New law will give citizenship back to lost Canadians, allowing thousands of children of Canadians to finally receive Canadian citizenship.

Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025), passed its third reading in the Senate on November 19, 2025. The bill is now waiting for royal assent, after which it will officially become law.

What The New Bill Will Do?

Bill C-3 will help people affected by Canada’s first-generation limit rule for citizenship by descent.

Citizenship by descent means that children born or adopted outside Canada can become Canadian citizens if they have a Canadian parent.

But since 2009, the Citizenship Act has allowed this only for the first generation. This means that children of Canadians who were themselves born outside Canada could not inherit Canadian citizenship. This rule is known as the first-generation limit (FGL).

When Bill C-3 becomes law, it will:

  • Give back Canadian citizenship to all “lost Canadians” who were affected by the FGL
  • Create a new exception for future generations

New Exception To The First-Generation Limit

Under the new rule, children born or adopted outside Canada will be able to inherit Canadian citizenship if their Canadian parent shows a strong connection to Canada.

This “connection” means that the Canadian parent must have lived in Canada for at least 1,095 days (about three years) before the child’s birth or adoption.

Once the bill is signed by the Governor General, it will take effect on the date announced.

Why This Change Was Needed?

The first-generation limit has been debated for many years.

In December 2023, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled that the FGL was unconstitutional. Since then, the court has given the federal government several extensions to fix the law.

The most recent court deadline was extended from November 20, 2025, to January 20, 2026.

During the Senate’s third reading of the bill, one proposed change was rejected. That amendment would have required the Canadian parent to meet the 1,095-day physical presence requirement within a tight five-year period. The Senate decided not to include this stricter rule.

Bill C-3 is now very close to becoming law, which will help thousands of families regain or secure Canadian citizenship.

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