House votes will protect citizenship rights for Canadians abroad, i.e., Canadians born outside the country could soon enjoy stronger citizenship rights if the latest version of Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025), becomes law.
On November 3, the House of Commons voted to remove several proposed restrictions from the bill. The decision means that more children born abroad to Canadian parents could qualify for citizenship.
House Removes Restrictions From Citizenship Bill
The removed amendments, which were added during the bill’s second reading, would have limited citizenship rights for children born outside Canada to Canadian parents by birth or adoption.
If passed with those restrictions, the law would have made it much harder for such children to inherit citizenship from their parents.
The withdrawn proposals included:
- A stricter version of the “substantial connection to Canada” test for Canadian parents.
- A security screening for children aged 18 or older when applying for citizenship.
- A language and knowledge requirement for applicants aged 18 to 55, covering English or French proficiency and basic knowledge of Canada and its civic responsibilities.
The motion to remove the amendments passed narrowly, with a 170–163 vote. The Liberals, NDP, and Green Party supported the motion, while the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois opposed it.
Understanding The “Substantial Connection” Rule
As House votes will protect citizenship rights for Canadians abroad, let us understand the ‘substantial connection’ rule.
In the bill’s original form, a child born or adopted abroad could inherit citizenship by descent if their Canadian parent had lived in Canada for at least 1,095 days (three years) before the child’s birth or adoption.
The committee’s amendments had tightened this rule by requiring that those 1,095 days occur within a single five-year period, thus making it more difficult for many Canadians abroad to meet the requirement.
By removing the amendment, the House has restored the original, more flexible rule, which only requires the 1,095 total days of residence in Canada, regardless of the time span.
What Is Citizenship By Descent?
Citizenship by descent allows children born or adopted outside Canada to inherit citizenship from their Canadian parent(s).
This differs from citizenship by birth in Canada. Anyone born within Canadian territory automatically becomes a citizen, regardless of their parents’ citizenship, except in rare cases such as the children of foreign diplomats.
Bill C-3 seeks to expand citizenship by descent by relaxing the first-generation limit (FGL) introduced in 2009.
The First-Generation Limit Explained
The first-generation limit (FGL) currently prevents children of Canadians born abroad (citizens by descent) from automatically passing on their citizenship to their own children born outside Canada.
This means that second-generation Canadians born abroad often do not qualify for citizenship under current law.
If Bill C-3 becomes law, it will allow these children to gain citizenship as long as their Canadian parent meets the substantial connection to Canada test.
Restoring Citizenship To Lost Canadians
Once enacted, the bill will also restore citizenship automatically to all so-called “Lost Canadians”, i.e., individuals who lost or were denied citizenship because of the FGL or outdated provisions in past legislation.
Importantly, this restoration would apply even if their parents had not met the substantial connection test.
What Happens Next For Bill C-3?
For the bill to become law, it must still pass a third reading in the House of Commons, go through three readings in the Senate, and finally receive royal assent.
The government aims to pass Bill C-3 by November 20, 2025, which is the court-ordered deadline set by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
This follows the court’s December 2023 ruling, which declared the current version of the FGL unconstitutional and ordered the federal government to fix the Citizenship Act.
Interim Pathways For Affected Individuals
While the bill continues through Parliament, individuals affected by the FGL do not have to wait for the law to pass.
The federal government has introduced interim measures that allow them to apply for discretionary grants of Canadian citizenship.
These measures will remain in effect until Bill C-3 officially becomes law.
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