Maple News reports that individuals born outside Canada may already be Canadian citizens without knowing it — and an official document, the Canadian citizenship certificate, provides the legal proof of that status.
The Canadian citizenship certificate is issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and is not a travel document, but is often necessary for applying for a Canadian passport or accessing benefits available to citizens. You are likely entitled to one if you were born outside Canada to a parent who was a Canadian citizen, either by birth or through naturalization, before your birth.
This type of automatic citizenship is known as ‘citizenship by descent.’ However, Canadian law limits this benefit to the first generation born abroad. This restriction, known as the First Generation Limit (FGL), means that children of citizens by descent do not automatically acquire citizenship at birth themselves.
The federal government has recently introduced significant policy changes regarding the FGL. As of March 2025, interim measures now allow individuals impacted by the FGL to request discretionary grants of citizenship—if their Canadian parent meets a “substantial connection to Canada” standard, defined as having lived in Canada for at least 1,095 days (three years) before their child’s birth or adoption.
Further changes may be on the horizon. Bill C-3, introduced in June 2025, proposes ending the FGL for children whose Canadian parents meet the substantial connection test. If passed into law, this reform could automatically restore Canadian citizenship to thousands of people previously excluded by the FGL. The bill remains under parliamentary review.
There are exceptions to the FGL. Individuals born abroad in the second generation or later may still qualify for Canadian citizenship if their Canadian parent or grandparent was working as a Crown servant at the time of their birth — in roles such as members of the Canadian Armed Forces or the federal/provincial public service assigned overseas.
To confirm your status, IRCC provides a self-assessment tool called “Am I a Canadian?”, though formal confirmation requires applying for a citizenship certificate. Applications can be submitted online or by paper and must include identification, photographs, translations where applicable, and a $75 processing fee. Processing times typically exceed five months and may be longer for applicants outside Canada and the U.S.
For complex applications or in cases of urgent need—such as education, employment, or avoiding harm—IRCC allows requests for expedited processing. Supporting documentation must justify the urgency, though faster results are not guaranteed.
Not all Canadian citizens require this certificate. Individuals born in Canada (except children of foreign diplomats) and those who became naturalized citizens receive automatic documentation and do not need to apply separately.
Finally, for affected individuals under the FGL, the road to citizenship may still be possible through the discretionary process — but only after submitting a complete citizenship certificate application and receiving a formal invitation from IRCC to proceed.