Canada: Bill C-71 Canadian Citizenship Expanded

Key Points

• Canada will extend citizenship by descent beyond first generations to be more inclusive  

What is Bill C-71: Its Impact on Canadian Citizenship

The Canadian government introduced Bill C-71, which amends the country’s citizenship law to extend citizenship by descent beyond first generations. As a result, persons born abroad to a Canadian parent who is also born abroad will automatically be granted Canadian citizenship.  

The bill will extend access to a direct citizenship grant to children born abroad and adopted by a Canadian parent beyond the first generation.  

To qualify, parents born abroad who have or adopt children also born outside Canada must have spent at least 1,095 cumulative days of physical presence in Canada before the birth or adoption of their child to pass on citizenship.   

In addition, Bill C-71 will restore citizenship to “Lost Canadians”—individuals who lost or never acquired citizenship because of outdated provisions of previous citizenship legislation. This will grant citizenship to descendants of “Lost Canadians” and anyone born abroad to a Canadian parent in the second or subsequent generations before the legislation comes into force. 

According to the government, this is key to ensuring the integration of immigrants within the country and creating a more inclusive Canadian citizenship.  

Looking Ahead

Continue to check the government of Canada’s website and Envoy Global’s website for the latest updates and information.