Ottawa, Canada (National Times): In a historic move aimed at making Canadian citizenship more inclusive and equitable, the federal government has tabled Bill C-3: An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act (2025). The legislation is designed to reverse the effects of the controversial “first-generation limit” on citizenship by descent, which has long impacted families of Canadians born abroad.
The bill was announced by The Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, who described it as a necessary step to remove unfair barriers that have denied citizenship to children of Canadians living outside the country.
The Problem: First-Generation Limit
Currently, under the Citizenship Act, Canadians born outside Canada can only pass on citizenship to their foreign-born children if the parent was either born in Canada or became a naturalized citizen before the child’s birth. This restriction also affects children adopted abroad, leaving many children without Canadian status and creating legal and emotional hardships for families.
The issue gained national attention in December 2023, when the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled that core parts of the first-generation limit were unconstitutional. The federal government chose not to appeal the decision, acknowledging the law’s harmful and discriminatory consequences.
What Bill C-3 Will Change?
Bill C-3 proposes several sweeping reforms to create a more inclusive citizenship framework:
- Automatic restoration of citizenship to individuals who would have been Canadians if not for the first-generation limit or outdated laws.
- A new path to citizenship by descent beyond the first generation, based on a “substantial connection” to Canada.
- Eligibility for adopted children born abroad, if at least one adoptive parent meets the substantial connection test.
- To meet the substantial connection requirement, a Canadian parent born abroad must show at least 1,095 cumulative days (three years) of physical presence in Canada before their child’s birth or adoption.
Addressing the “Lost Canadians”
The bill also seeks to resolve the longstanding issue of “Lost Canadians”, people who lost or were denied citizenship due to obsolete legal provisions, particularly before 2009. Although earlier amendments in 2009 and 2015 resolved many cases, some individuals and their descendants remained excluded from Canadian citizenship.
Bill C-3 would extend coverage to these remaining cases, including those affected by former section 8, which required certain citizens to apply to retain their citizenship by age 28 or risk losing it.
Interim Measures in Place
While the legislation is being considered by Parliament, temporary measures remain available for individuals currently affected by the first-generation limit. Information about these provisions can be found on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website.
A Step Toward Citizenship Based on Connection, Not Geography
By eliminating arbitrary barriers and recognizing a deeper, more personal link to Canada, Bill C-3 represents a shift in how Canadian citizenship is defined, grounded in connection, fairness, and inclusion rather than geography alone.
“This bill reflects Canada’s evolving identity, one that values belonging over borders and equity over exclusion,” said Minister Diab.
If passed, Bill C-3 will restore citizenship to many who lost it through outdated policies and create a more just path forward for future generations of Canadians born abroad.
