Canada Lists 2 Groups Eligible To Claim Citizenship Without Living In Country
- Canada's Bill C-3 came into effect on December 15, 2025, opening a citizenship pathway for two groups who do not need to prove years of physical presence in Canada
- The first group includes people who automatically became Canadian citizens under the new law and can now apply for proof of citizenship without meeting a residency requirement
- The second group covers children adopted abroad before December 15, 2025, by a Canadian parent who was also born or adopted abroad
PAY ATTENTION: Find it fast with our new search feature at Legit.ng!
Canada has identified two groups of people who can access Canadian citizenship or proof of it without needing to demonstrate that they have lived in the country, following the coming into effect of Bill C-3.
The legislation, formally titled An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act (2025), received royal assent after being introduced by the federal government on June 5, 2025.
Source: UGC
Its aim was to extend citizenship by descent beyond the first generation, addressing a gap that the Ontario Superior Court of Justice had declared unconstitutional in December 2023.
Group 1: Automatic Citizens and Lost Canadians
The first group covered by the new rules consists of people who automatically became Canadian citizens when Bill C-3 came into force.
These individuals, sometimes referred to as "Lost Canadians," previously lost or never obtained citizenship due to outdated rules in earlier versions of the Citizenship Act.
Earlier legislative reforms in 2009 and 2015 had already restored or granted citizenship to roughly 20,000 people.
However, certain individuals remained excluded, including so-called section 8 Lost Canadians and descendants of Lost Canadians.
Bill C-3 extends access to this remaining group, along with their descendants and those born abroad to, or adopted abroad by, a Canadian parent in the second generation or later, provided this happened before the new law took effect.
People in this group are already Canadian citizens. They do not need to prove 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada. What they can now do is apply for formal proof of their Canadian citizenship.
Group 2: Children Adopted Abroad Before December 15, 2025
The second group includes children who were adopted outside Canada before 15 December 2025 by a Canadian parent who was themselves born or adopted abroad. Under Bill C-3, these children can now apply for Canadian citizenship for an adopted child without the Canadian parent needing to satisfy the 1,095-day physical presence requirement.
It is important to note that this exemption from the living requirement applies specifically to cases that predate the legislation's coming into effect.
For children born or adopted abroad on or after December 15, 2025 to a Canadian parent who was also born or adopted abroad, a different rule applies.
That parent must demonstrate at least 1,095 days, or three years, of cumulative physical presence in Canada before the child's birth or adoption.
This is known as the substantial connection requirement and applies on a going-forward basis.
Canada lists offence that may get foreign spouses deported
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Canada's Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada flagged marriage fraud as the key risk that could cost a foreign spouse their permanent resident status.
Sponsored spouses found to have entered non-genuine relationships face misrepresentation charges and possible removal from Canada.
Source: Legit.ng
