More Americans inquiring about Canadian citizenship due to Bill C-3: Immigration lawyers - BERITAJA

Changes to Canada’s citizenship enactment person resulted successful an influx of Americans inquiring about seeking Canadian citizenship, migration lawyers say.

In December, Bill C-3 was passed, changing the first-generation limit to citizenship by descent.

“As agelong arsenic you could trace that citizenship backmost to personification that you are people related to that was calved successful Canada that had Canadian citizenship, that individual could walk their citizenship connected down to further generations,” said Jessica Jensen, a partner and migration lawyer astatine MLT Aikins.

“So correct now location is nary headdress connected the generational expertise to walk connected citizenship.”

Jensen says this has resulted successful a spike successful group seeking guidance connected really to use for citizenship and activity citizenship applications. She adds that, fixed the existent governmental climate, the mostly of applications and inquiries they are receiving are from Americans.

“(With) the existent management successful the U.S., location are a batch of folks looking for activity opportunities aliases resident opportunities successful Canada … having a great-grandparent who was Canadian and had Canadian citizenship that they could connect themselves to has really opened that doorway for them,” she said.

She besides says it has brought complications pinch it arsenic well. Particularly for those who antecedently had to renounce their Canadian citizenship to get American citizenship, which was required betwixt the 1940s and 1970s.

“It has opened benignant of a could of worms successful position of things we are advising connected for individuals,” Jensen said. “We person a fistful of folks who mightiness person renounced their Canadian citizenship during that play by a matter of request alternatively than a matter of intent aliases want. So location are a batch of questions arsenic to whether aliases not those renunciations of Canadian citizenship prohibit an individual now.”

This has resulted successful much Americans seeking humanities documents and commencement certificates to way Canadian lineage.

According to a provincial spokesperson, Manitoba Vital Statistics has observed an expanding number of applications from U.S. mailing addresses, which person identified citizenship arsenic their logic for submission. In 2021, Vital Statistics received 48 applications of that kind. In 2024, they received 71 applications, and successful 2025, it spiked to 225 applications. In 2026, location person already been 256 applications truthful far.

The provincial spokesperson noted applications do not ever see a logic for submission, truthful the numbers are not a full of each applications from the U.S. for citizenship purposes.

Alastair Clarke, an migration and exile lawyer successful Winnipeg, says it’s improbable anyone foresaw the measurement of applications Bill C-3 would spur.

“I don’t judge the lawmakers planned connected having applications from individuals who were 4 generations removed from a Canadian aliases 5 generations removed from a Canadian,” Clarke said. “I don’t judge the authorities planned aliases predicted that they would person applications from individuals who are truthful acold removed from Canada.”

Clarke said his firm, Clarke Immigration Law, has besides been flooded pinch calls from group willing successful applying for Canadian citizenship, pinch the mostly being from southbound of the border.

“These are Americans who are looking for a backup plan,” Clarke said. “We’ve spoken to galore Americans who are very anxious about what’s going connected pinch the Trump administration.”

Clarke besides noted that immoderate applicants are making inquiries to link pinch their roots.

“I’ve heard from individuals that person Canadian ancestry and they consciousness that wrong they are Canadians and they want to get successful touch pinch those Canadian roots,” he said.

“And that is 1 of the intentions of Bill C-3 … that was 1 of the definitive intentions of the legislation.”