How to get Canadian Citizenship — Routes, Requirements

Canadian citizenship rules changed materially on December 15, 2025, when Bill C-3 — An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025) — came into force. The bill received Royal Assent on November 20, 2025 and ended the long-standing "first-generation limit" on citizenship by descent. For Indian-origin Canadians whose children or grandchildren were born outside Canada, this is one of the biggest citizenship changes in a decade. This article covers the main routes to Canadian citizenship, how Bill C-3 changes the picture, and what each group affected should actually do now.

1. The Three Ways to Become a Canadian Citizen

Canadian citizenship is acquired in one of three ways:

By birth in Canada — anyone born on Canadian soil (apart from certain children of foreign diplomats) is automatically a citizen.
By descent — a child born outside Canada to a Canadian parent is a citizen by descent, subject to the rules in force at the time. Bill C-3 is primarily about this route.
By grant (naturalisation) — a permanent resident who meets the residency, language, tax, and knowledge requirements applies for a grant of citizenship.

Most Indian immigrants take route 3 — they arrive as permanent residents through Express Entry, a Provincial Nominee Program, family sponsorship, or the study-to-PR path, and then apply for citizenship once they have enough qualifying time. Indian-origin families whose adult children have moved on to a third country (the UAE, the US, the UK, India) are the ones most affected by route 2 and by Bill C-3.

2. Naturalisation — The Route for Permanent Residents

If you are a Canadian PR, you can apply for citizenship once all of the following are true:

You have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days (three years) out of the five years immediately before you apply. Days as a temporary resident (student or worker) before you became a PR count as a half-day, up to a maximum of 365 credited days.
You have filed Canadian income tax returns for at least three of the five years in the qualifying period, if you were required to file.
You demonstrate adequate knowledge of English or French — applicants aged 18 to 54 must submit approved language proof (CLB 4 or equivalent).
You pass the citizenship test — 20 questions on Canadian history, geography, rights and responsibilities (applicants aged 18 to 54 only).
You take the Oath of Citizenship, now usually in a virtual ceremony.

Fees (2025–2026)

Adult applicant — CAD 630 (CAD 530 processing fee + CAD 100 right-of-citizenship fee)
Minor applicant — CAD 100

Processing currently averages about 12 months, though it varies with case volume.

The "physical presence" trap

The 1,095-day requirement is strict. Days outside Canada — even short trips home to India — reduce the count. Use IRCC's online physical-presence calculator before filing; many applications are returned or refused because the applicant was a few days short.

3. Citizenship by Descent — What Changed on December 15, 2025

The old rule (in force 2009 to December 14, 2025)

The Citizenship Act as amended in 2009 capped citizenship by descent at the first generation born abroad. In plain terms:

A Canadian citizen (born or naturalised in Canada) could pass citizenship to a child born abroad — that child is "first generation born abroad" and a citizen.
That first-generation-born-abroad child could not pass citizenship to their child if that grandchild was also born abroad. The grandchild had no claim — they were not Canadian.

This created a group the press called the "Lost Canadians" — people who, in every meaningful sense, had Canadian families and Canadian roots but were legally not citizens. The Ontario Superior Court in Bjorkquist (December 2023) struck down the first-generation limit as unconstitutional. Parliament's response, after two earlier bills (C-71 and S-245) died on the order paper, was Bill C-3.

The new rule (from December 15, 2025)

Bill C-3 makes two changes:

Retroactive restoration. Anyone born before December 15, 2025 who would have been a Canadian citizen but for the first-generation limit is now recognised as a citizen automatically, back to their date of birth. This also applies to those known as "Lost Canadians" whose status was lost under earlier legislative quirks. Descendants of the restored citizens are citizens too, without any further generational cap for births before December 15, 2025.
The substantial-connection test going forward. For a child born or adopted abroad on or after December 15, 2025, beyond the first generation, the Canadian parent (who was themselves born abroad) must have accumulated at least 1,095 days (three years cumulative, not necessarily consecutive) of physical presence in Canada before the child's birth or adoption to pass citizenship on. Days at any point in the parent's life count, including days spent in Canada as a child, student, or temporary worker.

Who this helps — concrete NRI examples

Example 1 — the grandchild born in Dubai. A couple moved from Punjab to Toronto in the 1980s and naturalised. Their daughter (born in Toronto) moved to Dubai and her child was born there in 2015. Under the old rule the Dubai-born grandchild was not Canadian — the mother was born in Canada so her child was first-generation abroad, but if the mother had also been born abroad the grandchild would have been excluded. Under Bill C-3 the same grandchild's position is straightforward and beyond doubt: citizenship flows regardless of how many generations were born outside Canada, as long as the pre-Dec-15-2025 cutoff or the substantial-connection test is met.
Example 2 — the child born in India to a Canadian born abroad. An NRI couple moved to Mississauga in the 1990s. Their son was born in 2000 in London during a posting (first generation abroad — Canadian). He married an Indian citizen and their child was born in 2020 in Bengaluru. Before Bill C-3, the Bengaluru-born grandchild was not Canadian (second generation abroad). After December 15, 2025, the grandchild is recognised as a citizen by descent retroactively from birth.
Example 3 — a child born after December 15, 2025 to the same couple. If the son in example 2 has another child born abroad after the cutoff, that child is a citizen only if the son has accumulated 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada at some point before the birth. If he left Canada as a teenager and never met that threshold, the child does not acquire citizenship by descent and would need to immigrate through the usual routes.

Adopted children

The same logic applies to children adopted abroad by Canadian citizens. Bill C-3 closes the earlier gap under which adopted children were treated less favourably than biological children in certain fact patterns.

4. How to Get a Citizenship Certificate Under Bill C-3

Restoration is automatic in law, but you will still need documentary proof before you can get a Canadian passport, work in Canada, or register your own children. The practical step is an Application for a Citizenship Certificate (Proof of Citizenship) to IRCC.

Documents typically required:

Completed form CIT 0001 (adults) or CIT 0003 (minors)
Your birth certificate (long-form, showing parents' names)
Birth certificate(s) of the Canadian parent and, if relevant, grandparent
Marriage certificates, name-change documents, and any adoption orders in the chain
Canadian passport or citizenship certificate of the parent/grandparent through whom you are claiming
Two pieces of ID, photos meeting IRCC specs, and the fee (CAD 75)
For cases relying on the new substantial-connection test: evidence of the Canadian parent's 1,095 days in Canada — school records, employment letters, tax returns, travel history, lease agreements

Processing time: IRCC is publishing an average of around 9 months for proof-of-citizenship applications, but the backlog has grown sharply since December 2025 because of Bill C-3 volume. Urgent cases (pending job offer, medical travel, imminent passport need) can request expedited processing with supporting evidence.

5. Bill C-3 in a Nutshell

	Before Dec 15, 2025	From Dec 15, 2025
First-generation limit	Yes — citizenship stopped at first generation born abroad	Removed
Second-generation-and-beyond children born before Dec 15, 2025	Not citizens	Citizens, retroactively, if they would have qualified but for the limit
Children born abroad after Dec 15, 2025 beyond the first generation	N/A	Citizens if the Canadian parent has 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada
"Lost Canadians" under earlier provisions	Excluded	Restored
Need to apply for a certificate	Yes	Yes (status is automatic, proof is not)

6. Dual Citizenship — the Indian Catch

Canada allows dual (and multiple) citizenship without restriction. India does not. Under the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955, a person who voluntarily acquires the citizenship of another country automatically ceases to be an Indian citizen.

Practical consequences for Indian-origin Canadians:

Once you take the Canadian Oath of Citizenship, you are legally no longer Indian. You must surrender your Indian passport at the nearest Indian mission (the surrender certificate is a precondition for later OCI applications).
You can then apply for an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, which gives lifelong multiple-entry visa-free travel to India and most rights of an Indian resident except the vote, government jobs, and agricultural-land ownership.
Children who acquire Canadian citizenship by descent under Bill C-3 and who never held Indian citizenship do not have anything to surrender, but if they were registered as Indian citizens by their parents at birth, the surrender step applies to them too before an OCI application.

See the OCI application guide and the longer note on the disadvantages of taking a foreign citizenship before you take the Oath.

7. Practical Checklist

If you think you may be a newly recognised citizen under Bill C-3:

Map the chain of Canadian citizens in your family tree. Identify the earliest Canadian-born or Canadian-naturalised ancestor and every birth abroad since.
Collect long-form birth certificates, marriage certificates, and citizenship certificates for each link in the chain. Missing links are the single biggest cause of rejected proof-of-citizenship applications.
Apply for a Citizenship Certificate using form CIT 0001 / CIT 0003.
Once issued, you can apply for a Canadian passport through Service Canada or the nearest Canadian mission.
If you are an Indian passport holder and choose to accept the Canadian citizenship, plan your Indian passport surrender and OCI application before you next travel to India.

If you are a PR working toward naturalisation:

Track your days in and out of Canada rigorously — use IRCC's physical-presence calculator.
File Canadian tax returns in every eligible year, even if your income is low.
Book the language test if you haven't already — IELTS General (for English) or TEF (for French) at CLB 4 is enough.
Apply as soon as the 1,095-day threshold is safely met, not the day you hit it.

8. Common Mistakes

Assuming your grandchildren abroad are automatically Canadian and never applying for proof. Automatic in law does not mean automatic in documents. Without a certificate they cannot get a passport, work permit stream, or tax number.
Ignoring the 1,095-day substantial-connection test for post-Dec-15-2025 births. If you yourself were born abroad, your future children's citizenship depends on your Canadian days. Keep evidence — school transcripts, employment records, lease agreements.
Holding both passports. An Indian citizen who travels on a Canadian passport after naturalisation is in violation of Indian law and can be fined and held at immigration. Surrender first.
Paying a consultant for a simple proof-of-citizenship file. A well-organised applicant with documents in order can usually file directly. Consultants are legitimately useful where the family chain is complicated (older generations, missing documents, name changes, adoption) — but not as a default.

9. Official Sources

IRCC — Bill C-3 landing page — canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/act-changes/rules-2025.html
IRCC — Become a Canadian citizen — canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/become-canadian-citizen.html
IRCC — Apply for proof of citizenship — canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/proof-citizenship.html
Parliament — LEGISinfo for Bill C-3 (45-1) — parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/45-1/c-3
College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) — college-ic.ca — to verify any paid consultant's credentials

Bill C-3 corrects a long-standing unfairness. For many Indian-origin families where the second and third generation grew up in the Gulf, the UK, the US, or India itself, a path that was blocked for over a decade is open again — but you still need to do the paperwork.