Americans tracing their Canadian ancestry may face higher document costs and longer processing delays as New Brunswick prepares to introduce new archive fees.
New Brunswick is preparing to introduce new fees for historical records used in Canadian citizenship-by-descent applications, potentially affecting thousands of Americans with family connections to the province.
The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick confirmed that revised fees will take effect on December 1, 2026. However, officials have not announced the new amounts or clarified whether applications already awaiting processing will face the updated charges.
The changes could particularly affect families in Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, where many New Brunswick residents settled over previous generations.
Applicants seeking Canadian citizenship through ancestry often need certified birth, marriage or death records to establish family relationships.
Canadian authorities require documents obtained from original sources, such as provincial archives. Genealogy website printouts alone are insufficient.
Currently, New Brunswick charges $11 CAD for each certified record, including shipping. Additional pages cost $1 CAD each.
The upcoming fee revision follows changes introduced through Bill C-3, which took effect on December 15, 2025.
The legislation removed the previous first-generation citizenship limit, opening potential citizenship opportunities for eligible individuals born outside Canada across multiple generations.
The provincial archives have experienced a sharp increase in demand since the citizenship legislation took effect.
During 2025, staff handled approximately 100 genealogy requests monthly. By spring 2026, that figure had increased to roughly 400 citizenship-related requests each month.
Provincial archivist Joanna Aiton Kerr reported that the growing demand created a backlog exceeding 1,000 applications.
The archives have not publicly explained why they are changing their fees, although officials acknowledge unusually high request volumes.
Applicants now face substantially longer waiting periods for historical documents.
In May 2026, initial responses generally took six to eight weeks. By August, applicants faced waits of at least 12 weeks before an archivist could begin reviewing their requests.
The estimated waiting period has now reached six months or longer.
Importantly, this timeframe only covers the wait before processing begins. Searches involving microfilm or records outside digital collections may require additional time.
After payment, documents typically arrive through untracked ground mail within two to four weeks.
New Brunswick has expanded its online historical database to help applicants locate documents more easily.
In July 2026, the archives added birth registrations from 1929 and marriage and death registrations from 1975.
Following its November 6 update, the database contained 1,167,941 records.
Applicants can search birth records registered before 1930 and marriage or death records registered before 1976.
For newer documents, individuals must contact Service New Brunswick's Vital Statistics office.
The province also launched an improved records search platform on July 29, allowing users to locate documents and monitor requests.
Applicants should search the online database before submitting requests for certified documents.
Those unable to locate records online can consult county genealogical guides containing church records organized by parish, denomination and year.
Providing accurate names, locations, dates and religious information can help archivists identify records more efficiently.
For now, staff contact applicants directly to collect payments through Visa or Mastercard.
With revised fees approaching and substantial processing delays continuing, applicants should review document requirements carefully and prepare their requests early.
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