published on 20 June 2025 @ 4:02 pm · COMMENT

Bill C-3 Seeks to Finally Rectify First-Generation Restriction on Citizenship by Descent

Introduced on June 5, 2025 and currently being debated in the House of Commons, Bill C-3: An Act to amend the Citizenship Act is seeking to finally address long-standing issues with the “first-generation limit” for citizenship by descent. Under current law, a Canadian citizen parent born outside Canada who obtained their citizenship by descent cannot pass on Canadian citizenship to their child born abroad. This restriction was held to be unconstitutional by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice as of December 19, 2023, and since then the government has been attempting to pass legislative amendments that would rectify this.

Under the current text of Bill C-3, any person who would be a citizen today were it not for the first-generation limit would be deemed a citizen by birth. Additionally, the bill would establish a framework for a Canadian parent born abroad to Canada to pass on citizenship to their child born abroad based on their substantial connection to Canada. To demonstrate a substantial connection to Canada, the Canadian parent born abroad would need to have spent at least three years physically present in Canada before the birth of their child.

If passed, Bill C-3 would restore citizenship to many deserving “Lost Canadians” born abroad to Canadian parents and allow future generations to maintain their Canadian citizenship as long as a parent has maintained their substantial connection to Canada.

filed under: IMMIGRATIONPERMANENT RESIDENCE