The Canada citizenship law changes took effect on December 15, 2025, when Bill C-3 removed the first-generation limit and made people born abroad in the second or later generation Canadian citizens by law. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) now recognises these citizens and issues proof of citizenship to them on application. The same law added a substantial connection test for children born abroad on or after December 15, 2025, and it restored citizenship to the remaining lost Canadians. This explainer walks through each change in order, names the exact dates, and shows who can act today.
What Changed on December 15, 2025
Three changes started on December 15, 2025: the first-generation limit ended, the remaining lost Canadians became citizens again, and a substantial connection test began for the next generation born abroad. Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025), received royal assent on November 20, 2025, after Minister Lena Metlege Diab introduced the bill in the House of Commons on June 5, 2025. Parliament passed the bill in November 2025, and the government set December 15, 2025 as the coming into force date. Nobody in the newly covered groups needs a grant, a ceremony, or an oath, because citizenship arrived by operation of law on that date. A person in one of these groups holds citizenship already and applies only for the certificate that proves the status.
Canada Citizenship Law Changes at a Glance
The timeline below lists each step in the Canada citizenship law changes, from the rule that created the problem to the law that replaced the rule. Read the table from top to bottom to see how a file that failed in 2020 can succeed in 2026.
| Change | Date | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|
| First-generation limit created by the 2009 amendments | April 17, 2009 | Children born abroad to a Canadian parent who was also born abroad |
| Further lost Canadian groups restored by the 2015 amendments | June 11, 2015 | People caught by pre-1947 rules and their children born abroad |
| Ontario Superior Court of Justice declares the second-generation cut-off unconstitutional in the Bjorkquist case | December 19, 2023 | Every family blocked by the cut-off |
| Interim measures open discretionary grants under subsection 5(4) | March 13, 2025 | People affected by the first-generation limit who applied before the new law |
| Bill C-3 introduced in the House of Commons | June 5, 2025 | Second and later generations born abroad, and lost Canadians |
| Bill C-3 receives royal assent | November 20, 2025 | The same groups, once the law comes into force |
| First-generation limit ends and the substantial connection test begins | December 15, 2025 | People born abroad before that date gain citizenship; children born abroad on or after that date face the new test |
How the First-Generation Limit Worked Before Bill C-3
The first-generation limit blocked citizenship for a child born abroad when the Canadian parent had also been born abroad, and the rule ran from April 17, 2009 until December 15, 2025. The 2009 amendments did two jobs at once. Parliament restored citizenship to about 20,000 lost Canadians across the 2009 and 2015 fixes, and the 2009 package also added the generational cut-off as a safeguard. A Canadian born in Toronto could pass citizenship to a child born in Texas, and that child held citizenship from birth. The Texas-born child then could not pass citizenship to a baby born in Texas, because the parent counted as the first generation born abroad. Families discovered the rule at passport counters and consulates, often years after the birth. The 2015 amendments repaired more historical gaps, and one group still waited outside the law: people who had lost citizenship under the former section 8 retention rule, plus descendants of lost Canadians.
The Court Ruling That Forced the Change
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled on December 19, 2023 that the second-generation cut-off breached the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Government of Canada chose not to appeal the ruling. The case, Bjorkquist et al. v. Attorney General of Canada (2023 ONSC 7152), involved Canadian parents born abroad whose children were denied citizenship. Justice Akbarali found that the cut-off punished Canadians for exercising mobility rights and treated families unequally. The court suspended the effect of the declaration, and that suspension created a hard deadline for Parliament. Ottawa first answered with Bill C-71 in 2024, and Bill C-71 died on the Order Paper when Parliament was prorogued on January 6, 2025. Bill C-3 followed on June 5, 2025 with the same core design, and the renewed deadline pressure pushed the bill through both chambers in the fall of 2025.
Who Became Canadian on December 15, 2025
Every person born or adopted abroad before December 15, 2025 who would hold citizenship today if the first-generation limit and the old historical rules had never existed became a Canadian citizen on December 15, 2025. IRCC applies no physical presence test to this group, and no parent in this group needs days in Canada. Consider a family line that starts in Winnipeg. A grandmother was born in Winnipeg in 1955 and later settled in Buffalo. Her daughter was born in Buffalo in 1980 and held Canadian citizenship from birth as the first generation born abroad. Her granddaughter was born in Buffalo in 2008, and the first-generation limit denied the granddaughter citizenship for 17 years. The granddaughter became a Canadian citizen on December 15, 2025, and she can now apply for a citizenship certificate as proof. The same date restored citizenship to section 8 lost Canadians, people who lost citizenship because the old law required an application to retain citizenship before the 28th birthday. Descendants of lost Canadians gained access on the same terms.
The Substantial Connection Test for Children Born on or After December 15, 2025
A child born or adopted abroad on or after December 15, 2025 to a Canadian parent who was also born or adopted abroad is a citizen only if the parent shows 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada before the birth or the adoption. The 1,095 days are cumulative, so separate periods of study, work, and family life in Canada add together, and the days can fall at any point in the parent’s life before the child arrives. Take a parent who was born in Dubai to Canadian parents and later completed a four-year degree in Halifax. Four academic years in Nova Scotia give that parent well over 1,095 days, so a baby born to that parent in Dubai in March 2026 holds Canadian citizenship from birth. A parent with 800 days in Canada falls short, and a child born abroad to that parent does not take citizenship by descent. The Citizenship Act keeps an exception for children of Crown servants posted abroad, such as members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Adopted children follow a grant route instead: the Canadian parent applies for a grant of citizenship for the adopted child, and the same 1,095-day test applies to that application.
The Interim Measures That Bridged the Gap
Interim measures announced on March 13, 2025 let people affected by the first-generation limit request a discretionary grant of citizenship under subsection 5(4) of the Citizenship Act while Parliament debated the fix. The measures existed because the court suspension left families in limbo during 2024 and 2025. An affected person filed a request, IRCC reviewed the file case by case, and a successful request produced a grant rather than recognition of citizenship from birth. One applicant in London used the interim route in the spring of 2025 to secure status for a daughter born in 2019, months before Bill C-3 passed. The interim measures ended when Bill C-3 came into force on December 15, 2025, because the amended Act then covered the same people directly. Files already granted under subsection 5(4) stand, and people who never used the interim route lose nothing, since the new law now recognises them automatically.
What Did Not Change: Grants, Fees and Renunciation
The citizenship grant rules for permanent residents stayed the same, and an adult applicant still needs 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada inside the five years before signing the application. Bill C-3 touched descent only, so permanent residents follow the same naturalisation path as before, with tax filing duties and the citizenship test for applicants aged 18 to 54. Fees also stayed put for the descent route. A citizenship certificate, called proof of citizenship, costs 75 Canadian dollars per person, and that fee applied before Bill C-3 and applies now. One change runs in the opposite direction. A person who became a citizen automatically on December 15, 2025 and does not want Canadian citizenship can use a simplified renunciation process that IRCC created for this group. Renunciation matters for people whose other country restricts dual citizenship, and Canada itself allows dual citizenship.
What to Do Now
A newly recognised citizen confirms the status by applying for a citizenship certificate on form CIT 0001, the Application for a Citizenship Certificate, and the application costs 75 Canadian dollars. Keep the steps short:
- Check your family line against the December 15, 2025 date and the generation rules in the sections above.
- Gather birth certificates for each generation in the line, plus the Canadian parent’s or grandparent’s proof of citizenship where you hold one.
- Complete form CIT 0001 online or on paper, pay the 75 Canadian dollar fee, and submit the file to IRCC.
- Use the certificate to apply for a Canadian passport once IRCC issues the certificate.
Parents expecting a baby abroad in 2026 should count the Canadian parent’s days of physical presence in Canada early, because the 1,095-day total decides the baby’s status at birth. Processing times for proof applications run long in 2026 due to volume, so a complete file with a clean generational chain saves months.
FAQs
When did the Canada citizenship law changes take effect?
The changes took effect on December 15, 2025. Bill C-3 received royal assent on November 20, 2025, and IRCC has applied the amended Citizenship Act to descent cases from December 15, 2025 onward.
Do the Canada citizenship law changes make me a citizen if my Canadian parent was born abroad?
Yes, if you were born abroad before December 15, 2025 and the first-generation limit was the only barrier. You hold citizenship by law now and can apply for proof on form CIT 0001.
Does the 1,095-day test apply to people born before December 15, 2025?
No. The substantial connection test covers only children born or adopted abroad on or after December 15, 2025 to a Canadian parent who was also born or adopted abroad.
How much does proof of Canadian citizenship cost in 2026?
The citizenship certificate costs 75 Canadian dollars per person. Applicants file form CIT 0001, the Application for a Citizenship Certificate, online or on paper, and the fee stayed unchanged under Bill C-3.
Did Bill C-3 change the rules for permanent residents applying for citizenship?
No. The grant rules stand unchanged. A permanent resident still needs 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada inside the five years before signing, plus tax filing and, for ages 18 to 54, the test.
What happened to the interim measures for lost Canadians?
The interim measures ran from March 13, 2025 until December 15, 2025. Affected people could request a discretionary grant under subsection 5(4). Bill C-3 replaced the measures by recognising the same people automatically.
Can a person give up citizenship gained automatically under Bill C-3?
Yes. IRCC runs a simplified renunciation process for people who became citizens under the new law and never held a grant. The option suits people whose other country restricts dual citizenship.
Conclusion
The Canada citizenship law changes close a 16-year argument about how far citizenship travels down a family line. Bill C-3 restored status to the second and later generations born abroad before December 15, 2025, repaired the last lost Canadian files, and set one measurable rule for the future: 1,095 days of a parent’s life in Canada. Families who act on the new law need two things only, a clean paper chain for each generation and form CIT 0001 filed with the 75 Canadian dollar fee. The status already exists in law, and the certificate simply makes the status visible.
