Maple News reports that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has published its first detailed statement on the review of citizenship certificates issued under Bill C-3. The department says it initially flagged 100 certificates with potential eligibility issues during an early June review, including some cases supported by sources outside traditional documentation.
Of those 100 certificates, IRCC automatically reinstated 33, while 67 remain under consideration. The agency notes these 67 cases represent roughly 1% of all certificates issued under C-3 to date. Affected applicants will either have their citizenship certificates reinstated or be contacted directly for additional information as needed.
IRCC also confirmed that the expanded review of approximately 6,500 applications received under the broadened citizenship-by-descent criteria is now complete.
The department attributes part of the problem to its own guidance. In the June review, officials found the guidance on what constitutes acceptable documentation—for both officers and applicants—was unclear, which may have contributed to certificates being issued with insufficient evidence. IRCC says it has since reinforced the guidance and provided clearer information about the documentation required from applicants.
Maple News will continue monitoring this process as IRCC tightens standards and finishes reviewing affected cases, and will keep readers informed about any updates or changes to documentation requirements for citizenship by descent.”