U.S. leads interest in citizenship by descent

A new law expanding eligibility for Canadian citizenship led to an initial uptick in applications from a handful of countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and Mexico.

Bill C-3 took effect on Dec. 15 to allow a citizenship claim from someone born outside Canada to a Canadian parent who was also born outside Canada, as long as the parent spent at least three years in Canada before their child’s birth or adoption.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada reports receiving more than 12,000 citizenship by descent applications between Dec. 15 and the end of January.

The largest share of these applications are from the U.S., with nearly 2,500 filed in January alone.

While this is a higher than normal amount of applications for the time period, a department spokesperson says they do not expect to see “a significant surge” in applications.

The department received about 82,500 applications for citizenship by descent through all of 2025, with the United States generating the most demand — about 24,500 applications.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2026.

By David Baxter | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.