Bill C‑3 clarifies citizenship‑by‑descent claims
Canadian Bill C‑3 updates FAQs and clarifications around citizenship by descent, helping 'Lost Canadians' and families document eligibility for proof of descent and citizenship claims explained. That detail can unlock citizenship pathways for multi‑generation clients with Canadian ties.
Bill C‑3 received royal assent on November 20, 2025, under the 45th Parliament's session records. (parl.ca) The Act came into force on December 15, 2025, making the statutory amendments to the Citizenship Act effective that day. (canada.ca) The law automatically recognizes as Canadian anyone born abroad before December 15, 2025 who would have been a citizen but for the former first‑generation limit, and it restores persons who lost citizenship under former section 8. (canada.ca) For births or adoptions that occur on or after the coming‑into‑force date, a Canadian parent born or adopted abroad must show a cumulative 1,095 days (three years) of physical presence in Canada before the child’s birth or adoption to transmit citizenship by descent. (canada.ca) IRCC maintained an interim discretionary measure while Parliament considered changes and then folded pending first‑generation‑limit cases into the Bill C‑3 framework when the law took effect. (canada.ca) Independent estimates of the size of the newly affected population vary — some commentators cite roughly 50,000 immediate restorations while other analysts project up to about 115,000 people becoming Canadian within five years under the new rules. (visavio.ca) Bill C‑3 also clarifies adoption rules, allows certain direct grants for adopted children beyond the first generation, and creates a simplified renunciation route for people who acquire citizenship solely because of the enactment. (parl.ca) IRCC guidance and multiple legal briefs state that those deemed citizens under Bill C‑3 can apply for proof‑of‑citizenship certificates and then for Canadian passports, with immediate downstream effects on passport issuance, voting eligibility assessments, and family‑sponsorship filings. (visaverge.com)
