Ottawa: Canada has enacted a major reform to its citizenship framework with the coming into force of Bill C-3 on December 15, 2025. The amendment to the Citizenship Act addresses long-standing grievances faced by thousands of people previously excluded from citizenship due to restrictive descent rules.
Under the new rules, Canadian parents born or adopted abroad can now pass citizenship to children born or adopted outside Canada, provided the parent demonstrates at least three years of physical presence in Canada before the child’s birth or adoption.
Introduced by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) earlier this year, the bill addresses limitations in the previous system, which only allowed citizenship to be passed if the Canadian parent was born in Canada or naturalized before the child’s birth.
“Moving forward, people born before December 15, 2025, who would have been citizens if not for the first-generation limit or other outdated rules, will be Canadian and can now apply for proof of citizenship,” an IRCC release said.
