Bill C-3 allows citizenship for those who can prove they’re descended from a Canadian ancestor, even if that ancestor left the country several generations back. It was adopted after the courts ruled that limiting citizenship to the first generation born outside of Canada was too restrictive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Between mid-December \u2014 when Bill C-3 went into effect \u2014 and May 31, some 6,100 citizenship certificates were granted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to those who now qualify.<\/p>\n
That is up from 4,075 certificates issued as a result of Bill C-3 from mid-December until March 31. <\/p>\n
Another 17,390 people have received certificates as a result of having a Canadian parent. Prior to the bill’s adoption, those who were born outside Canada had to have a Canadian parent to qualify for citizenship. <\/p>\n
Tip of the iceberg<\/p>\n
The certificates allow the 23,490 newly recognized Canadian citizens to apply for Canadian passports and live and work in Canada. <\/p>\n
Elections Canada, however, says they can’t vote in federal elections unless they’ve lived in Canada at some point in their life.<\/p>\n
People born in the U.S. account for nearly half of those recognized between mid-December and the end of May. According to the data from IRCC, 3,110 Americans have qualified for Canadian citizenship certificates as a result of Bill C-3, while another 8,125 Americans have been granted certificates because one of their parents was born in Canada.<\/p>\n
However, that\u2019s just the tip of a very big iceberg.<\/p>\n
The number of citizenship certificate applications waiting for a decision has exploded. In April, around 56,000 applications were waiting to be processed. That climbed to 70,400 in May. <\/p>\n
Now, the IRCC\u2019s website says 121,800 people are waiting for a decision. Those applications could be for anything from seeking recognition as a citizen under Bill C-3 to requesting a routine replacement of a lost or stolen certificate.<\/p>\n
At the same time, the estimated wait time for a decision has doubled from 12 months in May to 25 months as of Aug. 10.<\/p>\n
Estimates of just how many people could qualify for Canadian citizenship as a result of Bill C-3 vary widely.<\/p>\n
Some point to a span of over 100 years in the 1800s and 1900s when hundreds of thousands of Canadians \u2014 particularly from Quebec \u2014 flowed over the border to jobs in the U.S.<\/p>\n
The parliamentary budget officer has estimated that 115,000 people could be affected by the change in the law.<\/p>\n
Last October, Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab told the House of Commons immigration committee that she didn\u2019t expect a flood of applications for citizenship certificates once Bill C-3 went into effect.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe anticipate volumes in the tens of thousands over time,” she said. “We do not expect any surge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taous Ait, spokesperson for Metlege Diab, said IRCC took steps beforehand to prepare for the implementation of Bill C-3 and is working to process applications as quickly as possible while protecting the integrity of the citizenship program.<\/p>\n
“We\u2019re closely monitoring application volumes and trends and will adjust our operations as needed to manage demand as efficiently as possible,” Ait said.<\/p>\n
IRCC has not changed its requirements for documents, she added, but has taken steps to make the requirements clearer on its website and in other information for the public.<\/p>\n
Demand soars for genealogical records<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Canada\u2019s archivists are reporting a sharp rise in the number of requests for the genealogical records needed to prove someone seeking a Canadian citizenship certificate under Bill C-3 has an unbroken line of descent from a Canadian ancestor.<\/p>\n
Alyssa Hyduk, president of the Association of Canadian Archivists, says her members are swamped, with some institutions seeing requests jump by 100 to 300 per cent.<\/p>\n
Some are for documents that go back hundreds of years, she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think across the board there is this overwhelming feeling of just, of overwhelm and burnout \u2026it\u2019s really having an impact,\u201d Hyduk explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThese requests are taking up so much of archivists’ time that other reference requests \u2014 the [ones from the] rest of the public that we\u2019re trying to still serve and do all our jobs \u2014 those are being set back too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hyduk said the requests, most of which appear to be coming from the United States, are often complicated, as the records pre-date Confederation or are located in small church archives.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are at the point where [we’re] going through boxes and boxes of material to find a single document sometimes,\u201d she said. \u201cYou are going through reels of microfilm to find ship manifests with one name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd these aren\u2019t searchable documents,\u201d she added. \u201cWe can\u2019t go to Ctrl+F and find a last name. We have to read the handwriting. We have to figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Archivists need more funding, says group<\/p>\n
Mab Coates-Davies, executive director of the association, says the requests can also take an emotional toll on archivists.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is personal, it\u2019s emotionally charged, it\u2019s about family history,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s so many reasons that people, you know, might be looking to leave the States right now or planning for future moves.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so, there is that human element to it that archivists are feeling and experiencing, and frankly, IRCC isn\u2019t on that front line in terms of the documentation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another problem archivists are facing is the list of documents that IRCC will accept keeps evolving, said Hyduk. When the association met recently with the department, IRCC didn\u2019t want to provide a definitive list of documents, saying it was likely to change.<\/p>\n
The association is calling for more funding for archives across the country to keep up with the demand for records created by Bill C-3.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Coates-Davies said the flood of requests also began just as the Carney government\u2019s budget cuts ended Library and Archives Canada\u2019s $1.5-million-a-year Documentary Heritage Communities<\/a> program, one that many small-and-medium-sized archives across the country have counted on for funding help.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis funding package was just cut and then our workload skyrocketed,” Coates-Davies said.<\/p>\n During an association meeting last week, some archivists were also bracing for a new wave of requests for genealogical records. <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786965610_818_default.jpg\")
Last October, Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said she didn\u2019t expect a flood of applications for citizenship certificates once Bill C-3 went into effect. (Adrian Wyld\/The Canadian Press)Another wave looms?<\/p>\n