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Canada is considering tighter regulations for citizenship by descent under the latest amendments to Bill C-3, An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act. The proposed changes could restrict the ability of children born or adopted abroad to Canadian citizens from gaining citizenship beyond the first generation.
Under the new rules, children born to Canadians by descent would acquire citizenship only if their Canadian parent had spent at least three years in Canada during any five-year period before the child’s birth or adoption, as reported by CIC News. Children born or adopted before the law comes into effect would be exempt from these restrictions.
The amendments also introduce additional requirements for adult applicants. Individuals aged 18 years or older must undergo a security assessment for concerns related to national security, human rights violations, criminality, and economic sanctions. Applicants aged 18 to 55 must also demonstrate adequate knowledge of English or French and of Canada’s culture, rights, and responsibilities.
Currently, Canadian law allows citizenship by descent only for the first generation born abroad. The 2009 update introduced the “first-generation limit” (FGL), which prevents children of citizens by descent from automatically gaining citizenship. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled the current FGL unconstitutional in December 2023. Bill C-3 represents the federal government’s latest attempt to narrow citizenship eligibility while retaining a version of the FGL.
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The bill also requires the Immigration Minister to submit annual reports to Parliament on new citizens under the Act and on waivers of security assessments, CIC News reported. The deadline for final amendments to the FGL is November 20, 2025. Bill C-3 must pass third readings in both houses of Parliament and receive royal assent to become law.
Interim measures allow individuals affected by the FGL to apply for discretionary grants of citizenship online. Current processing times average eight months, with expedited processing available for those facing hardship.
A proposed amendment to abolish birth-right citizenship, which would have limited citizenship to children born in Canada to at least one Canadian parent, was rejected by the parliamentary committee. Currently, all children born in Canada gain citizenship at birth, except in limited cases such as children of foreign diplomats.
The proposed changes under Bill C-3 signal a significant tightening of rules for citizenship by descent, aiming to balance national oversight with existing pathways for first-generation Canadians born abroad.
Under the new rules, children born to Canadians by descent would acquire citizenship only if their Canadian parent had spent at least three years in Canada during any five-year period before the child’s birth or adoption, as reported by CIC News. Children born or adopted before the law comes into effect would be exempt from these restrictions.
The amendments also introduce additional requirements for adult applicants. Individuals aged 18 years or older must undergo a security assessment for concerns related to national security, human rights violations, criminality, and economic sanctions. Applicants aged 18 to 55 must also demonstrate adequate knowledge of English or French and of Canada’s culture, rights, and responsibilities.
Currently, Canadian law allows citizenship by descent only for the first generation born abroad. The 2009 update introduced the “first-generation limit” (FGL), which prevents children of citizens by descent from automatically gaining citizenship. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled the current FGL unconstitutional in December 2023. Bill C-3 represents the federal government’s latest attempt to narrow citizenship eligibility while retaining a version of the FGL.
(Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates)
The bill also requires the Immigration Minister to submit annual reports to Parliament on new citizens under the Act and on waivers of security assessments, CIC News reported. The deadline for final amendments to the FGL is November 20, 2025. Bill C-3 must pass third readings in both houses of Parliament and receive royal assent to become law.
Interim measures allow individuals affected by the FGL to apply for discretionary grants of citizenship online. Current processing times average eight months, with expedited processing available for those facing hardship.
A proposed amendment to abolish birth-right citizenship, which would have limited citizenship to children born in Canada to at least one Canadian parent, was rejected by the parliamentary committee. Currently, all children born in Canada gain citizenship at birth, except in limited cases such as children of foreign diplomats.
The proposed changes under Bill C-3 signal a significant tightening of rules for citizenship by descent, aiming to balance national oversight with existing pathways for first-generation Canadians born abroad.
