Millions eligible for Canada
A change in Canadian law has opened eligibility for citizenship by descent to millions of Americans who can prove an ancestor born in Canada, triggering a surge of cross-border applications. The shift is already being marketed as a ‘Plan B’ for U.S. residents worried about political uncertainty. (nationaltoday.com) (kvia.com)
Bill C-3 received royal assent on November 20, 2025 and came into force on December 15, 2025, abolishing the statutory “first‑generation limit” that had capped citizenship by descent. (parl.ca) CIC News estimates about 3 million Americans in New England alone could now qualify under the new rules, and multiple outlets describe the eligible pool nationwide as “millions.” (cicnews.com) Provincial record offices and archives have reported spikes in ancestral-record requests since the law took effect, with applicants in some regions describing long waits to obtain birth and marriage registrations needed to prove lineage. (msn.com) IRCC’s 2026–27 departmental plan sets a target to complete at least 80% of citizenship grant applications within 12 months, even as practitioner reports and private trackers show proof-of-citizenship and descent claims facing roughly nine-to-eleven‑month backlogs in early 2026. (immigration.ca) Under the new framework, most people born before December 15, 2025 may be recognised retroactively as citizens but applicants must secure a certificate of Canadian citizenship from IRCC; for children born on or after December 15, 2025 the parent must show a “substantial connection” of 1,095 cumulative days of physical presence in Canada before the child’s birth. (canada.ca) Private-practice guidance and government notices alike flag document complexity and verification bottlenecks, creating demand for services such as ancestry‑record retrieval, professional genealogy, notarisation and certified translations—opportunities underscored by the New England concentration of eligible applicants and archive request surges. (immigration.ca)
