Submitted 2 weeks ago by favoredponcho@lemmy.zip to youshouldknow@lemmy.world
In order to obtain proof of Canadian citizenship, you would need to document your line of descent through historical documents and birth records.
www.canada.ca/en/…/rules-2025.html
This means that in most cases you’re automatically a Canadian citizen if you were born
- before December 15, 2025
- outside Canada to a Canadian parent
This rule also applies to you if you were born to someone who became Canadian because of these rule changes.
I wonder if I, too, could be a citizen by recursion.
That can’t be right. That’s infinitely recursive…
Canada has only existed since 1867, so not exactly.
The ice mines of Quebec need more fresh meat.
Am I the only one that read this as an incest joke?
Anyone want to be my parent? Asking for a friend.
Holy shit, I might be a Canadian citizen!
My genealogy might finally pay off! I have a lot of French Canadians back in my family tree. Now to track down the documents to prove it
For Quebec you can find a lot of birth records here
Looks like my 2nd great grandfather was born in Hawkesbury, Ontario in 1881! I think that means I qualify!
Thank you!
BanQ is an official archival database from the province of Quebec.
The subreddit has information in its ‘How to find Documents’ FAQ.
I like poutine. Will that work?
Depends if you use real cheese curds or shredded cheese.
Do people use shredded cheese?! What the fuck?
Shredded cheese on poutine is an automatic life sentence without parole.
shredded cheese
If you use shredded cheese then it’s just cheesy fries, not poutine
What about chopped up string cheese?
My brother lives an hour from the border, is that close enough?!?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aroostook_War
If his family has been living in part of that yellow area, maybe.
Unfortunately no, my bro is a “flatlander” who moved to Vermont 25 years ago or so.
I strongly believe that the yellow should have all been Canadian. It’s dumb having to drive over Maine when heading to the east coast if you don’t want to go through the US
I did my genealogy a couple of summers ago, and found out that my maternal grandmother’s family came from Canada to Syracuse for factory work, in the late 19th century.
I am definitely going to be looking into this.
What if my ex was 1/4 Canadian? Do I have to re-marry her?
Can I marry your ex? I want out of here.
If she is there and so are the kids, you probably have some kind of path to citizenship or at least residency, even if it is not immediate. Being the parent / guardian of a citizen is something to start with in most places, at least. But only if they are actually there.
If there are no kids involved and you are no longer married, I would guess that you have nothing to work with.
I was amazed to see how many of my ancestors from Germany and Norway lived out most of their lives in Canada before their descendants relocated to the States. File this in the “Good To Know” category should shit get more intolerable. I can walk out my front door, look down the street and across the river and see Windsor.
You don’t seem to understand the effect of C-3 coming into force.
If you were born to or adopted by any parent who can trace a line of descent back to a Canadian by birth or naturalization (or a British subject domiciled in Canada pre1947), then you are probably a Canadian citizen as of December 15, 2025.
For persons born or adopted after December 15, 2025, their Canadian parent born or adopted outside Canada will need to demonstrate 1095 days of presence in Canada prior to their birth or adoption.
Canadians and I both come from chimps does that qualify me for Canadian citizenship \s
That includes great, great grandparents.
Two of my great, great grandparents (my grandfather’s grandparents) were born in Canada. Reading through the law, I’m having trouble identifying exactly where this makes me eligible. Can I ask for a bit of help pointed in the right direction?
I have my birth certificate linking to my father, his birth certificate linking him to my grandfather. Then US census records linking my grandfather to my great grandmother, and US census records linking her to her (Canadian born) parents. I guess I need to find proof of their Canadian births…
Go read the FAQ on this… you are probably reading some old info. The law changed due to the old law being ruled unconstitutional. You are most likely eligible based on what you’ve stated.
What I would do is pay a lawyer in Canada to get their birth certificates.
I would look at the FAQ on finding n documentation in the subreddit.
Family Search and Ancestry will help find Census records, birth certificates and baptismal records (for periods before civil registration which came quite late in several provinces).
Once you know where and when your Canadian ancestors were born, you will be in a good place to get a baptismal record from the appropriate provincial archives.
Come, friends.
Come Nerevar, friend or traitor, come. Come and look upon the Heart and Akulakahn, and bring Wraithguard, I have need of it. Come to the Heart chamber, I wait for you there, where we last met, countless ages ago. Come to me through fire and war, I welcome you! Welcome Moon-and-Star, I have prepared a place for you! Come, bring Wraithguard to the Heart chamber, together, let us free the cursed false gods! Welcome Nerevar, together we shall speak for the law and the land and drive the mongrel dogs of the Empire from Morrowind! Is this how you honor the 6th house and the tribe unmourned? Come to me openly, and not by stealth. Dagoth Ur welcomes you Nerevar, my old friend… but to this place where destiny is made, why have you come unprepared? Welcome, Moon-and-Star, to this place where YOUR destiny is made. What a fool you are, I’m a god! How can you kill a god? What a grand and intoxicating innocence! How could you be so naive? There is no escape, no recall or intervention can work in this place! Come! Lay down your weapons! It is not too late for my mercy…
Hey, it’s the person that taught me to make paper!
Hey paper person!
I really wish I could.
Hi! Did you make paper yet? Maybe some day.
Oh, that’s interesting. My father had our lineage researched and learned that an ancestor took the side of the British during the USA revolutionary war. He had to move to Canada after the colonies won their independence due to a campaign of harassment in which his barn was burned down.
The most interesting thing about it before now was that someone in my family history had supported the other team. Now it might have actual bearing on my life instead of just being a fun story.
Damn. My wife and I were just talking about this. My Great grandmother was Canadian and I thought it was too far out for me to consider going for citizenship.
You’re probably Canadian, just need to submit for your certificate
So it’s blood only? My mum was Canadian, but I’m adopted.
www.canada.ca/en/…/rules-2025.html
If you were born or adopted before December 15, 2025
Citizenship may have been restored or given to people who were born outside Canada in the second generation or later before December 15, 2025.
This means that in most cases you’re automatically a Canadian citizen if you were born
- before December 15, 2025
- outside Canada to a Canadian parent
This rule also applies to you if you were born to someone who became Canadian because of these rule changes.
If this change made you a Canadian automatically, but you don’t want to be one, you can apply to give up (renounce) your Canadian citizenship.
Adopted people are likely eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship through a direct grant for adopted people if they were born and adopted outside Canada in the second generation or later before December 15, 2025.
I’m not a lawyer, but I think it is worth investigating further from your end.
This is a straightforward case as long as you were adopted when your mother had citizenship status and the adoption took place before December 15, 2025.
Whether your mum was born in Canada or a Canadian citizen by descent, you’ll need go through a two-step process with some help from your mum.
Step 1 - Your mother’s citizenship status needs to be confirmed by IRCC. When this is done, an identifier will be created so you can complete step 2.
Step 2 - your adoption is documented so that IRCC can provide a grant of citizenship.
Here is the page with the forms - they haven’t all been updated yet to say that the first generation limit doesn’t apply to your parent.
I didn't qualify as a kid (which is interesting because one of the things I was considering was moving to Montreal for university which would probably have lead to a very different life than I have now), but the law changes allowed me to later claim citizenship (under the 2009 change, IIRC). There is (or at least was when I did) a fair amount of documentation to write and provide about all your relatives so be ready for that.
Neat. My grandfather moved to America from New Brunswick.
I am a 4th generation Canadian. I guess I am safe.
wait what. fuck yes.
The law is The Citizenship Act with Lost Canadians amendments that came into force on December 15, 2025.
The 2023 Bjorkquist decision on Lost Canadians found the first generation limit on citizenship by descent violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Parliament passed amendments in bill C-3 in early December.
For persons born after December 15, 2025, their new amendments to the Act will require Canadians born outside Canada to meet a 1095 day presence requirement, but the C-3 amendments effectively do away with the first generation limit on citizenship by descent for persons born or adopted before it came into effect.
Thank you so much! I have the last 3 generations’ birth certs, but it’s Gramma Shirley who was born in Canada and it’s hers i need (4 generations ago). I know the right city hall to order it from tho. See you in three years or so!
Is it easy to become canadian in general
It’s easier than other places if you are skilled, educated or someone that needs protection through refugee application. Canada immigration
How so?
I’m the one asking the questions here
Do you have to apply or is it automatic? If automatic I can see potential for another round of eligibility issues in Australia’s parliament coming up - you can’t be a member of parliament while holding another citizenship and unknown/forgotten citizenships have caught people out before.
You have to apply as you have to prove that you qualify for the Citizenship (you present your family tree with proofs of births and marriages and whatever is needed to reach that “canadian ancestor”), once it is done, you get a “Proof of Citizenship”, that is what will then allow you to apply for Passport, Driving License, jobs… It kinda becomes your “birth certificate”. Now, to note, I got this in 2014 due to my mother being born Canadian (and me not) and it took me over a year to get my paperwork (close to two) and there is not a “temporary citizen” status, so you have yo wait until you get it to come to Canada (barring visiting of course). With the influx of submissions that this change will create you can expect those times to increase (unless they open a specific channel for it 🤞).
There are related regulations that have just been published in The Canada Gazette that will enable people to have a simplified process for formal renunciation of Canadian citizenship if they believe they may be Canadian citizens by descent.
I just wanted to add that many countries have similar ancestor laws allowing you to apply for citizenship if you have any roots there. It’s not always easy - but at least you may have an “in” that others would not. So if you think you have a grandfather who immigrated from somewhere or other, look it up and see if you might be able to get on a path to citizenship there. My wife did this earlier this year, and all it took was some paperwork and a visit to a consulate with her parents.
I looked into Greece and the birth right citizenship went away for children born after thr early 80s.
Do you have a source to read more?
Probably the most info is in the Canadian citizenship subreddit FAQ
Is there any actual content on that wiki? I’m not seeing any actual content there.
When I read about this a few weeks ago, there was a requirement that my GM needed to have lived in Canada for (I think it was something like) two years to show a cultural connection. Is this no longer a requirement?
That only applies to people born after December 15, 2025, which is when the new law came into effect
No kidding?? That’s huge news! Honestly, thank you so much for letting me know!
How familiar are you with the process? Can I ask you if my line qualifies? If so, this is what it looks like: Me -> F -> GM -> GGM. My GGM was born in Canada, GM born in the states in 1935, GGM naturalized in 1942.
I’m very familiar with the Italian citizenship by descent process, so I know the edge cases around that, but not for Canada. Are there any hidden exceptions that would disqualify someone with my line? They happen a lot for Italy.
Honestly, I’m so glad you made this post! If this works, I’ll need to thank you from the bottom of my heart!
My mom’s side of the family is all Cajun, which means they came from France, went to Canada, and then settled in Louisiana (where I was born). Considering how long ago all this happened there is likely exactly zero documentation about this. What can I do?
Here’s some details on the bill. The Acadian Expulsion happened about 100 years before Canada became an independent country. So your ancestors would not have been Canadian citizens during the deportation. I am not an immigration lawyer though. There is a contact page on the immigration site, you could just ask them.
I hadn’t actually considered that. That very likely makes me ineligible actually. Thinking about it like that, I doubt any of my ancestors were ever actually Canadian. I’d forgotten about the fact Canada wasn’t an independent country yet so they wouldn’t qualify and therefore I wouldn’t either.
What if I speak the Kannada language?
My relatives from Canada are like 6 or more generations back, is that too far?
isnt it mostly direct ancestors or at least 1 generation removed.
Dammit, I knew there was a downside to avoiding people so thoroughly.
mrmacduggan@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
This is real! I’m one of these people and my family is working on assembling the documentation!
shittydwarf@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
Hell yeah get up here bud!
mrmacduggan@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
I’m already from Michigan, so I feel right at home in the cold north :) 🍁
Apollo2323@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
Holy shit congrats buddy.