Canada’s Parliament has approved Bill C-3, sweeping legislation that rewrites how citizenship can be passed to children born abroad and promises to restore status to thousands of so‑called “Lost Canadians.” The bill passed its third and final reading on November 19, 2025, and received Royal Assent the next day in Ottawa. Once it comes into force, the law will scrap the long‑criticized first‑generation limit on citizenship by descent, a rule in place since 2009 that blocked many Canadian citizens born outside the country from automatically passing their status to children who were also born abroad over the past sixteen years.
What Bill C-3 does: core changes and retroactive restoration
The core of Bill C-3 is simple but far‑reaching. It promises automatic restoration of Canadian citizenship to:
- People who would be citizens today if the first‑generation limit had never existed.
- People who lost their citizenship under old retention rules that required reapplication before a certain age.
Government officials say this retroactive change will cover not only adults who discovered late in life that they were not citizens, but also children and grandchildren who grew up abroad assuming they were Canadian, only to find their status in doubt when they applied for passports or services.
The new “substantial connection to Canada” test
Looking ahead, the bill creates a new “substantial connection to Canada” test for citizenship by descent beyond the first generation.
- A Canadian parent who was themselves born abroad will be able to pass on citizenship to a child born or adopted outside Canada 🇨🇦 if the parent has spent enough time physically in Canada.
- The standard set in Bill C-3 is 1,095 days of presence in Canada (three years).
- That presence is counted over the person’s entire lifetime before the child’s birth or adoption, not within a fixed five‑year window.
Note: Some senators had urged a stricter five‑year window; the bill ultimately keeps the lifetime, three‑year standard.
Bill C-3 retroactively restores many Lost Canadians, but actual steps vary by case. Expect transitional rules and varying proof requirements as the guidance rolls out and new procedures are published.
Parliamentary process and timeline
The path through Parliament for this citizenship bill was unusually tight and politically divided.
- The House of Commons held recorded votes on September 22, November 3, and November 5, 2025.
- The final third‑reading vote passed by 177 to 163, reflecting sharp political splits over generosity on citizenship by descent.
- After senators agreed to keep the three‑year presence standard, the upper chamber completed its review and the bill received Royal Assent on November 20, 2025.
- The law will take effect on a future date set by the Governor in Council.
Parliament has given the government until January 20, 2026, to put the detailed amendments into force. Officials have mentioned interim steps to help those whose lives remain in limbo while the new system is finalized.
Key dates summary
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Final House of Commons third reading | November 19, 2025 |
| Royal Assent | November 20, 2025 |
| Deadline for government to bring amendments into force | January 20, 2026 |
| Substantial connection requirement | 1,095 days (3 years) |
Who the change affects: “Lost Canadians”
The people sometimes called Lost Canadians include a wide range of stories:
- Some were born abroad to Canadian parents working or studying outside the country, only to discover the first‑generation limit when they tried to bring their own children home.
- Others lost citizenship because they missed strict retention deadlines that existed before 2009.
- Advocates say these people were Canadians in every meaningful way — often paying taxes, voting where allowed, and maintaining close family ties in Canada — yet were denied formal status because of technical wording in the old Citizenship Act.
Legal and policy perspective
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, Bill C-3 marks one of the most extensive corrections to Canadian citizenship by descent rules in recent memory, moving from a rigid generational cap toward a model based on a person’s real‑world links to Canada. Legal commentators say the substantial connection test reflects that shift clearly.
- Instead of asking where someone was born, the new law asks whether a Canadian parent has actually lived in Canada for several years.
- This concept aligns with other immigration policy areas and residency rules that permanent residents follow before naturalization.
Implementation and practical questions
Detailed guidance on how people will claim or confirm citizenship under Bill C-3 has not yet been published. The federal government is expected to post instructions on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website, including the main citizenship page at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship.html, once the Governor in Council sets the coming‑into‑force date.
Officials are likely to clarify:
- How restoration will work in practice.
- Whether people need to apply for proof documents (e.g., citizenship certificates).
- How children born abroad after the law takes effect will show that their Canadian parent meets the 1,095‑day physical‑presence requirement when applying for passports or confirmation from Canadian authorities.
Amendments must come into force by January 20, 2026. Watch official CIC updates for the exact coming‑into‑force date and interim steps to prevent gaps while the system is rolled out.
Concerns and potential gaps
While many advocacy groups welcomed the end of the first‑generation limit, there are warnings and unresolved issues:
- The substantial connection test could leave some Canadians unable to pass on citizenship by descent if they spent most of their lives abroad (for example, children of aid workers or overseas employees) and cannot reach three years of presence.
- Questions remain about proof of time in Canada — whether people without old school files, leases, or employer letters will be disadvantaged compared to those who kept records.
Important: The law removes the hard generational wall that existed since 2009, but practical documentation and application rules will determine how easily affected people can reclaim or confirm citizenship.
Broader significance
Even with concerns, the change represents a turning point in Canadian citizenship policy.
- For the first time since 2009, there will no longer be a hard legal wall blocking Canadian families living abroad from passing status to children, provided a parent can show a meaningful period spent in Canada.
- Supporters argue this strikes a balance between fairness to long‑term Canadians and their descendants and a clear expectation that future generations claiming citizenship by descent will have maintained some connection to Canada through study, work, or family life.
People and families affected by the old rules are watching closely for the coming guidance and the official coming‑into‑force date so they can apply for confirmation of citizenship, obtain Canadian passports, or correct records that currently treat them as foreign nationals despite their historical ties to Canada.
Bill C-3, passed by Parliament and given Royal Assent on November 20, 2025, removes the first‑generation limit on citizenship by descent. It provides automatic, retroactive restoration for people affected by the 2009 rule and for those who lost citizenship under old retention provisions. Going forward, a Canadian parent born abroad will be able to transmit citizenship to children born or adopted overseas if the parent shows 1,095 days of lifetime physical presence in Canada. The government must publish implementation details by January 20, 2026.
