Canada is seeing a surge in citizenship-by-descent applications, with nearly half of the requests coming from U.S. residents [2].
This shift follows the implementation of Bill C-3, which expanded citizenship eligibility to the second generation and beyond. The law creates a legal pathway for people born or adopted abroad to claim Canadian nationality through their ancestors, bypassing some of the more restrictive immigration targets currently being lowered by the Canadian government [1, 3, 5].
The law entered into force on Dec. 16, 2025 [1]. Since then, immigration lawyers have reported a significant increase in activity as individuals seek to secure a second passport. The appeal of the program is particularly strong in the U.S., where some applicants are motivated by concerns regarding the political climate and safety within their own borders [2, 5].
Estimates regarding the number of people eligible for this change vary. Some reports suggest that thousands of Americans could benefit from the updated rules [1], while other estimates indicate the number could reach millions [2, 4]. Overall, the pool of potential beneficiaries is described as ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of people globally [2].
By allowing citizenship to be passed down further through ancestral lines, the Canadian government has opened a door for a vast diaspora to reclaim legal ties to the country. This has turned a technical change in nationality law into a strategic move for those seeking a hedge against instability in the U.S. [2, 5].
“Nearly half of the citizenship-by-descent applications are from Americans”
The surge in applications reflects a intersection of legislative change and geopolitical anxiety. While Bill C-3 was designed to rectify citizenship gaps for descendants, its timing coincides with a period of perceived instability in the U.S. and a tightening of Canada's general immigration quotas, making descent-based citizenship a highly coveted and more accessible alternative for those with eligible ancestry.
