Outlook Business Desk
Canada has taken a major step toward updating its citizenship-by-descent rules with Parliament approving Bill C-3, a move that could reshape outcomes for many Indian-origin families.
In its statement, the Canadian government noted that clearing Bill C-3, an amendment to the Citizenship Act (2025), is a key step in making citizenship rules more inclusive yet firmly valued.
The government said that after the new law takes effect, anyone born before its implementation will be granted Canadian citizenship if they would have qualified earlier but were prevented from doing so by the first-generation limit or by outdated rules in older citizenship laws.
The rule, introduced in 2009, prevents children born outside Canada from automatically receiving citizenship if their Canadian parent was also born abroad, creating long-standing difficulties for Indian-origin families.
For Indian-origin Canadians whose children were born outside Canada, the change is expected to solve most problems created by the old rule, giving families clarity and ending years of confusion.
Analyst Darshan Maharaja told Business Standard that foreign-born Canadian citizens will be able to pass on citizenship to their foreign-born children if they prove a substantial connection to Canada, benefiting nearly 115,000 children.
The new law allows Canadian parents born abroad to pass citizenship to overseas-born children once it takes effect, provided the parent shows a substantial connection back to Canada.
A 2023 Ontario court ruling found parts of the Citizenship Act unconstitutional. The government accepted the verdict, acknowledging the law caused unfair outcomes for children of overseas-born Canadians.
The law will come into force on a date fixed by an order in council. Until then, an interim option continues for families still affected by the first-generation limit.