Canadian citizenship by descent (Bill C-3): the proof, link by link

Since mid-June 2026, several people who had obtained a Canadian citizenship certificate through descent have received a letter asking them to return it while their file is reviewed (a situation first reported by CBC News). This news has understandably caused concern. However, it does not call into question the legitimacy of these ancestries. It raises a more specific question, one that goes to the heart of my profession: has the line of descent been proven with verified and authenticated documents, generation by generation?

What the law actually requires

Bill C-3, which came into force on December 15, 2025, removed the first-generation limit. For a person born before that date, citizenship is automatically and retroactively recognized, provided they can establish an unbroken line of descent back to a Canadian ancestor. Therefore, what is required is not a grant of citizenship, but proof of previously held status: this is the purpose of applying for a citizenship certificate from IRCC.

The key word is proof. IRCC has made this clear: having Canadian ancestry does not automatically grant citizenship. You must establish the parent-child lineage through each generation and support it with solid documentation. In practical terms, this means certified copies issued directly by the authority holding the original document: a provincial civil registry office, a civil registry, or a recognized archives service such as Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ).

Why do seemingly solid applications get rejected?

Most of the certificates currently under review were compiled independently, using popular genealogy websites. These platforms, such as Ancestry, FamilySearch, and GenealogyQuebec, are excellent tools for locating a record, identifying the correct parish, and confirming a relationship. However, a screenshot or an index entry is not admissible as evidence. IRCC requires a true copy of the original document, not the results of a search.

This is precisely the point at which a case becomes crucial. Finding the document is one thing; obtaining a certified copy from the authority that holds it, and then integrating it into a coherent chain of events, is quite another.

A missing step is not a dead end

Sometimes a birth certificate simply no longer exists, or was never registered. This is not the end of the road. The law accepts alternative evidence, assessed on the balance of probabilities, provided it is properly sourced. Depending on the case, this may include:

• an act of hospital, doctor or midwife

• a baptismal certificate

• a mention in the census

• a ship's manifest

  
  

But there's one condition that many overlook: the process must be documented. A letter from an archive confirming that no record exists isn't a failure; it's a piece of evidence in its own right, demonstrating that the search was carried out thoroughly. This is what's called negative evidence, and when well-constructed, it strengthens the chain of events instead of weakening it.

The strength of a chain is measured by its weakest link.

This is the principle that guides all my practice. The probative value of a parent-child relationship is not an average. A chain of six generations, five links of which are impeccable and only one weak, is not worth five-sixths of its strength; it is worth the strength of that weak link. A defensible case, therefore, is one where each parent-child relationship is established by a certified source, where discrepancies are filled by properly sourced alternative evidence, and where every gap is addressed through a documented process.

It is precisely this work, link by link, that the LINEAPROOF method produces: a certified, traceable chain of descent, built to withstand scrutiny.

Documentary evidence is not a legal opinion

An essential point to clarify. Everything above concerns genealogical and documentary evidence. This is not legal advice. If you have received a request to return your certificate, the first thing to do is consult a licensed immigration lawyer and do not return anything without their advice. My role is not to argue your case, but to provide the evidentiary backbone upon which you and your lawyer can rely: rigorous, sourced, and legally admissible proof of parentage.

Key points to remember;

The lesson of these past few weeks is not that we should fear Bill C-3. It's that citizenship by descent is earned through the quality of the evidence, and that this evidence must be built methodically. If you, or a client you are representing, need a solid parentage case, that's exactly what I do.

Sources

• Government of Canada, IRCC. Changes to the citizenship rules in 2025 (Bill C-3, effective December 15, 2025). https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/act-changes/rules-2025.html

• IRCC. Guide 0001: Application for a Citizenship Certificate (Proof of Citizenship), published on canada.ca.

• CBC News. Report on the suspension of citizenship certificates (Lost Canadians), June 2026. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-citizenship-certificate-suspensions-9.7235451

Bourque Genealogical Firm, LINEAPROOF, genealogiste.ca. Certification, parentage, proof.