A newly introduced bill in Parliament may grant or restore Canadian citizenship to thousands of individuals affected by the current citizenship by descent rules.
Bill C-3, introduced on June 5, 2025, proposes amendments to the Citizenship Act that would eliminate the first-generation limit (FGL) to citizenship by descent. Under current law, children born abroad to Canadian citizens by descent are not automatically eligible for citizenship. This restriction, introduced in 2009, has led to a group often referred to as "lost Canadians"—people with strong ties to Canada but no citizenship rights.
In December 2023, the Ontario Superior Court ruled that the FGL was unconstitutional, as it created a second class of citizens and violated mobility rights. The federal government accepted the decision and has since worked to revise the legislation. A previous attempt—Bill C-71—was introduced in 2024 but died when Parliament was prorogued in March 2025.
Bill C-3 revives and expands that effort. It would restore citizenship to those previously excluded and allow Canadian citizens by descent to pass on citizenship to their children—if they meet a substantial connection to Canada test. This means the parent must have spent at least three years in Canada before the child’s birth or adoption.
In the meantime, interim measures introduced in March 2025 allow eligible individuals to apply for discretionary grants of citizenship under the same criteria.
The federal government has until November 20, 2025, to update the Citizenship Act, or the Court may strike down the relevant sections of the law.
Children born in Canada remain citizens at birth, with limited exceptions such as children of foreign diplomats.
