Ottawa directs some with citizenship by descent to surrender citizenship certificates

Some people who received proof of Canadian citizenship under the “Lost Canadians” legislation are now being told to surrender their certificates of citizenship.

Immigration lawyer Amandeep Hayer says one of his clients received a message from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada on Saturday saying they need to turn over their citizenship certificate.

The message says the certificate must be surrendered during an investigation because the application didn’t cite proof of Canadian family from original sources, such as vital statistics, or explain why original documents were not provided.

Hayer says, based on Reddit threads on the subject, he estimates “at least a couple hundred people” have received similar letters.

The Canadian Press has reached out to Immigration Minister Lena Diab’s office and IRCC for comment but has not yet received a response.

Changes made last year removed some limits on who can apply for Canadian citizenship based on lineage.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jun 15, 2026.

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