Demand for Canadian citizenship certificates has jumped sharply, with Americans driving much of the surge, according to new data obtained by CBC News. Processing times have stretched far beyond what officials expected, and Canada’s archives — which handle the genealogical records applicants need — say they are overwhelmed.
The surge follows Canada’s “Lost Canadian” legislation, Bill C-3, which took effect in mid-December and lets people prove descent from a Canadian ancestor even several generations back, reopening citizenship claims that used to stop at the first generation born abroad. Between mid-December and May 31, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) granted roughly 6,100 certificates under the new rules — up from 4,075 issued by March 31 — while another 17,390 people received certificates through the existing Canadian-parent route, bringing the total to 23,490 new citizens by the end of May. People born in the United States account for nearly half of that group: 3,110 qualified through Bill C-3 and 8,125 more through a Canadian parent.
The backlog has grown just as fast: roughly 56,000 applications were pending in April, rising to 70,400 by May, and IRCC’s website now lists 121,800 people still waiting, with estimated wait times doubling from 12 months to 25 months since August 10. Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer has projected that up to 115,000 people could ultimately qualify. Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab told a House of Commons committee last October that she expected no such surge — “we anticipate volumes in the tens of thousands over time… we do not expect any surge” — while her spokesperson, Taous Ait, says IRCC is now closely monitoring volumes and adjusting operations as demand grows.
Alyssa Hyduk, president of the Association of Canadian Archivists, said member institutions have seen requests for genealogical records — many predating Confederation — jump by 100% to 300%, with most originating in the US. “We are at the point where we’re going through boxes and boxes of material to find a single document sometimes,” she said. Mab Coates-Davies, the association’s executive director, said the surge coincided with the end of a C$1.5-million-a-year federal funding program for smaller archives, and is calling for renewed funding. Separately, IRCC suspended around 100 previously issued certificates in June over document problems; 83 have since been resolved and restored, while the remaining 17 recipients have 60 days to submit stronger proof of Canadian ancestry or risk revocation. NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan has written to the minister over the suspensions, calling the situation unexplained.
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Current Maple – Canadian Citizenship Certificates: Demand Soars Among Americans
