Demand for Canadian citizenship certificates soaring, fuelled by Americans | CBC News

August 17, 2026

Applicants filling out Canadian citizenship forms at an IRCC service counter — Applicants complete citizenship paperwork at an IRCC service counter beneath Canadian citizenship signage.

Demand for Canadian citizenship certificates soaring, fuelled by Americans

Applications from people around the world seeking Canadian citizenship certificates have been rising rapidly, fuelled by thousands from the United States, CBC News has learned. So many people have applied following a change in the law that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says those who apply today could have to wait more than two years for a decision.

Archives swamped with requests for records, application backlog now tops 120,000

By Elizabeth Thompson · CBC News · Posted: Aug 17, 2026 1:00 AM PDT | Last Updated: August 17

Editor’s Note: Published note indicates the audio was produced by AI-generated technology. –DrWeb

Applications from people around the world seeking Canadian citizenship certificates have been rising rapidly in recent months, fuelled by thousands of applications from the United States, CBC News has learned.

The number of people who have already received certificates as a result of Parliament’s adoption of “Lost Canadian” legislation late last year rose nearly 50 per cent between April 1 and May 31, according to new data obtained by CBC.

Bill C-3 allows citizenship for those who can prove they’re descended from a Canadian ancestor, even if that ancestor left the country several generations back. It was adopted after the courts ruled that limiting citizenship to the first generation born outside of Canada was too restrictive.

Applications for Canadian citizenship certificates have exploded with the backlog now topping more than 121,800 applications. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Between mid-December — when Bill C-3 went into effect — and May 31, some 6,100 citizenship certificates were granted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to those who now qualify.

That is up from 4,075 certificates issued as a result of Bill C-3 from mid-December until March 31.

Another 17,390 people have received certificates as a result of having a Canadian parent. Prior to the bill’s adoption, those who were born outside Canada had to have a Canadian parent to qualify for citizenship.

Tip of the iceberg

The certificates allow the 23,490 newly recognized Canadian citizens to apply for Canadian passports and live and work in Canada.

Elections Canada, however, says they can’t vote in federal elections unless they’ve lived in Canada at some point in their life.

People born in the U.S. account for nearly half of those recognized between mid-December and the end of May. According to the data from IRCC, 3,110 Americans have qualified for Canadian citizenship certificates as a result of Bill C-3, while another 8,125 Americans have been granted certificates because one of their parents was born in Canada.

Thousands are now Canadians under new citizenship law. Half of them are Americans

However, that’s just the tip of a very big iceberg.

Last October, Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said she didn’t expect a flood of applications for citizenship certificates once Bill C-3 went into effect. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

The number of citizenship certificate applications waiting for a decision has exploded. In April, around 56,000 applications were waiting to be processed. That climbed to 70,400 in May.

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