Parliament passes bill giving citizenship to lost Canadians

Canada moved closer to major citizenship changes after senators approved Bill C-3 on November 19. The bill aims to fix long-standing gaps in the Citizenship Act. It now waits for royal assent, which will turn it into law. The change will help many people who lost the chance to hold Canadian citizenship through their parents.

Who the Bill Helps

The bill focuses on people caught by the first-generation limit. This rule has been in place since 2009. It says that only the first generation born abroad to a Canadian parent can inherit citizenship. Children of Canadians who were also born abroad do not qualify. Many families have struggled with this rule for years.

Bill C-3 will change that. It will give citizenship back to people who lost their status because of the limit. It will also let future children of Canadians born abroad inherit citizenship, as long as the Canadian parent shows a strong link to Canada.

New Rules for Citizenship by Descent

Citizenship by descent lets children gain citizenship if at least one parent holds Canadian citizenship. This applies whether the children are born or adopted outside Canada.

Under Bill C-3, a Canadian parent who was born abroad will need to show a “substantial connection to Canada.” The bill sets the threshold at 1,095 days spent in Canada before the child’s birth or adoption. This equals about three years.

These changes aim to stop families from being cut off from Canadian status simply because parents lived outside the country for work, study, or family reasons.

When the Bill Takes Effect

Once the bill receives royal assent, it will come into force on the date chosen by the Governor General. That step will confirm the exact start of the new rules and the restoration of many citizenships.

Court Pressure Helped Push the Change

The move to update the law did not appear overnight. In December 2023, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled that the current limit breached the Charter. The judge stated that the law unfairly blocked children from gaining citizenship.

Since then, the court extended its deadline several times to give the federal government time to act. The latest deadline sits at January 20, 2026. Lawmakers moved the bill forward ahead of that date.

Senate Rejects Tighter Rules

During the third reading, senators considered a proposal that would have tightened the connection test. The amendment would have required the parent’s 1,095 days in Canada to fall within a single five-year window. Senators voted down this idea. The broader version of the test stayed in the bill.

Supporters of the bill said the wider test better reflects how Canadians live around the world. Many Canadians work abroad for long periods but still return home and keep close ties.