Bill C-3 expands Canadian citizenship by descent: what changed
What Bill C-3 changed
Canada's citizenship-by-descent rules changed through Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025). According to the Government of Canada, the bill received Royal Assent on November 20, 2025 and came into force on December 15, 2025. It was passed by Parliament, not issued as an instant IRCC directive, and it did not "take effect immediately" in mid-2026 — it had already been law for several months by then.
The central change is the removal of the "first-generation limit." Since 2009, citizenship by descent generally stopped after one generation born outside Canada: a Canadian could pass citizenship to a child born abroad, but that child usually could not automatically pass it on to their own child born abroad. Bill C-3 removes that cap, so citizenship can be transmitted to the second and subsequent generations born abroad, subject to the new rules.
The connection to the 1947 law
The Canadian Citizenship Act, 1947 created Canadian citizenship as a distinct legal status for the first time; before then, people in Canada were generally British subjects. Its narrow rules, and later amendments, left some people — often called "Lost Canadians" — without citizenship they might otherwise have held. Bill C-3 is part of the continuing effort to address those historical gaps.
Who may benefit, and what is still uncertain
For people born before December 15, 2025 in the second or later generation abroad, the law provides for recognition of citizenship. For children born on or after December 15, 2025 in that situation, a Canadian parent must generally show 1,095 days (three years) of physical presence in Canada before the birth or adoption. Eligibility depends on individual family history, and IRCC's proof-of-citizenship processing times (widely reported around 12 to 15 months as of mid-2026) may shift as application volumes rise. Confirm your own status against official IRCC guidance rather than headlines.
This is general information, not legal advice — for your situation, consult an authorized immigration representative.