U.S. applications for Canadian citizenship surge, causing delays

2026/05/18 Leave a comment

Surge is normal and to be expected following the opening up of citizenship by descent beyond the first generation. It remains to be seen in a year or so how much of this is an initial surge versus ongoing demand. Given the expansive nature of C-3, the PBO assessment of some 20,000 per year, stated by the Minister and officials, may understate interest. But too early to call:

Applicants for Canadian citizenship certificates now have to wait a year because of a surge of interest from Americans interested in taking advantage of new Canadian citizenship rules, according to the Canadian government’s processing-time estimator.

U.S. applications surged during the first few months of 2026, with millions south of the border estimated to be eligible for Canadian citizenship based on their ancestry, after Canada changed its citizenship law.

Demand from U.S. citizens added 14,000 applicants to the queue. That includes a large concentration of people who live in New England, where an estimated three million Americans are eligible due to Canadian ancestry arising from mass migration south from 1870 to 1930, as previously reported by National Post.

The wait will be shorter for applicants who filed in December 2025, before the American surge.

Under the change, if a citizenship applicant was born before December 15, 2025, and can trace his or her lineage back to a Canadian ancestor, they are automatically eligible to apply for proof of Canadian citizenship….

Source: U.S. applications for Canadian citizenship surge, causing delays

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C-3 and Baptism Records

2026/05/13 Leave a comment

Another little nugget on the interest that C-3 has created:

Why this Toronto man is being flooded with requests from Americans about their Canadian ancestors, May 8

As a United Church minister, I recently received a request for baptism information dating from 1858. The problem was that there were no churches and no travelling clergy in my community until the 1860s and no church records older that the 1880s. It may be fine to try to prove Canadian citizenship, but very often the records simply do not exist. They may have been lost, destroyed or even burned in a fire. We have shipped all our old records to the United Church Archives for storage. It is the best place for them.

David Shearman, Owen Sound, ON

Source: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/proving-citizenship-with-old-baptismal-records-not-always-possible/article_b1b558bf-4c87-4bd8-a8cb-3664d2a13e09.html

Filed under C-3, Citizenship

Canada gave citizenship to a terrorist. Revoking it has been ‘ridiculously’ slow

2026/05/12 Leave a comment

Sigh….:

…Acquiring Canadian citizenship is a relatively straightforward process familiar to millions. Revoking it from those who never should have received it takes considerably longer.

A Global News review of cases that have come before the court over the past two years reveals that it routinely takes more than a decade to rescind citizenship from those who obtained it through fraud.

Even when immigration officials appear to have substantial evidence that foreign nationals obtained citizenship by submitting false information, the process is plodding.

Canada’s immigration department declined to disclose its “processing timelines” or discuss individual cases, but a Global News review identified 11 handled by the Federal Court since Jan. 1, 2024.

In almost every instance, the time between the start of an investigation and revocation was at least 10 years — and some are still ongoing.

The only one that took less time involved a Filipino man who became a Canadian using a fake name. Revoking his citizenship was an eight-year exercise. A court challenge that was denied in 2024 lasted another year.

The most common reason cited by the government for rescinding citizenship was that it was obtained under a false identity, according to the Global News review.

For example, when a Sri Lankan became a citizen in 2000 using the persona of a dead relative, and then married his cousin, it took 11 years to fix, plus two more for a court appeal.

In another case, a Canadian admitted in 2011 that he was paid to marry a Chinese woman and sponsor her for citizenship. Her appeals were only exhausted in 2026.

The cases also involved citizenship that officials said was wrongly granted to those who had concealed their involvement in crimes and war crimes.

The slowest and perhaps most harrowing recent case involved a former Guatemalan army officer who became a citizen in 1992 after hiding his role in a massacre….

Source: Canada gave citizenship to a terrorist. Revoking it has been ‘ridiculously’ slow

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Globe editorial: Looking beneath the myths of Alberta separatism [citizenship]

2026/05/12 Leave a comment

Yes, the citizenship and passport issue, and the assumption that dual citizenship would be automatic, becomes less likely in the case of separation:

…The Canadian passport is ranked as one of the most desirable in the world, allowing unfettered access to more than 180 countries. It’s understandable that Albertans voting for independence might want to keep such a valuable document. And under a recent Canadian law granting citizenship to descendants – even great-grandchildren – of Canadians, they would appear to be able to do so.

However, that presupposes the law is not changed. There’s no reason to believe it won’t be.

For starters, political entities rarely split up amicably. Alberta leaving Canada is more likely to be a rancourous process that produces unhappy people on both sides. The idea that the federal government would then allow millions of people from what is – let’s remember – another country retain their privileges as Canadians is nonsensical. 

Several 20th-century examples are worth noting here. 

When East Bengal split from Pakistan in 1971, Islamabad passed a law to strip residents of the newly independent state of their Pakistani citizenship. And when Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, residents of the new country became dual citizens only if they had specific ties to the old country. Most became, simply, Panamanians.

Separatists claim that, under current law, it would be possible for seceding Albertans to remain Canadians as well. Perhaps.

But the law would inevitably be changed, as history demonstrates….

Source: Looking beneath the myths of Alberta separatism

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Why this Toronto man is being flooded with requests from Americans about their Canadian ancestors

2026/05/11 Leave a comment

More on the demand to prove citizenship links under C-3:

…Unlike record seekers before the new citizenship rule, Pugh said the people who reach out these days don’t usually have much information on their Canadian ancestors to guide the search. It creates more work for archivists.

“Because they don’t know where their baptism or that marriage took place, sometimes they don’t even know the city, they might just say, ‘I have a relative who was baptized in Ontario in 1850. Can you find it?’” he noted.

“It takes so much longer to prove a negative because we keep saying well, it could just be in this next register and so we have to look. So it’s much more time intensive than somebody who knows exactly which register it’s in.”

Also, records could be lost after being passed around multiple congregations as local churches amalgamated and separated over time, Pugh said. Variations of spelling, such as when a silent letter was missed or a name ended with an “ie” instead of a “y,” can all make the search that much more difficult, he added.

Where to start your genealogy search for citizenship

So far, Pugh estimated that his office has a 20 per cent success rate in searches based on the number of people that have come forward and the number of certified documents issued.

Due to the volume and complexity of requests, the United Church of Canada Archives has started to charge a $25 research fee and raised the fee for the certification of a pre-1900 certificate to $50 from $30 in order to hire a student archivist….

Source: Why this Toronto man is being flooded with requests from Americans about their Canadian ancestors

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Isak | The day my children and I became Canadian, our long journey finally felt complete

2026/05/11 Leave a comment

Although I still believe that in-person ceremonies are more meaningful, even the virtual moves new Canadians:

…Becoming a Canadian citizen was one of the most emotional moments of my life. The ceremony was online, not in a courthouse, but it still felt powerful. We dressed respectfully for the day and sat together as a family in front of the computer. Around us on the screen were people from different countries, each with their own story, each waiting to take the same oath. As I listened to the ceremony, my emotions overwhelmed me. I thought about the years of uncertainty, the waiting, the fear, and the sacrifices. I felt proud, relieved, and grateful.  Citizenship may feel like paperwork or ceremony for some people. For us, it meant much more. It meant safety. It meant dignity. It meant belonging.

As someone who came from Somalia and lived through insecurity, I know the value of peace in a way that is hard to explain to those who have never feared losing it. I grew up around conflict, armed groups, displacement, and fear. I know what it meant when schools closed because of fighting, when people can’t plan their future because the next day is uncertain. I also worked as a journalist and later in security and political analysis during a time when violence and instability were part of daily life. I know what it means to leave behind home in search of a better life. That is why becoming Canadian was not just a legal milestone. It was a deeply human one….

Source: Opinion | The day my children and I became Canadian, our long journey finally felt complete

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Archives see surge in Americans requesting family records to access Canadian citizenship

2026/05/06 Leave a comment

Yet another article on Americans seeking to establish Canadian ancestry. Good note of caution from the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and the weakening of citizenship:

…The change in citizenship law has meant a surge of requests from Americans for birth records at the provincial archives.

“So the old slogan, ‘be … in this place,’ if they can prove that they were in this place through descent, then they are eligible to become Canadian citizens,” said Joanna Aiton Kerr, the provincial archivist.

Aiton Kerr said the calls started coming in December of last year and haven’t slowed down since.

Provincial Archives staff are currently sifting through a backlog of over 1,000 requests, but it’s hard work, especially when they’re getting an additional 400 citizenship related requests a month.

“It’s certainly an increase in work, but the reason archives exist are to connect individuals who are seeking information with that information,” said Aiton Kerr.

“It’s the job, so we will cope.”

Widespread increase

The increase in requests from Americans looking for birth records can be seen in other provinces as well.

In 2024, the Nova Scotia Archives had received 262 “genealogical e-mail threads.” Through the first three months of this year, it’s already received 1,354.

Prince Edward Island’s Public Archives and Records Office has seen a 143 per cent increase in requests so far this year.

The Rooms in St. John’s, home to Newfoundland and Labrador’s archival records, has seen “a significant increase” in requests with the “majority of recent requests … coming from clients in the United States.”

It’s not just provincial archives that are seeing an increase in requests.

…Commitment or convenience

Not everyone is as much of a fan of the new Canadian citizenship laws.

Daniel Bernhard, the CEO for the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, said becoming a citizen is a “transformative and special moment for so many immigrants.”

“A citizenship ceremony is a really beautiful and moving and emotional testament to the joys of being part of the Canadian family,” he said.

But Bernhard is concerned about what the new laws will mean for the value of Canadian citizenship in the future.

He said citizenship has both rights and responsibilities and he’s concerned the new law could mean more Canadian citizens with limited connection to the country who could use the citizenship as an insurance policy.

“This now kind of creates a sort of second less emotionally resonant, less patriotic, less committed citizen who will hold on to Canadian citizenship in some other home country … just in case,” said Bernhard….

Source: Archives see surge in Americans requesting family records to access Canadian citizenship

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Proposition de Québec solidaire: La citoyenneté donnée aux résidents permanents en cas de souveraineté

2026/05/06 Leave a comment

Trying to attract the cultural communities vote:

« C’est une proposition qui vise à faire sentir les Québécois issus de l’immigration partie prenante du projet, et qui vise à les rassurer sur leur avenir dans un Québec indépendant », affirme le porte-parole de Québec solidaire (QS) Sol Zanetti.

La proposition pourrait même être élargie aux demandeurs d’asile et aux « orphelins du PEQ [Programme de l’expérience québécoise] » : ce sont les amendements qui seront débattus par les militants de Québec solidaire lors du congrès du parti qui aura lieu vendredi, samedi et dimanche à Montréal. S’ils vont de l’avant avec ces ajouts, combien de passeports québécois faudrait-il alors imprimer ? Ça n’a pas été évalué, admet M. Zanetti.

Mais selon lui, le mouvement souverainiste doit changer son message s’il veut espérer une victoire. Le député, qui a codirigé les deux éditions du Livre qui fait dire oui, « distribué à 45 000 exemplaires », organise depuis plusieurs années une tournée des cégeps pour promouvoir l’indépendance du Québec….

Source: Proposition de Québec solidaire La citoyenneté donnée aux résidents permanents en cas de souveraineté

“It is a proposal that aims to make Quebecers from immigration feel part of the project, and which aims to reassure them about their future in an independent Quebec,” says Québec solidaire (QS) spokesman Sol Zanetti.

The proposal could even be extended to asylum seekers and “orphans of the PEQ [Programme de l’expérience québécoise]”: these are the amendments that will be debated by Québec solidaire activists at the party congress that will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Montreal. If they go ahead with these additions, how many Quebec passports would then have to be printed? It has not been evaluated, admits Mr. Zanetti

But according to him, the sovereignist movement must change its message if it wants to hope for a victory. The deputy, who co-directed the two editions of the Livre qui fait dire oui, “distributed in 45,000 copies”, has been organizing for several years a CEGEP tour to promote Quebec’s independence….

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Though Rare, Birth Tourism to the United States Sparks Outsized Concern

2026/05/05 2 Comments

Appears to be a smaller percentage than in Canada based upon my and StatsCan analysis (about 0.5 to 0.7 percent of total births).

…Birth tourism is not a new phenomenon, yet the push and pull factors are poorly understood. Studies show that the promise of U.S. citizenship and related opportunities for the child, such as access to higher education, are among the motivating factors behind birth tourism. However, other factors, including access to advanced U.S. medical care as well as home-country policies, also play a significant role. For example, many Chinese mothers traveled to give birth in the United States while China’s one-child policy was in effect from 1980 to 2015 (children born outside of China were not covered by the policy).

Birth tourism presents a paradox for policymakers. The act of giving birth on U.S. soil by temporary visa holders is not illegal. However, applying for and securing a visa solely for the purpose of garnering U.S. citizenship for a child is both an act of fraud and grounds for inadmissibility. In addition to issues of visa fraud, birth tourism crosscuts with other concerns, including the prospect that businesses facilitating this travel misrepresent their profits and thereby commit tax evasion, and that these mothers will fail to pay the medical costs incurred during pregnancy and delivery.

There are no official estimates of the number of babies born as a product of birth tourism. However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers the closest approximation, using data on annual births. In 2024, the CDC reported almost 9,600 babies were born in the United States and U.S. territories to foreign mothers who listed their official address as outside the United States or its territories. While this may be interpreted as a proxy for babies born due to birth tourism, the number includes women who did not necessarily intend to have a baby in the United States, which is necessary under the current definition of birth tourism. Moreover, it excludes births to women who traveled to the United States with the intent to have a baby but who used a U.S. address to avoid scrutiny (this is a part of some business models promoting birth tourism). Even still, these babies were a miniscule fraction of all 3.7 million births in 2024, and the rate has remained steady over time (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Number of Babies Born in the United States to Foreign Residents and Share of All U.S. Births, 2016-24

Note: Figure shows the number of annual U.S. births to mothers listing their official address as outside the United States or its territories. This includes people who did not come to the United States specifically to have their baby, but not babies born to unauthorized immigrants or to temporary visitors using a U.S. address.
Sources: Data for 2016 are from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), User Guide to the 2016 Natality Public Use File (Atlanta: CDC, N.d.), available online; data from 2017 are from CDC, User Guide to the 2017 Natality Public Use File (Atlanta: CDC, N.d.), available online; data from 2018 are from CDC, User Guide to the 2018 Natality Public Use File (Atlanta: CDC, N.d.), available online; data from 2019 are from CDC, User Guide to the 2019 Natality Public Use File (Atlanta: CDC, N.d.), available online; data from 2020 are from CDC, User Guide to the 2020 Natality Public Use File (Atlanta: CDC, N.d.), available online; data from 2021 are from CDC, User Guide to the 2021 Natality Public Use File (Atlanta: CDC, N.d.), available online; data from 2022 are from CDC, User Guide to the 2022 Natality Public Use File (Atlanta: CDC, N.d.), available online; data from 2023 are from CDC, User Guide to the 2023 Natality Public Use File (Atlanta: CDC, N.d.), available online; data from 2024 are from CDC, User Guide to the 2024 Natality Public Use File (Atlanta: CDC, N.d.), available online.

Even the most expansive estimate that draw on analysis of government data finds birth tourism represents a tiny fraction of all U.S. births. The Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that advocates for low immigration, suggests the number of babies born as result of birth tourism ranges between 22,000 and 26,000 annually, though this estimate is contested….

Source: Though Rare, Birth Tourism to the United States Sparks Outsized Concern

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Kevin Klein: Canada hands out citizenship like candy

2026/05/04 Leave a comment

More commentary on citizenship by descent and the government’s overly expansive approach. Don’t believe it is possible to revisit the court decision given that this would have to have been done within a certain period, now expired, and unclear whether residency tests would survive judicial review.

Unfortunately, current government will not make any changes unless the numbers explode and start to overwhelm the system:

…This raises a serious question that Ottawa has failed to answer. What does it mean to be Canadian? There was a time when our passport carried real significance. It reflected a country that valued responsibility, stability, and a shared sense of purpose. It was respected internationally because it stood for something clear and consistent. That did not happen overnight. It was built over generations through policy choices that reinforced the value of citizenship.

Today, it feels like we are moving in the opposite direction. We are not strengthening what we built. We are diluting it. There is a simple business principle that applies here. It takes years to earn trust and only moments to lose it. Canada has spent decades building a reputation and a national identity that people respected. It does not take long to weaken that if the standards behind it are lowered.

This is not about rejecting newcomers or closing Canada off from the world. Immigration has always been a core part of this country’s success. People who choose to come here, build a life, and contribute to our communities strengthen Canada. That is very different from extending citizenship indefinitely to individuals whose only link is a distant ancestor. Those are not the same thing, and treating them as if they are undermines the integrity of the system.

There are practical solutions available, and they are not complicated. The federal government can establish clear residency requirements tied to citizenship by descent. It can require applicants to demonstrate a tangible connection to Canada, whether through time spent living here, economic participation, or cultural ties. It can also revisit its decision not to appeal the court ruling and seek clarity at a higher level, ensuring that the law reflects a balanced and defensible definition of citizenship.

Instead, Ottawa has chosen the path of least resistance. It avoids a legal challenge in the short term but creates long-term consequences that will be far more difficult to manage. A country cannot afford to treat citizenship as an open-ended entitlement. It is a privilege that should reflect a real bond between the individual and the nation.

Canada matters. What we have built matters. If we continue down this path, we risk turning citizenship into something transactional rather than meaningful. That is not a minor policy concern. It is a shift that strikes at the core of our national identity. A government that takes that lightly is not protecting Canada. It is eroding it, one decision at a time.

Source: Kevin Klein: Canada hands out citizenship like candy

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