Not all Quebec records count for Canadian citizenship by descent: The 1994 rule every applicant…
A Quebec birth certificate issued before 1994 may not be accepted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for Canadian citizenship by descent applications. The certificate in question, issued in 1987, will not work due to the year it was printed, not because it is irrelevant. This rule, outlined in IRCC's guide for citizenship certificate applications, states that birth certificates or marriage certificates issued by the province of Quebec before January 1, 1994, are not accepted.
This rule matters because many applicants may be relying on old family records to support their citizenship by descent claims. The fact that a certificate was issued before 1994 does not necessarily mean it is flawed, but rather that it may not meet IRCC's requirements. Historically, Quebec has issued certificates that are no longer accepted by IRCC, leaving a gap in an applicant's paperwork. Filling this gap before submitting an application can be less costly than trying to resolve the issue after filing.
The specific mechanics of this rule are straightforward: IRCC looks at the print date of the Quebec document, not the date of the event it describes. A birth certificate printed in 1987 will not be accepted, regardless of the birth date, while a document issued this year describing an event from 1782 will be accepted because it was printed after the cutoff. Applicants should check the print date of their Quebec paperwork before proceeding with their application.
As "Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada" instructs its officers to turn away pre-1994 certificates, applicants with such documents must take action. When a Quebec document was printed before 1994, the applicant must order a new one from the original entry. The office to order from depends on the age of the event, not the 1994 rule. For events less than 100 years old, applicants should contact the Directeur de l'état civil (DEC), which holds records from the present back to 100 years ago. The DEC will issue a current certificate or copy of the act, which will satisfy the 1994 rule.
For events older than 100 years, applicants should contact the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ), which holds records back to 1621. BAnQ will produce a certified reproduction of the original act, although for births in this older period, it will issue a certified copy of the baptismal act instead of a birth certificate. Applicants can search digitized images without paying through BAnQ numérique or use the Programme de recherche en démographie historique at the Université de Montréal, which has indexed Catholic parish records up to 1849.
This change affects applicants who are relying on old Quebec records to support their citizenship by descent claims, particularly those with family ties to Quebec. Applicants from countries with historical ties to Quebec, such as France, may be more likely to be affected by this rule. To proceed with their application, applicants should check the print date of their Quebec paperwork and order a new document if necessary. They can visit the official IRCC website for more information on the application process and required documents. The next step for applicants is to determine which office to contact for a new document and to gather the necessary information to support their application.
Original reporting: CIC News