A missing birth certificate feels like a dead end, especially when the person in question was born decades or even a century ago. But it does not have to be.

Vital statistics offices and provincial or territorial archives keep historical records; some going back well over a century, and can issue certified copies on request.

IRCC requires authentic, verifiable documents to support a citizenship certificate application, and these offices are original-authority sources that qualify.

If a record genuinely no longer exists, IRCC accepts a written explanation with proof that you tried to obtain it, along with alternative evidence.

You can find details on how to get documents from provinces like Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec through our dedicated webpages.

My ancestor changed their surname after they got married, making documentation impossible

A name that changed across generations doesn’t break your claim. It needs a marriage record to bridge it.

A marriage certificate that shows both the maiden and married names creates the link between documents issued before and after the change, connecting a birth certificate under one name to later records under another. Provincial and territorial vital statistics offices that issue birth and death certificates typically hold marriage records too, so the same original-authority sources can often fill this gap.

*People born or adopted abroad on or after December 15, 2025, where a Canadian parent born/adopted abroad have a physical presence requirement in Canada before the child’s birth/adoption. A Canadian parent who was also born or adopted abroad must have lived in Canada for at least 1,095 days before the child’s birth or adoption.

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