Canada: Citizenship by Descent

Pre-Bill C-37 (before 2009): No generational limit; Canadian citizenship transmitted indefinitely through generations abroad.

Bill C-37 (2009 to 2025): First-generation limit; only direct children of Canadian citizens born abroad were Canadian. Grandchildren and beyond were not citizens ("Lost Canadians" problem).

Bill C-3 (December 15, 2025, current law):

• –Retroactively restores citizenship to "Lost Canadians" born before December 15, 2025 (no generational cap)
• –For births FROM December 15, 2025 onward: citizenship possible if the foreign-born Canadian parent demonstrates "Substantial Connection to Canada" = 1,095 days (3 years) of physical presence in Canada before the child's birth
• –Approximately 115,000 newly eligible individuals

• –"Lost Canadians": People who were denied Canadian citizenship under the 2009 law because their Canadian parent was also born abroad are now retroactively restored. This is a significant and recently changed policy.
• –Historical gender gaps: Pre-1947 Canadian mothers could not transmit citizenship to children born out of wedlock. These individuals (or their descendants) may also have been "Lost Canadians" who can now claim under Bill C-3.
• –Substantial Connection Test (post-December 2025 births): The 1,095-day physical presence requirement for the Canadian parent is the new key threshold for post-reform births. The exact operationalization of this test was still being finalized in early 2026.
• –Dual citizenship: Fully permitted; no renunciation required.
• –Military service counts as Canadian presence.