Canada expands citizenship-by-descent under Bill C-3.

Bill C-3, effective December 15, 2025, removed the first-generation limit and reinstated many previously excluded people as Canadian citizens; the law also introduces a substantial-connection test for children born or adopted abroad after that date.

As of December 15, 2025, amendments to Canada’s Citizenship Act came into force under Bill C-3 that remove the first-generation limit on citizenship by descent. The change restores citizenship rights to thousands who had been excluded and updates how citizenship can be passed to children born or adopted abroad. Bill C-3 received Royal Assent on November 20, 2025 and follows a 2023 Ontario Superior Court decision that found the first-generation limit unconstitutional. The law also establishes new criteria to determine citizenship for future generations. Key details: - The first-generation limit was abolished; individuals born abroad before December 15, 2025 to a Canadian parent are recognized as Canadian citizens by descent. - People previously excluded solely because of the first-generation limit (often described as "Lost Canadians") now qualify and may apply for a certificate of Canadian citizenship through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). - For children born or adopted abroad on or after December 15, 2025, citizenship by descent requires the Canadian parent born abroad to demonstrate a substantial connection to Canada, commonly a cumulative physical presence of about 1,095 days (three years) before the child’s birth or adoption. - The law expands situations where having at least one Canadian grandparent can affect eligibility in cases where the Canadian parent was born abroad before December 15, 2025. - Applications submitted under interim measures responding to the 2023 court ruling will be processed under the permanent Bill C-3 rules and do not need to be refiled. - Individuals who were already Canadian citizens before December 15, 2025 remain citizens, and a simplified renunciation process is available for those who acquire citizenship under the new rules and choose not to retain it. Summary: The amendments restore citizenship to many people and modernize how citizenship is transmitted across generations for families living abroad. IRCC will process applications for certificates of citizenship under the permanent Bill C-3 framework, and interim applications will be handled using those rules. The law took effect on December 15, 2025 after receiving Royal Assent on November 20, 2025.