Last updated: September 23, 2026.
What actually happened
- In June 2026, IRCC asked some people to return citizenship certificates they had recently received under the new Bill C-3 citizenship-by-descent rules.
- It affected about 100 certificates, roughly 1% of those issued under C-3. The problem was weak supporting documents, often printouts from genealogy websites.
- IRCC finished its review on June 30, 2026. 33 certificates were reinstated. 67 people were asked for more evidence.
- Bill C-3 is still in force. The bigger issue now is the wait: proof of citizenship applications were quoted at 33 months in September.
Headlines like “Canada asks new citizens to hand back their certificates” spread fast in June, and they are still circulating. They made it sound like Canada was taking citizenship away from thousands of people. The real story is much smaller, but it does matter if you have applied, or plan to apply, for citizenship by descent.
First, what is Bill C-3?
Bill C-3 changed Canada’s rules on citizenship by descent, meaning citizenship passed from a Canadian parent to a child born outside Canada. It came into force on December 15, 2025.
Before C-3, there was a “first-generation limit.” If your Canadian parent was also born abroad, you usually could not get citizenship through them. Many people affected by this are called “Lost Canadians.” C-3 removed that limit in many cases:
- People born abroad before December 15, 2025 who were cut off only by the first-generation limit became citizens.
- For children born abroad after that date, the Canadian parent who was also born abroad must show a “substantial connection” to Canada: at least 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada before the child’s birth or adoption.
To prove this citizenship, people apply to IRCC for a citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship). Thousands applied in the first months, many of them living in the United States.
Why did IRCC ask for certificates back?
In early June 2026, a routine check found that some certificates had been approved with weak evidence. To prove citizenship by descent, you must show your family line back to a Canadian parent or grandparent. Some applicants had used compiled records from genealogy websites such as Ancestry or FamilySearch, instead of certified records from the office that created them.
Around June 13, IRCC emailed the affected people. According to reporting by CIC News, the letters relied on the Citizenship Regulations to ask recipients to return their certificates while their files were reviewed. At the same time, IRCC stopped finalizing new C-3 certificates and reviewed about 6,500 applications.
IRCC later admitted part of the problem was its own. It said that “guidance on acceptable documentation for both officers and applicants was unclear” and may have contributed to certificates being issued without enough evidence.
What the review found
| Applications reviewed | About 6,500 |
| Certificates flagged for possibly insufficient documents | 100 |
| Reinstated after IRCC confirmed entitlement from the file | 33 |
| Still under review, asked for more information | 67 (about 1% of C-3 certificates) |
| Review closed and processing resumed | June 30, 2026 |
IRCC said people who were not contacted do not need to do anything. Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said applicants whose files were fine were being told so.
Returning a certificate is not losing citizenship
Under C-3, citizenship by descent comes from the law itself. The certificate is proof of that citizenship, not the source of it. Being asked to return a certificate for review is not the same as having your citizenship revoked. It means IRCC wants stronger evidence before it confirms your status again.
What changed for applicants
After the review, IRCC tightened the document rules for proof of citizenship:
- Records must come from the original source. That means a civil registry, vital statistics office, or an equal official body. Birth, marriage, adoption, name change, court, and citizenship records all count when they come from the authority that issued them.
- Every generation must be documented. If your claim goes through a parent and a grandparent, you need proof for each link, not just the first and last.
- Genealogy printouts are not enough on their own. Family tree websites can help you find records, but they are not the records IRCC wants.
- If a record doesn’t exist, explain why. Include a written explanation and proof that you tried to get it.
The real problem now: a 33-month wait
The certificate review is over, but it came on top of a huge rise in applications. Based on IRCC’s processing times tool, as reported by CIC News:
| Month | Quoted processing time | People waiting |
|---|---|---|
| December 2025 | 9 months | About 40,400 |
| May 2026 | 12 months | About 70,400 |
| August 2026 | 25 months | About 121,800 |
| September 2026 | 33 months | About 136,000 |
IRCC’s quoted time is an estimate based on recent processing, not a promise. But the trend is clear. If you apply today, plan for a long wait, and make sure your file is complete the first time. A request for more documents later can add even more delay.
What to do, depending on your situation
You got a letter asking you to return your certificate
Read it carefully and follow its instructions. Gather certified records from the original issuing offices for every generation in your claim. If IRCC asks for more information, reply by the deadline in the letter. If your case is complicated, this is a good time to speak with a Canadian citizenship lawyer or a licensed consultant (RCIC).
You already have a certificate and got no letter
IRCC says you do not need to do anything. The review is closed.
You applied and are still waiting
Check whether your documents meet the stricter standard. If you relied on genealogy website records or skipped a generation, consider sending original-source records when you are able to. Keep your contact details up to date in your IRCC account.
You plan to apply
Start by ordering certified copies from vital statistics offices and civil registries, both in Canada and abroad. This can take months on its own, especially for older records. Apply once your chain is complete, not before.
Watch out for scams
News like this attracts fake “IRCC” emails and people offering to “restore” your citizenship for a fee. IRCC will not ask you to pay by gift card or crypto. If a message seems odd, log in to your IRCC account directly instead of clicking links.
Could Bill C-3 be reversed?
After the review, some people started asking whether the law itself could be undone. There is no government plan to do that. Bill C-3 remains in force. An immigration lawyer interviewed by CIC News pointed out that Parliament can change citizenship rules for the future, but that is very different from cancelling citizenship people already have. When Canada tightened citizenship-by-descent rules in 2009, people who were already citizens kept their status.
If you do not qualify for citizenship by descent, the usual route to living in Canada is permanent residence first. Our guide to Express Entry in 2026 explains how that system works this year.
The June certificate recall was a real mistake, and IRCC admitted part of it was its own. But it touched about 100 people out of thousands, and most of the attention it got was bigger than the problem. For most applicants, the thing to worry about is not losing a certificate. It is getting the documents right and preparing for a long wait.
Sources: IRCC statements of June 30, 2026, as reported by CIC News, Moving2Canada, and Doherty Fultz Immigration; CBC News; IRCC processing times data as reported by CIC News (September 2026). This article is general information, not legal advice.
