Bill C-3 Explained
How Canada opened citizenship by descent to unlimited generations — and what it means for you.
Timeline
First-Generation Limit (FGL) era
Pre-2023
The Citizenship Act restricted citizenship by descent to only the first generation born abroad. Children of a Canadian citizen born outside Canada could claim citizenship, but their children could not. This cut off millions of people with deeper Canadian ancestry.
Bjorkquist Decision
Dec 2023
A court ruling found the first-generation limit unconstitutional. The federal government introduced the Bjorkquist Interim Measure to allow beyond-first-generation applicants to apply while Parliament drafted a permanent fix.
Bjorkquist Interim Measure
Dec 2023 – Dec 2025
Thousands of people applied under the interim measure. These applications are all valid and are being processed under the final law.
Bill C-3 takes effect
Dec 15, 2025
Bill C-3 permanently eliminates the first-generation limit. Anyone with a qualifying Canadian ancestor is deemed a citizen from birth, retroactively. The law also introduced the "substantial presence test" for children born outside Canada on or after this date.
Before vs. After Bill C-3
| Aspect | Before C-3 | After C-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Generational limit | First generation only | No known limit (Gen 9+ approved) |
| Great-grandchild eligibility | Not eligible | Eligible |
| Residency requirement | None (for births abroad) | None (for births before Dec 15, 2025) |
| Post-Dec 15, 2025 births abroad | N/A | Substantial presence test applies (1,095 days) |
| Citizenship "grant" required | Yes (for second gen+) | No — citizenship is deemed from birth |
Who Counts as Gen 0?
"Gen 0" is the last person in your line who was Canadian — the anchor of your citizenship claim. They must meet one of these four criteria:
- 1Born in Canada or Newfoundland
- 2Granted Canadian citizenship after 1946 and before the next generation was born
- 3Naturalized as a British subject in Canada before 1947
- 4An Irish citizen or British subject "ordinarily resident" in Canada on January 1, 1947 (or Newfoundland on April 1, 1949)
The Substantial Presence Test
Bill C-3 introduced a new requirement for children born outside Canada on or after December 15, 2025. The Canadian parent passing citizenship must have spent at least 1,095 cumulative days (about 3 years) physically in Canada before the child was born.
- Days do not need to be consecutive
- Any time physically present in Canada counts
- If the child was born inside Canada, this test does not apply
- If you were born before December 15, 2025, this test does not apply to you at all