IRCC Removes Grandparents’ Marriage Details Requirement From Citizenship Form

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has removed a requirement asking applicants to provide their grandparents’ marriage details when applying for proof of Canadian citizenship.

The department updated the CIT-0001 application form, removing fields that requested information about the marriage dates and locations of an applicant’s grandparents. The change happened shortly after IRCC added those fields to the form on August 25.

Marriage Details Removed From Application Package

IRCC had been requesting grandparents’ marriage information since January. However, the department only added a specific section for these details in Section 9 of the CIT-0001 form on August 25.

Within 48 hours, IRCC removed both the new fields from the form and the related instructions. The department also removed the same request from the instruction page and no longer includes it in the application package, document checklist, or guide.

IRCC has not publicly announced the reason behind the change or provided a statement about the update.

Officers Can Still Request Information

Although applicants no longer need to provide grandparents’ marriage details as part of the standard form, IRCC officers can still request these documents during processing if they are needed.

This information may remain important in some citizenship claims, especially when an applicant’s citizenship connection passes through a female ancestor. A marriage certificate can help explain differences between a grandmother’s maiden name and her married surname across different records.

Applicants Should Use The Latest Form Version

IRCC has two versions of the CIT-0001 form carrying the same revision code: CIT 0001 (08-2026) E. However, the contents of the form were changed while the footer remained the same.

Applicants who downloaded the form on August 25 or 26 may still have the earlier version containing the removed marriage fields. These applicants can identify the older version by checking Section 9 on page 5 for marriage date and place fields under parent information.

Using the older version will not cause an application to be rejected because it only requests additional information. However, IRCC recommends using the most recent version of the form before submitting an application.

Citizenship Evidence Requirements Remain Important

While IRCC removed the specific question from the form, the department still has the authority to request additional documents or information during processing.

The document checklist states that IRCC may ask applicants for further information under the Citizenship Act and Citizenship Regulations. Officers also continue to review whether citizenship status could be affected by historical factors, including certain marriage-related situations.

Applicants are still encouraged to provide complete and accurate details about their parents and grandparents. Missing information may delay processing or make it harder for IRCC to assess a citizenship claim.

Marriage Records May Still Support Some Claims

For many applicants, grandmother marriage records remain useful because they help connect different names across generations.

A grandmother may appear under her maiden name on one document and her married name on another. A marriage certificate can prove that both names belong to the same person and help maintain a clear family connection for citizenship purposes.

For claims involving a grandmother who married before 1947, marriage records may also play an important role because historical citizenship rules affected how status could be passed through women at that time.