Bill C-3 · In effect December 15, 2025
You might already be Canadian.
Bill C-3 removed the first-generation limit on citizenship by descent. If a parent, grandparent, or earlier ancestor was Canadian, you may be too. 160+ answered FAQs and a Resource Hub for your application.
Built By
7-gen applicant
FAQ
140+ answered
Resources
Templates, guides, tips, and more
What's next
Pick the path that fits where you are.
Four paths through this site, depending on where you are in the Canadian Citizenship by Descent process.
New here
Start Here
A plain-English overview of Bill C-3, how generations are counted, and what documents you'll need. The page to read first if you're not sure what any of this means yet.
Read the overview →Not sure if you qualify
Browse the FAQs
140+ answered questions covering eligibility, documents, photos, IDs, the application form, the wait, and life as a dual citizen. Organized by topic.
Browse the FAQs →Ready to apply
Resource Hub
Templates, resources, tips, and common mistakes to avoid — everything you need to assemble your Proof of Citizenship application packet and file with confidence.
Open the Hub →Want help
Hire a genealogist
Work with a genealogist who specializes in Canadian citizenship by descent. We trace your line to a Canadian-born ancestor, locate the records that prove your descent, and walk you through ordering them — so you can apply with confidence.
Meet our genealogists →THE SCALE
This isn't a small change.
Bill C-3 restored citizenship to a generation of descendants the old law had cut off. The numbers are larger than most people realize.
New generational limit
None
Descent can now pass through any number of generations born outside Canada.
Potentially eligible
Millions
Estimated descendants of Canadian-born ancestors now eligible to apply.
Applications in queue
68,300
As of May 2026. IRCC processing times are lengthening as submissions accelerate.
The news
What changed on December 15, 2025.
Bill C-3 rewrote who qualifies for citizenship by descent. Here's the before and after.
Citizenship by descent
Limited to the first generation born abroad. Extended beyond the first generation.
If you were born abroad before Dec 15, 2025
Cut off if your Canadian parent was also born abroad. Automatically Canadian if you would qualify under the new rule.
If you were born abroad on or after Dec 15, 2025
Cut off if your Canadian parent was also born abroad. Eligible if your Canadian parent has 3 years of physical presence in Canada.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers I wish I'd had.
Five categories, organized by where you are in the process. A few questions in each are free; the rest unlock with the Resource Hub.
Understanding the law
What Bill C-3 changed, and what you can do with Canadian citizenship once you have it.
17 questions →Determining eligibility
The most common scenarios, edge cases, and how to count generations in your line of descent.
34 questions →Planning your application
Organizing a family filing, finding records, and figuring out which documents you'll need.
32 questions →Submitting your application
Preparing documents, filling out CIT 0001, photos, payment, and mailing.
21 questions →After you apply
Tracking, dual citizenship, taxes, traveling to Canada, and what to do once the certificate arrives.
37 questions →WHO BUILT THIS
I trace paper back through time for a living.
ELLERY WREN · FOUNDER & 7-GENERATION APPLICANT
For the past decade, chain-of-title research has been my profession — tracing ownership through public records back to the original land patent, following title across multiple jurisdictions, and drafting the affidavits that hold up when an energy deal's defensibility is challenged. That work has also meant building more than forty family trees, because defending title sometimes turns on knowing exactly who inherited what, and from whom.
When Bill C-3 passed, I recognized that proving Canadian citizenship by descent is the same discipline — reconstructing a documented chain, generation by generation, that withstands scrutiny. I filed a seven-generation Proof of Citizenship application for my own family, documented every step, and built this site as the resource I wish I'd had on day one.
Read the full story →Memberships
Your research is conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the genealogy profession.
