Citizenship Certificates

Canadian Citizenship may be obtained in three ways:

• Birth in Canada (citizenship by law of soil)
• Birth to Canadian citizen abroad (citizenship by right of blood or by descent)
• Naturalization (grant of citizenship)

The current citizenship law limits citizenship by descent to the first generation born outside Canada. However, certain exceptions apply.

Persons who were born abroad to their Canadian mother or father and who believe to be Canadian citizens by descent can apply for proof of citizenship by applying for a citizenship certificate with the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) if:

• They have never had a citizenship certificate issued before
• Want to update their citizenship certificate
• Want to replace a damaged, lost, destroyed or stolen citizenship certificate

When applying for proof of citizenship, the applicant needs to prove that they are a biological or adopted child of a Canadian citizen parent who was either born in Canada or became a naturalized Canadian citizen before the applicant’s birth.

If you were born abroad to a Canadian parent, you may or may not be a Canadian citizen automatically upon birth. Contact our office for one of our immigration and citizenship professionals to assess your situation and advise on whether you are a Canadian citizen. We can then assist you with applying for proof of citizenship. You will then be able to move to Canada, once you have acceptable proof of citizenship, such as a citizenship certificate.