Canada changed its citizenship law recently (Bill C-3) and has retroactively removed the generational limit for people born before December 15, 2025, meaning ancestry alone can now qualify them for citizenship.
For children born on or after that date, though, passing citizenship beyond the first generation requires the parent to prove a ‘substantial connection’ to Canada. This would typically entail at least three years of physical presence there.
This means that millions of Americans have now become eligible for a second passport.
Ancestry Without Borders
Before the new legislation, the first-generation limit, which was introduced in 2009, restricted citizenship by descent to only the first child born abroad to a Canadian parent, meaning grandchildren born outside Canada were generally out of luck if their parent was also born abroad. The Ontario Superior Court, however, struck it down as unconstitutional in 2023.
Bill C-3, which took effect on December 15, 2025, consequently removed that generational cap.
Canadian ancestry is now enough to qualify, regardless of how far back it goes. Parents and grandparents do not need to have lived in Canada or held Canadian passports. Adopted children qualify the same as biological ones.
New England has the largest concentration of eligible Americans—around three million. Most descend from Canadians who moved south between 1870 and 1930. Eligible Americans live across the country, though, wherever the ancestry runs.
Getting citizenship recognized takes paperwork. Birth certificates, baptismal records, and documents tracing the lineage. Processing times are around 11 months right now. A passport application follows after.
Canadian citizenship carries no tax obligations for Americans staying in the U.S. Canada taxes residents, not passport holders. No Canadian return to file, nothing owed. A tax treaty between the two countries handles things for anyone who eventually moves.
Sources: IRCC Bill, CanLII, IRCC Announcement, CIC News