OTTAWA- A surge in applications for Canadian citizenship certificates following the implementation of Bill C-3 has driven the backlog past 121,800 cases, leading to severe processing delays. Under the new legislation, individuals born abroad who can establish a connection to Canadian ancestors can claim citizenship, altering previous restrictions following a court ruling. Between mid-December 2025 and May 31, 2026, 6,100 people received citizenship certificates under Bill C-3, alongside another 17,390 who obtained certificates through Canadian parentage.
A substantial portion of this growth stems from American-born applicants. During the same period, 3,110 Americans secured citizenship certificates under Bill C-3, while 8,125 obtained them based on Canadian parentage. While obtaining a citizenship certificate allows these individuals to apply for a Canadian passport, reside, and work in Canada, specific additional requirements remain applicable for voting in federal elections.
The massive influx of requests has created a critical bottleneck in application processing. The pending queue climbed from around 56,000 cases in April to 70,400 in May, reaching 121,800 as of August 10. Consequently, estimated processing times have more than doubled, increasing from 12 months in May to 25 months by August.
The requirement to prove ancestral ties has also placed unprecedented strain on Canada’s archival institutions. The Association of Canadian Archivists reported a 100% to 300% increase in requests for historical family records, forcing archivists to search through centuries-old documents, small church archives, and microfilm files. Amid the rush, about 100 issued certificates were temporarily suspended due to documentation discrepancies; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has since resolved and restored 83 of these cases, while requesting additional proof for the remainder.
