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Castle & Co. does not provide job placement or recruitment services.
For job opportunities in Canada, you can visit our sister company’s career site, Workvantage, by clicking the button below.

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Please Provide Full Details:

1. Proposed Position(s), Work Location(s), Hourly Rate, Hours per Week, Contract Duration.
2. Staffing at Location: Total Employee Count & Number of Temporary Foreign Workers currently employed.
3. Year of Business Incorporation/Establishment.
4. Additional Notes.

Please Include the Following:

1. Nature of Care (childcare, senior support, medical needs) & Profile of Care Recipient(s) (e.g., age, specific health conditions).
2. Living Arrangement (Live-in vs. Live-out), Hourly Rate & Hours per Week.
3. Prospective Applicant (if known): Age, Highest Educational Credential, Language Proficiency (English/French), and Related Work History.
4. Additional Notes.

Please Provide Full Details:

1. Sponsor’s Legal Status (Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident) & Current Residence (Country/Province).
2. Partner Being Sponsored: Citizenship & Current Country of Residence.
3. Number of accompanying dependent children.
4. Sponsorship Background:
- Has the Sponsor submitted a sponsorship application in the past?
- Was the Sponsor sponsored as a spouse in the last 5 years?
5. Is the Sponsor currently in Undischarged Bankruptcy, receiving Social Assistance (welfare), or in default of child support or immigration loans?
6. Relationship Details: Date of Marriage or date common-law cohabitation began.
7. Admissibility Issues: Does the sponsor or the applicant have any history of criminal charges, severe health conditions, or prior visa denials from any country?
8. Current Status & Past Marriages: If the applicant is currently residing in Canada, what is their active immigration status? Have any prior marriages for either party been officially dissolved by divorce?
9. Additional Notes.

Please Include the Following:

1. Applicant Citizenship & Current Country of Residence (Please specify your Status, e.g., Worker, Student, PR).
2. Reason for Travel, Intended Arrival/Departure Dates & Length of Stay.
3. Are you visiting specific relatives or friends? (Please specify relationship).
4. Details of any previous Canadian or US visa applications or refusals.
5. Available Funds & Reasons to Return Home (e.g., Employment, Assets, Family obligations).
6. Additional Notes.

Please Include the Following:

If through your Canadian ancestry (you may already be a Canadian citizen by law — no residence, tax or language history needed):

1. Which relative connects you to Canada (parent, grandparent, great-grandparent…) and how they became Canadian (born in Canada, naturalized, or by descent).

2. What you can provide to support your claim (e.g., birth/marriage certificates, your ancestor's citizenship or naturalization record).

If you are a permanent resident (citizenship by grant):

1. Date your Permanent Residence was obtained.

2. Total number of days spent in Canada during the past 5 years (estimate is fine).

3. Did you hold temporary status in Canada (e.g., Student, Worker) before becoming a PR? If yes, type and duration.

4. Have you filed Canadian Income Tax Returns for at least 3 of the last 5 years?

5. Proficiency level in English or French (Basic, Intermediate, Fluent).

6. Prohibitions & Background: any criminal history (convictions, probation, or parole, inside or outside Canada); and whether you are currently subject to a Removal Order or under investigation by immigration authorities.

Additional notes (either case).

Please Include the Following:

1. Applicant (Parent/Grandparent):
- Citizenship & Current Country of Residence.
- Details of prior Canadian or US visa applications or refusals.
- Do you have any significant pre-existing medical conditions?
2. Host (Child/Grandchild in Canada):
- Legal Status (Citizen or Permanent Resident).
- Household Composition: Total count of individuals residing in the home (including spouse and dependents).
- Gross Annual Household Income.
3. Additional Notes.

Please Provide Full Details:

1. Employment Status: Do you have a valid Job Offer? (Include Employer Name, Role, LMIA approval status, or if applying as an Intra-Company Transferee).
2. Open Work Permit (if applicable): Please specify your category (e.g., Spouse of Student/Worker, PGWP, or International Experience Canada/IEC).
3. Background: Summary of relevant Work History and details of any previous Canadian visa applications or refusals.
4. Additional Notes.

Please Provide the Following Details:

1. Proposed Study Plan: Program Name, Academic Level (e.g., Diploma, Master's), and status of Letter of Acceptance (LOA).
2. Language Proficiency: Standardized Test Scores (IELTS, CELPIP, TEF).
3. Economic Establishment: Source of Funds & Ties to Home Country (reasons to return).
4. Visa History: Details of any previous applications or refusals for Canada or the US.
5. Additional Comments.

Please Provide Full Details:

1. Current Immigration Status: Type of permit (e.g., Visitor, Student, Worker) & Expiration Date.
2. Justification for Extension:
- Study: (e.g., New Letter of Acceptance).
- Work: (e.g., Updated LMIA or Job Offer details).
- Visitor: (Purpose of continued stay, e.g., ongoing tourism, family visit, or pending Spousal Sponsorship).
3. Additional Notes.

Please Provide Details for Principal Applicant and Spouse:

1. Personal Profile: Age, Citizenship, Marital Status, Highest Educational Credential, Language Proficiency (IELTS, CELPIP, TEF), and Settlement Funds.
2. Work History (Past 10 Years):
- Total years of Foreign Skilled Work.
- Total years of In-Canada Skilled Work.
3. Proposed Province of Residence (e.g., Ontario, Quebec, BC).
4. Canadian Ties: Relatives in Canada, prior Canadian study/work history, or Valid Job Offer.
5. Additional Notes.

1. What program do you need help with?
2. Share your current citizenship, residence, and immigration status—and whether you have family in Canada.
3. Are you looking to apply, renew or appeal?
4. Let us know if you're working toward a deadline or have key dates in mind.
5. Observations (provide details).

Castle & Co. — Canadian Immigration Consultants

Canadian Citizenship by Descent: The Complete Guide After Bill C-3

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Since December 15, 2025, Canada’s citizenship law has changed in a fundamental way: Bill C-3 removed the so-called “first-generation limit” that prevented Canadians born abroad from passing citizenship on to their own children born outside Canada. The practical result is that thousands of people around the world — across Latin America, Europe, Asia and beyond — are already Canadian citizens and don’t know it. This guide explains who qualifies, how the ancestry chain is counted, and what steps to take to obtain your citizenship certificate.

At a glance

  • Bill C-3 came into force on December 15, 2025 and removed the first-generation limit in several scenarios
  • If you were born outside Canada before December 15, 2025 to a Canadian parent (including a parent made Canadian by these same changes), in most cases you are already a citizen automatically
  • For births on or after December 15, 2025 in the second generation or later, the Canadian parent must have spent at least 1,095 days (3 years) in Canada before the birth
  • The official proof is the citizenship certificate: a $75 CAD fee, with documents for every generation in the chain
  • What matters is the ancestry chain (parent → grandparent → great-grandparent), not the country where you live today

What Changed With Bill C-3

Before this reform, Canadian citizenship by descent was limited to the first generation born outside Canada: if your parent was born in Canada and you were born abroad, you were Canadian — but your children, also born abroad, were not. That automatic cut-off is what Bill C-3 removed. Important: this change does not affect anyone who was already a citizen before the law; if you were already Canadian, you still are.

For this rule, the government counts generations as follows: the first generation is the first person born (or adopted) outside Canada to a Canadian citizen; the second generation or later is someone born outside Canada to a first-generation person. That second generation — and the ones after it — is who can now be Canadian.

Who Qualifies? The Two Scenarios

The December 15, 2025 date splits eligibility into two distinct regimes:

SituationBorn BEFORE Dec 15, 2025Born ON/AFTER Dec 15, 2025
General ruleIn most cases, if you were born outside Canada to a Canadian parent, you are already a citizen automatically — the law restored or granted citizenship retroactivelyIn the second generation or later, you are Canadian if your foreign-born Canadian parent spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before your birth
Does the chain continue?Yes: the rule also applies if you were born to someone who became Canadian because of these same changes — the cascade reaches grandchildren and great-grandchildrenYes, but each new generation requires the parent to show those 3 years of physical presence in Canada
Adopted peopleLikely eligible for citizenship through a direct grant if adopted outside Canada in the second generation or laterEligible for the direct grant if the Canadian parent spent 1,095 days in Canada before the adoption

What Matters Is the Chain, Not the Country

A common misconception: many people believe the rules differ by country of residence. They don’t. Eligibility depends exclusively on your Canadian ancestry chain — that your parent, grandparent or great-grandparent was a Canadian citizen, and that you can document every link. It makes no difference whether you live in Mexico City, Bogotá, São Paulo or Madrid: the analysis is the same. What does change from country to country are the local civil documents you’ll use to prove each birth (certificates, registry records) and, when they’re in another language, the need to translate them.

How to Apply for the Citizenship Certificate, Step by Step

If you think Bill C-3 made you a citizen, the only way to confirm it officially is to apply for the citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship). IRCC reviews your application and, if you are a citizen, issues the certificate — the document that then lets you apply for a Canadian passport.

  1. Reconstruct your ancestry chain. Identify your Canadian ancestor (born in Canada or naturalized) and trace every generation between that person and you.
  2. Gather documents for every generation. IRCC requires authentic, reliable and verifiable documents for each generation in the application (see the checklist below).
  3. Submit the application online or on paper. The fee is $75 CAD. Online, you have 60 days to complete the application once you start it; on paper, payment is still made online.
  4. Wait out processing. Current timelines are long due to the post-C-3 surge in applications — as of this writing, the official estimate is around 25 months. See our analysis: the certificate now takes 25 months.
  5. With the certificate, apply for your Canadian passport. That’s the order the government itself recommends before travelling to Canada as a citizen.

Typical Documents You’ll Need

  • Your birth certificate (and those of every intermediate generation between you and your Canadian ancestor)
  • Proof of your ancestor’s Canadian citizenship: a Canadian birth certificate, naturalization certificate or citizenship certificate
  • Valid identity documents for the applicant
  • Citizenship-format photographs meeting IRCC’s specifications
  • Translations of any document not in English or French, per IRCC’s requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

I live in Mexico / Colombia / Brazil — do different rules apply to my country?

No. Canadian law doesn’t distinguish by country of residence or birth: only the ancestry chain and your date of birth relative to December 15, 2025 matter. The practical difference between countries lies in the local civil documents and their translations.

My parent never registered me as Canadian. Did I lose the right?

Citizenship by descent doesn’t depend on any “registration” done by your parents: if you meet the conditions of the law, you are a citizen automatically, and the certificate merely documents it. That’s exactly why so many people are Canadian without knowing it.

Do I have to give up my current nationality?

Canada allows dual (and multiple) citizenship, so there’s no conflict on the Canadian side. It’s worth checking your own country’s rules on multiple nationalities. And if the law made you Canadian automatically but you don’t want to be, there is a formal renunciation process.

How long does it take and how much does it cost?

The government fee is $75 CAD. Processing time is the hard part: the official estimate has climbed throughout 2026 due to the post-C-3 volume — check IRCC’s official tool for the current figure and our analysis of the jump to 25 months.

How Castle & Co. Can Help

The real challenge in these applications isn’t the form: it’s reconstructing and documenting an ancestry chain that sometimes crosses three generations, two languages and several civil registries. At Castle & Co. we assess your case, identify which documents are missing and prepare a complete application that doesn’t lose months to avoidable mistakes. Start on our Citizenship services page or request a free assessment of your family chain.

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