Citizenship by Descent After Bill C-3

If you were born outside Canada to a Canadian parent, the rules on whether you are Canadian changed recently. This article summarizes what IRCC says about that change. It is not legal advice, and the only way to know for certain is to apply for a citizenship certificate. The source is IRCC's page on the change to citizenship rules in 2025, checked on 23 September 2026.

What changed

On 15 December 2025, Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act, passed and took effect. It changes the first-generation limit on citizenship by descent.

Before Bill C-3, citizenship by descent was limited to the first generation born outside Canada. Bill C-3 removed that limit in some situations.

IRCC is clear that the change does not take citizenship away from anyone: if you were already a citizen before the bill, you still are.

How generations are counted

IRCC counts the first generation as the first person born or adopted outside Canada to a Canadian citizen.

• A Canadian citizen was born in Canada or granted citizenship.
• The first generation was born outside Canada to that citizen, and is Canadian by descent.
• The second generation or later was also born outside Canada, to a first-generation parent. That person is now Canadian in some situations.

Born before 15 December 2025

IRCC says that in most cases you are automatically a Canadian citizen if you were born before 15 December 2025, outside Canada, to a Canadian parent. That includes being born to someone who became Canadian because of these changes.

If the change made you Canadian automatically and you do not want to be, IRCC says you can apply to renounce your citizenship.

Born on or after 15 December 2025

For people born outside Canada in the second generation or later, IRCC says they may be Canadian if their parent was also born or adopted outside Canada to a Canadian citizen, and that same parent spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the birth.

Adopted people

IRCC says adopted people born and adopted outside Canada in the second generation or later are likely eligible to apply through a direct grant of citizenship for adopted people. For adoptions on or after 15 December 2025, the Canadian parent must have spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the adoption.

How to find out for sure

If you think you became a citizen because of Bill C-3, IRCC says you must apply for a citizenship certificate to know for certain. IRCC reviews the application and, if you are a citizen, issues the certificate. That proof also helps you apply for a Canadian passport and avoid delays at the border.

If you applied under the interim measure that followed a December 2023 Ontario court ruling and your application is still in progress, IRCC says it will process it under the new rules, and you do not need to apply again.

If this is not you

Most people preparing for the citizenship test are permanent residents applying for a grant of citizenship, which Bill C-3 does not change. For that route, our free practice questions and study guide are where to start.