Canada Reviews Some Citizenship Certificates Issued Under 2025 Descent Law

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada sent review notices dated June 13 to some recipients of Canadian citizenship certificates granted after Bill C-3 took effect in December 2025. The notices state that information in the recipients' files suggests they "may not be entitled" to hold a Canadian citizenship certificate and order them to surrender the documents while the applications are reviewed.

The reviews target applications flagged because supporting documents were not obtained directly from official record-holding authorities or because applicants failed to explain why official records could not be obtained.

Some applicants relied on genealogy websites such as Ancestry or FamilySearch, while others submitted archival records rather than documents issued by provincial vital statistics offices or civil registries. Electronic citizenship certificates do not need to be surrendered.

Bill C-3 expanded access to Canadian citizenship by descent to address issues affecting "Lost Canadians" and their descendants.

IRCC received more than 12,000 proof-of-citizenship applications in the weeks following the law's implementation, and thousands of applicants were confirmed as Canadian citizens under the new rules. The number of affected applicants has not been disclosed. Valerie Campbell of Maine received a citizenship certificate earlier this year and put her home up for sale in preparation to move to Canada.

She received a review notice without warning. Applicants who receive a review notice can submit additional evidence supporting their claim to citizenship. CIC News reported that applicants are generally advised to obtain records directly from the government agencies that created them, such as vital statistics offices or civil registries.