Demand for Canadian Citizenship Certificates Surges as Americans Seek Proof of Ancestry

Subhadarshi Tripathy

8/18/20265 min read

Applications for Canadian citizenship certificates are rising rapidly, driven in large part by Americans seeking to prove Canadian ancestry under newly expanded citizenship rules.

The increase follows Parliament’s adoption of “Lost Canadian” legislation late last year, which opened a pathway to citizenship for people who can show they are descended from a Canadian ancestor — even if that ancestor left Canada several generations ago.

The change has already resulted in thousands of newly recognized Canadian citizens. But it has also created a growing backlog, longer wait times and a wave of demand for genealogical records that archivists say they are struggling to handle.

Thousands Recognized Under New Rules

Between mid-December, when Bill C-3 came into effect, and May 31, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada issued approximately 6,100 citizenship certificates to people who qualified under the expanded ancestry-based rules.

That number marks a nearly 50 per cent increase from the 4,075 certificates issued under Bill C-3 between mid-December and March 31.

The legislation was adopted after courts ruled that Canada’s previous limit on citizenship by descent — which generally restricted recognition to the first generation born outside the country — was too narrow.

Under the new framework, people who can prove an unbroken line of descent from a Canadian ancestor may qualify, even if their Canadian connection reaches back multiple generations.

Another 17,390 people have received citizenship certificates because they had a Canadian parent. Before Bill C-3, being born outside Canada generally required a Canadian parent in order to qualify.

Together, the certificates have allowed 23,490 people to be newly recognized as Canadian citizens, making them eligible to apply for Canadian passports and live and work in Canada.

Elections Canada says, however, that newly recognized citizens cannot vote in federal elections unless they have lived in Canada at some point in their lives.

Americans Drive Much of the Demand

People born in the United States account for nearly half of those recognized between mid-December and the end of May.

According to IRCC data, 3,110 Americans have qualified for Canadian citizenship certificates under Bill C-3, while another 8,125 Americans have received certificates because one of their parents was born in Canada.

But officials and archivists say those numbers likely represent only the beginning of demand.

The backlog of citizenship certificate applications has grown dramatically in recent months. In April, roughly 56,000 applications were waiting to be processed. By May, that number had climbed to 70,400.

IRCC’s website now says 121,800 people are waiting for a decision.

Those applications may include people seeking recognition under Bill C-3, as well as routine requests for replacements of lost or stolen citizenship certificates. Still, the sharp increase has raised questions about whether the federal government underestimated demand.

The estimated wait time has also doubled, from 12 months in May to 25 months as of Aug. 10.

Government Did Not Expect a Surge

Estimates of how many people may ultimately qualify under Bill C-3 vary widely.

Some researchers point to a long period during the 1800s and 1900s when large numbers of Canadians, particularly from Quebec, moved to the United States for work. Their descendants may now be among those exploring whether they qualify for Canadian citizenship.

The parliamentary budget officer has estimated that 115,000 people could be affected by the legislative change.

Last October, Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab told the House of Commons immigration committee that the government expected certificate applications to grow gradually.

“We anticipate volumes in the tens of thousands over time,” she said. “We do not expect any surge.”

A spokesperson for the minister said IRCC prepared for the implementation of Bill C-3 and is working to process applications as quickly as possible while maintaining the integrity of the citizenship program.

The department says it is monitoring application volumes and trends and will adjust operations as needed.

IRCC says it has not changed document requirements, but has tried to make those requirements clearer on its website and in public information materials.

Archivists Swamped by Genealogy Requests

While IRCC manages the citizenship backlog, Canada’s archives are facing a separate but related surge.

Applicants seeking citizenship under Bill C-3 often need historical documents proving an unbroken line of descent from a Canadian ancestor. That can require birth, marriage, baptismal, immigration, church, census or other records — sometimes stretching back more than a century.

Alyssa Hyduk, president of the Association of Canadian Archivists, says archives across the country are being overwhelmed.

Some institutions, she said, have seen requests jump by 100 to 300 per cent.

The work is often slow, manual and complex. Many records are not digitized or searchable. Some predate Confederation. Others are stored in small church archives, local historical collections or old microfilm reels.

Hyduk said archivists may spend hours combing through boxes, handwritten documents and ship manifests to locate a single piece of evidence for one applicant.

“These aren’t searchable documents,” she said. “We can’t just press Ctrl+F and find a last name. We have to read the handwriting. We have to figure it out.”

The flood of requests, she said, is delaying other public research and reference work.

Emotional Labour and Funding Pressures

Archivists say the pressure is not only administrative. It can also be emotional.

Mab Coates-Davies, executive director of the Association of Canadian Archivists, said many requests are tied to deeply personal family histories and major life decisions.

Some applicants are looking to leave the United States, while others are trying to secure future options for themselves or their children.

That means archivists are often on the front line of emotionally charged conversations, even though IRCC is the department ultimately deciding citizenship applications.

The association is now calling for more funding for archives across Canada to help manage the workload created by Bill C-3.

Coates-Davies said the surge arrived just as federal budget cuts ended Library and Archives Canada’s $1.5-million-a-year Documentary Heritage Communities Program, which many small and medium-sized archives relied on for support.

“This funding package was just cut and then our workload skyrocketed,” she said.

Concerns Over Changing Document Requirements

Archivists are also frustrated by what they describe as uncertainty around which records IRCC will accept.

Hyduk said the list of acceptable documents appears to be evolving. When the association recently met with IRCC, she said the department did not want to provide a definitive list, because requirements may continue to change.

That uncertainty creates more work for applicants and archivists alike. Someone may request one kind of document, only to later be told they need additional proof.

A new wave of requests may already be coming.

In June, IRCC suspended an estimated 100 citizenship certificates that had already been issued after flagging concerns with documents submitted in some applications.

The department says 83 of those suspensions have since been resolved and the certificates restored. Another 17 people have received procedural fairness letters and have been given 60 days to provide documentation proving their Canadian ancestry.

If they fail to provide acceptable proof, their citizenship certificates could be revoked.

Political Pressure Builds

New Democrat immigration critic Jenny Kwan says she has received letters and inquiries from people affected by the suspended certificates and has written to the immigration minister seeking answers.

Kwan said the situation has created confusion and anxiety for applicants who believed they had already been recognized as Canadian citizens.

“It really makes no sense whatsoever, what’s going on,” she said, accusing the minister of ignoring the uncertainty facing those affected.

A Backlog With Human Consequences

For applicants, the citizenship certificate process can mean more than paperwork. It can determine whether someone can obtain a Canadian passport, relocate for work, reunite with family or create a backup plan during a time of political or personal uncertainty.

For archivists, the surge has turned historical records into urgent legal documents — and transformed family history research into a front-line immigration support function.

For the federal government, the growing backlog raises a difficult question: whether Canada’s expanded citizenship rules have created a demand that the system was not prepared to absorb.

As more people explore ancestral ties to Canada, especially from the United States, the pressure on both IRCC and archives is likely to continue.

What began as an effort to correct long-standing exclusions in citizenship law has now become a test of Canada’s ability to process claims, verify history and support a new generation of citizens trying to prove that their Canadian identity was there all along.

News

Stay updated with the latest BC news stories, subscribe to our newsletter today.

SUBSCRIBE

LINKS

Ethics