Significant changes to Canada’s immigration and citizenship rules could be on the horizon, with new measures that would grant automatic citizenship to some individuals.
On Thursday, June 5, the federal government announced Bill C-3, a proposal that would expand who gets to pass Canadian citizenship to their children — even if both parent and child were born outside Canada.
Currently, there’s a limit known as the “first-generation rule.” It means if you’re a Canadian but were born abroad, you can only automatically pass your citizenship to kids born overseas if you yourself were born or naturalized in Canada. That rule has been in place since 2009.
However, Bill C-3 is looking to change it.
It would allow citizenship to be passed down beyond just the first generation, which is a significant shift for anyone with family ties overseas or parents who have moved around a lot.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says this would especially help “Lost Canadians” — people who missed out on citizenship rights due to outdated legislation or who lost their status under old rules.
Among those impacted are individuals who were affected by the now-repealed section 8 of the Citizenship Act. These were people born outside Canada beyond the first generation between February 15, 1977, and April 16, 1981. They lost their Canadian citizenship at the age of 28 if they did not take specific steps to retain it before the first-generation limit came into effect in 2009.
Although updates in 2009 and 2015 helped approximately 20,000 people regain or gain citizenship, many individuals were still left out.
This new bill is intended to address that issue.
So, what exactly would Bill C-3 do?
First, it would automatically citizenship to individuals who were previously excluded due to the first-generation limit or other repealed rules. That means some people would suddenly qualify without needing to apply under special exceptions.
Second, it lays out a new system going forward. If you’re a Canadian born outside the country and want to pass on citizenship to a child also born abroad, you’d need to prove a “substantial connection” to Canada. Specifically, you’d have to show you’ve lived in Canada for at least 1,095 days (three years) before your child was born or adopted.
Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said in a statement on June 5, “Citizenship is more than a legal status — it’s a profound connection to the values, history, and spirit of Canada.” She added that asking people to show a strong connection to the country when passing down citizenship honours that deeper bond.
This update comes after an Ontario Superior Court ruling in 2023 found parts of the current rules unconstitutional. Instead of appealing, the federal government decided to go the legislative route and just fix the problem — something IRCC says is overdue.
If you think this might affect your family, hang tight. Since March, an interim measure has been in place to support people caught in the citizenship limbo while the bill was being worked on. That support system will stay in place until the bill is passed.
Anyone with kids born outside Canada — or thinking about having some while living abroad — might want to keep tabs on this bill. Once it gets Royal Assent, more details will roll out.
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