How Canada’s Citizenship Law Changed Under Bill C-3

Canada’s citizenship-by-descent rules changed on December 15, 2025, when Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025), came into force. If you were born outside Canada to a Canadian parent who was also born outside Canada, you may now be a Canadian citizen even though the old first-generation limit would have shut you out. Whether citizenship applies automatically or depends on your parent meeting a physical presence test comes down to one date: December 15, 2025.¹

Who Qualifies Now

Bill C-3 splits eligibility into two tracks based on your date of birth.

If you were born outside Canada in the second generation or later before December 15, 2025, you are most likely a Canadian citizen automatically. The law applies retroactively, and you do not need to meet any physical presence requirement. The same is true if you were born to someone who themselves became Canadian because of these changes.²

If you were born outside Canada on or after December 15, 2025, to a Canadian parent who was also born outside Canada, you are likely a citizen if two conditions are met: your parent was a Canadian citizen when you were born, and that parent spent at least 1,095 cumulative days physically present in Canada at some point before your birth.³

Bill C-3 also restores citizenship to remaining “Lost Canadians” and their descendants — people who lost or never received citizenship because of technicalities in the 1947 and 1977 Citizenship Acts, including those affected by the old Section 8 rule that required people born abroad between 1977 and 1981 to apply to retain citizenship before turning 28.⁴ The law treats them as citizens from birth once IRCC confirms their status.¹

Being a citizen automatically is not the same as being able to prove it. Without a citizenship certificate from IRCC, you cannot get a Canadian passport or access other benefits tied to citizenship. If you already submitted an application under the interim measures in place before December 15, 2025, IRCC will process it under the new rules, and you do not need to reapply.²

The 1,095-Day Physical Presence Test

For births on or after December 15, 2025, the “substantial connection” test asks whether your Canadian parent lived in Canada long enough — roughly three years — to have a real relationship with the country. The 1,095 days are cumulative, not consecutive, and can be pieced together from any point in the parent’s life before your birth or adoption.¹ The threshold mirrors what permanent residents must meet to naturalize.

IRCC does not publicly specify whether partial days (the day you arrive or the day you leave) count as full days. Keep detailed entry and exit records and, if you are close to the threshold, document more rather than less.

Proof of physical presence needs to be concrete. According to the IRCC paper application guide, acceptable documentation includes:

Employment or educational records, such as T4 slips, school transcripts, or enrollment letters from Canadian institutions
Residential records, such as rental agreements, mortgage documents, or insurance papers showing a Canadian address
Travel records, including passports with entry and exit stamps or border services records
Government records, such as social assistance records, employment insurance benefits, or Canadian tax returns

IRCC also accepts other evidence that demonstrates physical presence, so include anything relevant even if it does not fit neatly into those categories.⁵ Gaps or inconsistencies in the timeline are where applications stall. If your records are imperfect, submit what you have with a written explanation of the gaps.

If You Were Adopted Abroad

The rules for adopted persons mirror the rules for children born abroad. If you were adopted abroad by a Canadian citizen before December 15, 2025, and the adoption placed you in the second generation or later born outside Canada, you are likely eligible to apply for a direct grant of Canadian citizenship. If the adoption took place on or after December 15, 2025, your adoptive Canadian parent must have accumulated 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada before the adoption.² Adopted persons apply through a separate direct grant process rather than the standard citizenship certificate application.

How to Apply for a Citizenship Certificate

Applications are made using the Application for a Citizenship Certificate, Form CIT 0001. If you were born outside Canada to a Canadian parent who was also born outside Canada, you must submit a paper application by mail. The online application is not available for this category.⁶

The fee is $75 CAD per applicant.⁷ Along with the form, plan to submit:

Proof of your Canadian parent’s citizenship — their birth certificate or citizenship certificate
Evidence of your own birth abroad
If the 1,095-day rule applies, documentation of your parent’s physical presence in Canada

Supporting documents must be in English or French. Anything in another language needs a translation, an affidavit from the translator, and a certified copy of the original.⁸

What Happens If You Misrepresent Something

Submitting false or misleading information on a citizenship application is a criminal offence. Using another person’s citizenship documents, or possessing documents you know were unlawfully issued, can carry up to five years in prison. Counterfeiting or trafficking in citizenship documents carries up to 14 years.⁹

Citizenship obtained through fraud or concealment of material facts can also be revoked later. Fabricating physical presence records or submitting forged documents risks not only a denied application but prison time and permanent loss of the citizenship you were trying to claim.

1
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Bill C-3: An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025) Comes Into Effect
2
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Change to Citizenship Rules in 2025
3
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Check If You May Be a Citizen
4
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. SOCI – Chronology of Lost Canadians and the First-Generation Limit
5
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Guide for Paper Applications for a Citizenship Certificate for Adults and Minors
6
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Guide for Online Applications for a Citizenship Certificate for Adults and Minors
7
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Pay Your Application Fees Online
8
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. What Language Should My Supporting Documents Be In
9
Department of Justice. Citizenship Act RSC 1985 c C-29 – Section 29