If you’re into Canadian policy, family history, or just keeping up with how citizenship actually works in the 21st century, Bill C-3 is the legislative plot twist you didn’t know you needed.
On December 15, 2025, the Government of Canada passed Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act, which fundamentally rewrites one of the most important rules about who gets Canadian citizenship by descent. This isn’t just bureaucracy — it’s a potentially life-changing shift for families with Canadian ties who live (or grew up) outside the country. (Canada)
The old rule: “First generation only”
Before Bill C-3, Canadian citizenship could only be passed automatically to a child born abroad if the parent was also born or naturalized in Canada. That “first-generation limit” was supposed to simplify things, but in practice it cut off whole branches of Canadian families who had roots abroad. (Canada)
That old rule meant second or further generations born overseas were often not considered Canadian at birth — even if their grandparents were. This impacted people’s ability to get passports, work and live in Canada, and even visit without complications at the border. (Canada)
What Bill C-3 changes
Bill C-3 flips the script in two major ways:
It removes much of the first-generation limit on citizenship by descent. If you were born outside Canada to a Canadian parent and would have been a citizen but for the old rule, you are now treated as a Canadian under the new law. (Canada)
The new law also establishes a fairer system going forward:
If a Canadian parent was also born outside Canada, they can now pass citizenship to their child born abroad so long as they show a “substantial connection to Canada” — generally defined as 1,095 days (three years) of physical presence in Canada before the child’s birth or adoption. (Canada)
This “connection test” replaces the old blanket generation cap with a standard that says: citizenship ties should reflect real connection, not just ancestry on paper.
Who benefits?
Bill C-3 helps a few major groups:
“Lost Canadians” — people who were excluded by outdated laws in the past but have clear family ties to Canada. Bill C-3 restores their citizenship status retroactively in many cases. (Canada)
Families with multiple generations abroad, especially where parents and grandparents have lived overseas but still feel that Canada is part of their story. (Canada)
There’s international interest too, especially among diaspora communities in countries like India, where thousands of families have long awaited a clearer path to maintain their Canadian connection. (The Economic Times)
What happens now?
Bill C-3 officially came into effect on December 15, 2025. IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) now applies the new rules, and people affected by the changes can apply for a citizenship certificate to get proof of status — which is crucial for getting a passport and moving freely across borders. (Canada)
Existing applications submitted under earlier interim measures will be processed under the new rules, so you don’t need to re-apply if you already filed for proof of citizenship before the law changed. (Canada)
A few caveats
Some parts of the citizenship community have raised concerns about how the “connection test” applies, particularly for children adopted abroad by Canadian citizens. Critics argue it could create unequal treatment compared with children born in Canada, and may conflict with international adoption norms. (The Guardian)
Most of the broader press and official releases focus on how Bill C-3 modernizes Canadian law and restores fairness for many families, but it’s worth keeping an eye on how this evolves through implementation and future clarifications from IRCC.
