Citizenship by Descent
Policy changes in 2009 amended the Citizenship Act to add a first-generation limit to citizenship by descent, that is a Canadian citizen parent can pass on citizenship to a child born outside Canada if they were either born in Canada or naturalized before the birth of the child.
Hence Canadian citizens who were born outside Canada cannot pass on citizenship to their child born outside Canada, and cannot apply for a direct grant of citizenship for a child born outside Canada and adopted.
In May 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, introduced legislation that would extend citizenship by descent beyond the first generation in a way that is inclusive and protects the value of Canadian citizenship.
The delay is as a result of Parliament being prorogued until March 24, 2025, resulting the amendments to the Citizenship Act cannot be enacted before the March 19th deadline.
