A Canadian grandparent may make you a citizen and put your permanent residence application on hold

OTTAWA — New information has emerged about a procedure that could directly affect permanent residence applications in Canada. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has confirmed that some immigration applicants may already be Canadian citizens without knowing it, because of their family background.

According to a report published by CIC News, people who have a grandparent, or even a great-grandparent, who held Canadian citizenship may be eligible for citizenship by descent, thanks to legal changes that came into force in December 2025.

However, this possibility may lead to a permanent residence application being put on hold, even if the person has not formally applied for a citizenship certificate.

The department explained that a person cannot legally be both a Canadian citizen and a permanent resident at the same time.

Bill C-3 opens the door to citizenship for descendants of Canadians

Canada's Bill C-3 came into force on December 15, 2025, and made a significant change to the rules on passing citizenship from parents to children born outside the country.

Previously, citizenship by descent was generally subject to limits that prevented it from being passed to a second generation born outside Canada.

The new amendments removed these limits in certain cases, allowing people from Canadian families to seek proof of their citizenship.

For people born before December 15, 2025, it may be possible to prove citizenship across several generations, provided there is a continuous legal line of descent from a Canadian citizen.

Having a Canadian grandparent is not enough on its own to guarantee citizenship. It must be shown that citizenship was legally passed down through the generations, subject to the cases and exceptions set out in the law.

Why a permanent residence application can be put on hold

Brianna Dell, senior communications adviser at IRCC, said immigration officers can put a permanent residence application on hold if they have strong reasons to believe the applicant is already a Canadian citizen.

This includes cases where the person has not applied for a citizenship certificate.

She said the department does not have specific figures on how many permanent residence applications have been put on hold for this reason.

The procedure exists because permanent residence is a legal status intended for foreign nationals who qualify to immigrate, not for people who already hold Canadian citizenship.

As a result, discovering Canadian ancestry may completely change the appropriate legal path for an applicant.

What happens if you apply for citizenship and residence at the same time?

According to IRCC's clarifications, submitting an application for proof of citizenship at the same time as a permanent residence application may lead to the residence file being put on hold until a decision is made on citizenship.

There are two possible outcomes:

• If Canadian citizenship is confirmed: The permanent residence application is considered withdrawn, because the person is already a Canadian citizen.

• If citizenship is not established: The permanent residence application resumes processing from its original place in the queue.

However, the CIC News report pointed to differences in the wording of some of the department's guidance.

While official statements refer to putting the application on hold, other guidance indicates that some applicants may be asked to withdraw their residence application and submit an application for proof of citizenship.

Practical procedures may therefore vary depending on the state of the file and the instructions issued by IRCC.

Proof of citizenship can take 34 months

The report raised an important point about processing times.

According to data it cited for October 2026, the published processing time for a proof of Canadian citizenship application was about 34 months.

By comparison, the approximate times for some permanent residence applications were shorter:

• Proof of Canadian citizenship: 34 months

• Sponsorship of a spouse or partner from outside Canada and outside Quebec: 18 months

• Permanent residence through Express Entry for some skilled workers: about 7 months

These are estimates that change over time and are not a guarantee that any application will be completed within a set period.

Although the permanent residence route may appear faster, a person whose Canadian citizenship is established cannot choose permanent residence instead.

Citizenship by descent without a test or residence requirement in Canada

A proof of citizenship certificate differs from the usual naturalization application.

A person eligible for citizenship by descent is not applying for new citizenship. They are asking for an official document confirming that they hold Canadian citizenship under the law.

As a result, they are not required to meet the traditional naturalization requirements, such as three years of actual residence in Canada, passing the citizenship test, or taking the citizenship oath.

Once citizenship is proven and the required documents are obtained, the person can apply for a Canadian passport.

They also enjoy the legal rights that come with Canadian citizenship.

Important requirement for people born after December 2025

The rules differ for people born outside Canada on or after December 15, 2025.

If the Canadian parent was also born outside the country, it must generally be shown that the parent spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the child's birth.

This period is equal to three years and can be counted cumulatively, without the days having to be consecutive.

People born before the law came into force are subject to different transitional rules that may allow citizenship to be proven across multiple generations.

The Government of Canada stresses the importance of examining each case according to the date of birth, how citizenship was passed down, and the documents available.

How to check your Canadian roots

The CIC News report advises people who suspect they have Canadian ancestry to research their family history before starting immigration procedures.

Important evidence includes birth certificates of parents and grandparents, records showing place of birth or the acquisition of citizenship, and documents linking each generation to the one before it.

Some families who moved from Canada to the United States decades ago may be eligible to benefit from the new changes.

However, a French family name or having relatives in Canada is not enough on its own to prove citizenship.

The appropriate documents must be submitted to IRCC to obtain an official decision on eligibility.

Do spouses and children benefit from citizenship by descent?

The rules on citizenship by descent can extend to the children of a person who proves they are a Canadian citizen, depending on their dates of birth and the legal conditions that apply.

Children born before December 15, 2025 may also be Canadian citizens if the line of descent meets the required conditions.

A spouse or partner does not automatically acquire Canadian citizenship simply by being married to a Canadian citizen.

A non-Canadian spouse may need to follow the usual immigration and family sponsorship route, if eligible.

Important advice before applying to immigrate to Canada

The report notes that checking for Canadian ancestry early may spare some applicants unnecessary procedures.

People with a legal right to citizenship may need a proof of citizenship certificate rather than a permanent residence application.

On the other hand, simply having a Canadian grandparent does not guarantee approval, especially if the chain of documents is incomplete or there are legal limits on the passing of citizenship.

Verifying eligibility through official government channels therefore remains an essential step before making any decision that could affect an immigration file.