Canadian Citizenship by Descent: What Bill C‑3 Changed in 2026

Bill C‑3, which amended the Citizenship Act in December 2025, has expanded Canadian citizenship by descent to include all children of Canadian citizens, regardless of how many generations they have lived in Canada.

The previous law was that only children who were conceived abroad by a Canadian citizen were eligible for citizenship, and they could not pass their Canadian citizenship on to their children who were born abroad.

It acknowledges that many descendants of the second, third and subsequent generations are Canadian citizens if they can trace an uninterrupted family line to a Canadian ancestor who was a citizen at the time of their birth.

Citizenship by descent is automatically given by law from 15th December 2025, but a person born before that date must apply for a citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship) to use the citizenship status for passports or other purposes.

Why do Birth Certificates now Sit at the Core?

In IRCC's guidance for the June 2026 rollout, birth records are the primary evidence of Canadian citizenship by descent.

Typically, applicants will require a birth certificate for each person in the chain of ancestry, beginning with them and extending as far as the Canadian “anchor” of the family at the top.

A long form birth certificate (showing both parents) is particularly useful in establishing the parent-child relationship at each stage.

When the ancestor was born in Canada, a provincial or territorial birth certificate may serve as a passport to citizenship, in addition to confirming the relationship to the parents.

Nowadays, the power of marriage certificates is far more than what many marriage applicants imagine. 

Core Documents for Canadian Citizenship by Descent

Marriage Certificates and Name Changes

IRCC should be provided with all the details of the name changes in the lineage, including the mother's maiden name on her birth record and the married name on her child's birth record, with marriage certificates or other legal change-of-name documents.

The department's more explicit guidance emphasises marriage certificates, court orders, adoption orders and divorce decrees as documents that might be required to establish a chain of descent. 

When Marriage Certificates Become Critical?

When Core Records are Missing?

IRCC now requires information from the authority of origin (civil registries, vital statistics offices or government archives) and considers genealogy site downloads as additional resources.

In the absence of an official birth record, IRCC may consider alternative birth records such as certified baptismal records, hospital birth notes, midwife records, census entries or ship manifests; however, the applicant must demonstrate that they made reasonable efforts to obtain the official birth record. 

Whereas in the past a simple written explanation was sufficient, families must now be able to substantiate their efforts through correspondence with archives or formal “no record” letters from relevant authorities. 

Acceptable Alternatives When Birth Certificates are Missing

Extra Pressure on Indian-origin Families

Many Indian-origin families with Canadian roots have to do cross-country linkage in India, Canada and, in some cases, in third countries in the Middle East and Africa, or the UK.

Given the naming conventions, multi-spellings and the patchy historical record-keeping, a clean chain may be more difficult to establish that meets IRCC's new expectations.

IRCC prefers to use old-school certificates, entries on ration cards or local registration records to trace ancestors as part of the family histories, but it would be preferable to use certified civil status records or official reproductions.

Many Indian-origin applicants will have to deal with the local municipal offices in India regarding their birth and marriage records as well as request Canadian birth or marriage records (or archives) from the Canadian ancestor.

The 1,095‑day Substantial Connection Rule

For those born prior to December 15, 2025, Canadian citizenship is inherited through the generations, and there is no requirement for any significant connection.

For children born or adopted after the date, the Canadian parent who was born or adopted abroad must have spent at least 1,095 days (3 years) physically present in Canada before the child's birth to pass on citizenship to their child. 

The physical presence requirement is prospective, and thus will not prevent older generations who already meet the eligibility requirements of Bill C‑3 from being eligible for it.

However, Indian-origin families intending to have more children in the future abroad should consider the time they spend in Canada as the cornerstone of maintaining the citizenship by descent status of the next generation for their children to be eligible.

How Long it Takes to Process Proofs of Citizenship and How Many are Backlogged?

In addition to tightened document requirements, processing delays for proof of citizenship certificates have also jumped.

The wait to get citizenship certificates has increased from about nine months in late 2025 to 19 months, the IRCC said in its update on July 7, 2026.

Recent photos show the line now at approximately 99,500, with some 28,940 certificates issued from January 1 to May 31, 2026.

If you are outside of Canada or the United States, you may realistically expect to hear by early 2028. 

Including Social and Expert Embeds (noâ€Âfollow suggestions)

These expert videos (use no‑follow attributes if embedding) can offer families deeper explanations on Canadian citizenship by descent.

• Bill C‑3: Major Changes to Canadian Citizenship by Descent (YouTube (Weber Immigration)) – Explanation of the process of multi‑generation claims and documents that do and don't count. 

• YouTube (RCIC Liz Matthew): “Understanding Bill C‑3: Canada’s Updated Citizenship Laws” – step‑by‑step explanation of eligibility and the 1,095‑day rule.

How Indian-origin Families Can Build a Strong Application?

Indian-origin families can prepare a compelling application by following these steps. Indian-origin families can lay the groundwork for a strong application as follows:

The proof of citizenship package is a project, not a form to complete in a few minutes.nowcitizens+4

This involves tracing the family tree, finding the Canadian ancestor, creating a family tree of each generation of individuals, and collecting birth, marriage and citizenship records for each person in the chain of ancestors.

Specialist documents and knowledge bases stress long-form birth certificates, marriage certificates, proof of Canadian citizenship of the Canadian parent, and proof of physical presence if the substantial connection test is being used.

They also recommend including a brief cover letter to explain the family of origin, a family composition chart (with pictures of ancestors), and any notes on missing documents, including evidence of efforts to acquire the missing documents. 

Conclusion

Canadian citizenship by descent now depends heavily on a documented chain of original birth and marriage records, especially for Indian-origin families trying to prove their link to a Canadian ancestor under IRCC’s updated 2026 rules.
With Bill C‑3 opening multi‑generation eligibility but processing times stretching to around 19 months, families who act early, organise their documents and understand the substantial connection rule will be better placed to secure their proof of citizenship.