Canada Extends Proof Wait to 12 Months as Multiple Citizenship Surges
Canada’s processing time for proof of Canadian citizenship has climbed to 12 months in the second quarter after a change to the country’s citizenship law, and multiple citizenship applicants from the United States are filling the queue. More than 14,000 people joined the line in the past month, adding pressure to a system already carrying a surge from February and March.
That delay affects people who need a certificate before moving on to a Canadian passport, and it comes after Canada removed the first-generation limit to citizenship by descent for people born before December 15, 2025. For some U.S. citizens, the updated law now opens a path through Canadian ancestry that can reach back four or more generations.
Canada's December 15 change
Canada changed its Citizenship Act on December 15, 2025, removing the first-generation limit to Canadian citizenship by descent for those born before that date. Anyone born before December 15, 2025 who can trace a continuous line of descent from a Canadian ancestor can apply for proof of Canadian citizenship.
The new rules have drawn a large U.S. share of the applications. In January 2026, U.S. citizens filed more citizenship by descent applications than all other top nine source countries combined, after Canada received over 12,000 citizenship by descent applications between December 15 and the end of January.
American demand accelerates
Demand among U.S. citizens surged in February and March this year, and the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec has seen a 3,000% increase in requests. That means archives in Canada are handling a heavier pull for the records people need to prove the family line that the law now allows them to use.
Many Americans pursuing the certificate are seeking a second passport rather than an immediate move to Canada. Once proof is issued, U.S.-Canadian dual citizens can enter Canada at will, live and work anywhere in Canada, purchase Canadian residential real estate, and qualify for publicly funded healthcare if they take up residence.
What applicants can do now
The immediate practical step for affected applicants is to plan around the 12-month processing time rather than the shorter waits many were expecting when the law changed. The queue already includes over 14,000 applicants added in the past month, so anyone gathering family records for a descent-based claim faces a slower path to the certificate that opens the door to a Canadian passport.
Proof of Canadian citizenship does not create additional income tax obligations for U.S. citizens, and Canada does not apply a worldwide tax on its citizens. For applicants deciding whether to proceed, the bottleneck is now the document trail: the law has widened eligibility, but the paperwork line has lengthened with it.
