Canada has taken an important step toward modernizing its citizenship laws. Bill C-3 has received royal assent, ensuring Canadians affected by outdated rules have a fair way to pass citizenship on to their children born or adopted abroad.
Bill C-3 updates Canada’s citizenship law so Canadians affected by the first-generation limit or old rules can fairly pass citizenship to children born or adopted abroad.
Once in force, it restores or grants citizenship to those previously excluded and requires parents born abroad to show real ties to Canada. Bill C-3 means more Canadians can pass citizenship to children born or adopted abroad, fixing unfair past rules. It will also restore citizenship to people who should have been citizens under earlier laws.
Bill C-3 Implementation
The bill will come into effect at a later date, until then, the temporary measure remains in place for people affected by the first-generation limit.
Canadians excluded under outdated rules will have a fair, clear way to pass citizenship on to their children born or adopted outside Canada.
Bill C-3, an Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025), has received royal assent. This represents an important milestone in making the Citizenship Act more inclusive, while maintaining the value of Canadian citizenship.
Bill C-3: What it means
Once the new law comes into force, Canadian citizenship will be provided to people born before the bill comes into force, who would have been citizens if not for the first-generation limit or other outdated rules of past legislation.
A Canadian parent born or adopted abroad will be able to pass citizenship on to their child born or adopted outside Canada on or after the date the bill comes into force, provided they have a substantial connection to Canada.
This approach supports fairness for families while reinforcing the principle that real, demonstrated ties to Canada guide citizenship by descent.
The bill will come into force on a date set by order in council, which will be communicated publicly. Until then, the interim measure remains in place for people impacted by the first‑generation limit.
The first Canadian Citizenship Act of 1947 included several provisions that caused many people to either lose their Canadian citizenship or never get it at all. Changes made in 2009 and 2015 restored or provided citizenship to most of these “lost Canadians”. About 20,000 people came forward to seek their proof of Canadian citizenship as a result.
The first-generation limit to Canadian citizenship by descent was introduced in 2009. It means that a child born or adopted outside Canada is not a Canadian citizen by descent if their Canadian parent was also born or adopted outside Canada.
On December 19, 2023, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice declared that key parts of the Citizenship Act relating to the first-generation limit to citizenship by descent were unconstitutional. The Government of Canada did not appeal the ruling, as it agreed the law had unacceptable outcomes for Canadian children of Canadian parents who were born outside the country.