Many of your family members may qualify for Canadian citizenship by descent. But applying together carries a lesser-known risk

You just realized that you're not the only person in your family eligible for Canadian citizenship by descent.

Your Canadian citizen claim comes through a grandparent. That, by default, means your biological siblings also qualify as Canadian citizens through that same grandparent. So do their children.

The next natural step is figuring out how to submit multiple proof of citizenship applications to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Canada's citizenship department.

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Mailing every relative's paperwork together in one shipment seems like the more efficient choice. But there's a catch: if IRCC finds one relative's application incomplete, it returns every application in the package, not just that one.

Together or separately: Deciding how to submit your paper application

You can mail multiple family applications in a single shipment.

At the time of writing, proof of citizenship applications are mailed as paper submissions to Canada's citizenship processing centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Sending them together has a real upside. All the applications arrive at once, so there's less risk that one goes missing or gets flagged separately from the rest. Because they land together, they often move through processing on similar timelines.

Due to rising processing times, submitting together can also increase the likelihood that all family members receive a decision on their application around the same time (though this is far from guaranteed).

The cost is shared risk. If any single application in the package is deemed incomplete, IRCC returns all of them, not just the incomplete one. Wait time for a proof of citizenship application is approximately 25 months according to IRCC's processing times tool, and a returned package can set the entire family back even further.

Submitting individually avoids that shared risk.

If an application is complete, it moves forward on its own schedule, regardless of what's happening with any other family member’s file.

This may also be the better option if one person’s file is lacking a certain crucial document, or is a bit more complex when compared to the rest of the family’s files.

The trade-off is coordination: you lose the convenience of a single mailing, and there's no guarantee your timeline will line up with a relative's.

What to keep in mind, when submitting multiple applications together

At the end of the day, whether you decide to submit applications together or individually come down to choice. Both methods have real benefits, so the right call depends on your family's files.

That said, if you are sending more than one application in a single package, there are some things you need to know:

Every application should be complete

Applying together doesn't mean sharing documents. It's tempting to assume that since you already share a Canadian ancestor, one copy of that ancestor's birth certificate covers multiple applicants. It doesn't. Each application must include its own full set of documents and forms, because the files may be opened separately and reviewed by different officers.

Incomplete applications run the risk of being returned by IRCC.

Each application should have:

• A signed and dated proof of citizenship application form (CIT 0001);
• A document checklist (CIT 0014);
• Two citizenship photos;
• Photo identification of the applicant;
• A receipt showing the citizenship application fee has been paid; and
• A full set of the lineage documents (not a shared set).

IRCC recently introduced more lenient measures for proof of citizenship applicants from outside Canada and the US.

Add a cover letter

Adding a cover letter can be helpful in these cases.

It can note related applications, identify the other family members applying alongside you, and help IRCC see the connection on the record.

To learn more about cover letters, read our dedicated article on the topic.

Pay the fees together

IRCC states on its website that if more than one family member is applying at the same time, you can pay all the fees together and include one receipt covering every application in the package.

Mail that receipt with all the applications in the same envelope so IRCC processes them together.

Use one envelope per applicant, inside a single outer package

To minimize confusion, lawyers recommend putting one envelope per applicant inside a single outer package (such as a FedEx package) when submitting applications for an entire family.

There's no fixed cap on how many applications can go into one shipment, but more applicants mean more paperwork, and a thicker package is easier to disorganize.

If your family has several eligible members, mailing each applicant's package separately may be the simpler and better path.

Spouses follow a different path

You can't use your family's Canadian lineage to establish citizenship for your spouse.

Citizenship by descent depends on a documented bloodline connection to a Canadian ancestor. That said, once you hold a Canadian citizenship certificate, you may be able to sponsor your spouse for Canadian permanent residence. Once they meet the requirements, including residency, they can apply for citizenship themselves.

If you're unsure whether you or your family qualify as Canadian citizens by descent, CanadaVisa has a free eligibility checker you can use. And if you're further along and wondering about next steps, a licensed immigration lawyer can give you personalized guidance.

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