New Canadian citizenship rules mean millions of Americans are now eligible

4 days ago 2

According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, in 2025, more US citizens moved out of the country than people moved into it. This is the first time this has happened since the Great Depression. This probably goes without saying, but the big reasons given to the WSJ included affordability, gun violence, and our political environment. Over the last 18 months, many Americans have also taken advantage of laws that allow them to apply for dual citizenship in countries in which a grandparent was born.

Canada used to have very strict laws that only allowed those who were first generation non-citizens to apply for citizenship. However, a superior court determined that this limit was unconstitutional in 2023. As a result, a new law was recently passed that amended who was eligible for citizenship. Now, anyone who is of Canadian descent can apply for citizenship as long as they can prove it. Under this new rule, millions of Americans are now eligible for dual citizenship with Canada.

Lynn Rutman, a Cape Cod, Mass., resident with family ties to Quebec and Nova Scotia dating back centuries, said she’s worried about the political situation in her country, citing recent events surrounding controversial immigration enforcement policies and long-standing ideological divides.

“It’s not just me, many of us are concerned,” she said.

She’s now one of thousands who have begun the process of applying for proof of Canadian citizenship following recent changes to Canada’s citizenship rules.

Prior to Bill C-3, An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act (2025), citizenship by descent for those born abroad was limited to the first generation. But now, Canadian citizenship is being retroactively granted to people born before the new law came into effect on Dec. 15, 2025, who would have been citizens if not for the first-generation limit. Different criteria, however, apply to those born on or after that date.

“We feel like we want that Plan B so that we know we have a place to go in the event that things get even worse here,” Rutman said, “which you know, you see it’s getting worse by the day.”

The change in law came following a 2023 Ontario Superior Court of Justice decision that found the first-generation limit was unconstitutional, making the certificate “the hottest ticket in 2026,” according to Cassandra Fultz, a regulated Canadian immigration consultant.

Fultz said because the legislative changes coincide with a time of increased global volatility, many Americans are seeking a second passport of any kind.

“There’s no limit on how many generations you can go back, as long as you can prove it,” Fultz said.

In Quebec, official documents dating back to 1621 and up to 100 years ago are kept by the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ), with more recent records available through the Directeur de l’état civil.

Sarah Hanahem, an archivist with the BAnQ office in Montreal, said while there’s always been an interest from Americans looking into their ancestry, requests for certified copies have exploded.

“In January 2025, we had 32 requests for certified copies of vital records and this year in January 2026, we’ve had over 1,000,” she said, adding most of those requests were made by Americans.

In statements to CBC, other archives across the country, including New Brunswick, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Ontario, have also seen a sizable increase in requests from the same time last year.

Because of the sudden surge in demand, Hanahem warned that international applicants should expect delays. The priority, she said, is to fulfil requests by Quebec residents.“BAnQ is a government entity and we are paid with Quebec tax dollars.”

[From CBC Canada]

This new rule is crazy! I’m not surprised that so many Americans with Canadian heritage are inquiring about getting dual citizenship as a result. Assimilating into another country is a huge decision, but moving to Canada carries less risk and change than going overseas. It would not surprise me if a decade from now, we learn that a significant chunk of Canadian Americans took their talents, societal contributions, and taxpayer dollars north in order to seek a better life than what they believed the US had to offer them.

I actually know a few people who have had success getting dual citizenship in other countries thanks to the generational thing. My friend’s wife did it for Ireland and my mom’s cousin got Italian citizenship because my maternal great-grandparents were born in Italy. I’m of Italian and Greek descent, but under their second-generation rule, I am only eligible for Italian citizenship under one of my grandparents. Pursuing it crossed my mind even before the 2024 election, but I don’t have access to some of the paperwork that I would need to do so.

Photo note by CB: These are screenshots from the phenomenal Canadian comedy series, Corner Gas, which aired from 2004 to 2009. You can watch it on Prime and Roku Howdy.