Some of the nearly 400 new Canadians from 65 countries took their citizenship oath at a ceremony in Toronto on Friday, July 19, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS
Canada is close to changing its rules about citizenship for children born outside the country. A new bill, Bill C-3, would allow Canadians living abroad to pass their citizenship to their children, even if those children are born outside Canada. This change would go beyond the current rule that only the first generation born outside Canada can get citizenship from their parents.
What the New Bill Proposes
Right now, if a Canadian citizen lives outside Canada and has a child outside Canada, that child cannot automatically get Canadian citizenship if the parent was also born abroad. The new bill would fix that. It says that if the parent lived in Canada for at least three years before the child was born, the child can become a citizen.
The government says this law aims to be fair and keep Canadian citizenship valuable.
Why This Matters
Many people have faced problems because of the current rule. Some have even been called “Lost Canadians” because they could not get citizenship despite having strong family ties to Canada. Ryan Neely, an immigration lawyer, says this new bill solves problems that were left open after previous law changes in 2009 and 2015.
The current rule was created by a past government to limit citizenship passed to children born abroad after the first generation. But two years ago, a court said this rule is unfair for many people. The government did not fight that decision, but the rule still stands while the court's decision is on hold.
Expert Views
Heather Segal, another immigration lawyer, says this change could be good because it lets more second-generation Canadians keep their connection to Canada. She explains that many of these people still have family and roots in Canada and want to keep their Canadian identity.
This idea is not unusual. Some countries also limit citizenship to the first generation born abroad. But Canada may be ready for this new step.
Possible Impact
If the bill becomes law, many people around the world could gain Canadian citizenship. Neely says this may change how many people identify as Canadian. Some people who tried to immigrate before but failed might now discover they already qualify as citizens if they can prove their family link to Canada.
Challenges Ahead
While this change sounds good, it may cause a big rush of new citizenship applications. Both lawyers warn that the government must prepare for many people applying at once. Immigration officers will need more resources to handle the workload.
Right now, the immigration department has over 2 million applications waiting, including 242,500 citizenship requests. The total backlog is about 760,200. Although the backlog has decreased since last year, a big new wave of applications could slow things down again.
A new bill may soon allow Canadians born abroad to pass citizenship to their children beyond the first generation. This would fix issues for many “Lost Canadians” and help families keep ties to Canada. Experts say it could add many new citizens but warn about processing challenges. The law aims to make citizenship fairer and more inclusive.
