On 20 November 2025, Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025), received Royal Assent. Once it comes into force on a date chosen by the Governor in Council, it will significantly change how Canadian citizenship is passed to children born outside Canada.
What the Law Was Before Bill C-3
Since 2009, Canada has followed the first-generation limit. Under this rule, a Canadian citizen could pass citizenship to a child born outside Canada. That child was considered the first generation born abroad. However, if that child grew up and also had a child outside Canada, the second generation born abroad did not automatically receive citizenship.
This created an unequal situation. A Canadian born in Canada could pass citizenship to a child born abroad. A naturalized Canadian, for example, someone who immigrated to Canada and later became a citizen, could also pass citizenship to a child born abroad. However, a Canadian citizen who had been born outside Canada to a Canadian parent could not pass citizenship to their own child born or adopted outside Canada. Their children were not automatically Canadian, even if the family had been Canadian for two or three generations.
Many people were affected by older discriminatory rules or outdated retention requirements also lost or were denied citizenship.
How Bill C-3 Changes the Law
Bill C-3 creates two major changes.
First, it restores citizenship for people born outside Canada before the Act comes into force. Anyone who had a Canadian parent at the time of their birth will now be recognized as a Canadian citizen from the day they were born. This includes people excluded by the first generation limit, people affected by older discriminatory laws, and children adopted abroad by Canadian parents before the Act comes into force.
Second, it removes the absolute restriction on citizens by descent passing citizenship to future children born abroad. After the Act comes into force, a Canadian who is a citizen by descent can pass citizenship to a child born or adopted outside Canada, but only if the parent has been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days at any time before the child’s birth or adoption. The 1,095 days are cumulative means that the parent does not need to live in Canada for three years in a row. Any days they spent in Canada at any time in their life can be added together until the total reaches 1,095 days. Time spent in prison, on parole, or on probation cannot be counted. Canadians born in Canada and naturalized Canadians do not need to meet this requirement to pass citizenship to their first-generation born abroad.
Examples to Make the Rules Clear
Anyone born in Canada after February 14, 1977 is a Canadian citizen, whether their parents are citizens or not.
- If you were born in Canada and your child is born outside Canada, your child is a Canadian citizen. The new 1,095-day rule does not apply to you.
- If you are a naturalized Canadian, meaning you became a citizen after being a permanent resident, and your child is born outside Canada, your child is a Canadian citizen. The new 1,095-day rule does not apply to you.
- If you were born outside Canada to a Canadian parent, meaning you are a citizen by descent, and your child is born outside Canada after Bill C-3 comes into force, your child will be a Canadian citizen only if you have lived in Canada for at least 1,095 days before the child is born or adopted. If you do not meet this requirement, your child will not be a Canadian citizen by descent.
- If your child was born or adopted outside Canada before the Act comes into force and you were a Canadian citizen when they were born or adopted, the new law recognizes your child as a Canadian from birth or from the date of adoption, without needing to apply under the new rules.
Before Bill C-3, many Canadians who were born outside Canada were prevented from passing citizenship to their own children born abroad. Bill C-3 corrects this for past generations and sets a clearer rule for future ones. Families who lost citizenship under the old system may now have it restored, and citizens by descent have a new option to pass citizenship forward if they meet the 1,095-day presence requirement.
