Backgrounder

Before Bill C-3 came into effect, Canada’s Citizenship Act limited the passing on of citizenship to the first-generation for people born or adopted abroad. This meant that a Canadian citizen could only pass on citizenship to or access a direct grant of citizenship for a child born or adopted outside Canada if the parent was either born or naturalized in Canada before the child’s birth or adoption.

Before Bill C-3 came into effect, Canada’s Citizenship Act limited the passing on of citizenship to the first-generation for people born or adopted abroad. This meant that a Canadian citizen could only pass on citizenship to or access a direct grant of citizenship for a child born or adopted outside Canada if the parent was either born or naturalized in Canada before the child’s birth or adoption.

On December 19, 2023, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice found that parts of the Citizenship Act relating to the first-generation limit to citizenship by descent were unconstitutional. The Government of Canada did not appeal the decision, recognizing that the law had unacceptable outcomes for Canadians whose children were born outside the country.

On June 5, 2025, the government introduced Bill C-3, An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act (2025), to extend citizenship by descent beyond the first-generation in a way that is more inclusive and protects the value of Canadian citizenship. The bill received royal assent on November 20, 2025, and came into effect on December 15, 2025. This means that IRCC now recognizes new eligible citizens and is applying the new rules for passing citizenship on going forward. With the coming into effect of this bill

For more information, consult the Citizenship section of IRCC’s official website.

Substantial connection

To demonstrate a substantial connection to Canada, the applicant must show that their Canadian parent born or adopted abroad has at least 1,095 days (three years) of cumulative physical presence in Canada before the applicant’s birth or adoption.

Lost Canadians

The term “Lost Canadians” refers to people who lost or never obtained citizenship because of certain outdated rules in earlier citizenship laws.

Most cases were resolved through legislative changes in 2009 and 2015, which restored or gave citizenship to about 20,000 people. However, some people remained excluded, including section 8 “Lost Canadians” and descendants of “Lost Canadians.”

Bill C-3 extends access to citizenship to these remaining “Lost Canadians,” their descendants and those born abroad to or adopted abroad by a Canadian parent in the second or later generation before the new law came into effect.