Processing time for proof of Canadian citizenship applications surpasses two years

As of August 10, the wait for a proof of Canadian citizenship certificate has soared to 25 months.

The federal government's tool that tracks processing times shows the current estimate has jumped significantly from July, when it was 19 months.

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As recently as May, the same application took 12 months to process. That means the wait has more than doubled in three months.

Meanwhile, the number of people awaiting a decision from Canada’s citizenship department, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has also grown exponentially, exceeding the 100K mark for the first time.

As of August 10, it stood at 121,800, an increase of roughly 22,300 applicants waiting on a decision from IRCC since July. That is a 22% increase.

Why have these numbers grown so much?

On December 15, 2025, Canada removed the first-generation limit on citizenship by descent for anyone born before that date.

The rule change means a person with an unbroken line to a Canadian ancestor is now a Canadian citizen, and can apply for proof of Canadian citizenship, no matter how many generations separate them.

That shift opened the door for millions of Americans with Canadian ancestry, especially in parts of New England, where hundreds of thousands of French Canadians settled between 1840 and 1930.

In January 2026, the processing time for proof of citizenship applications was only 10 months. The months that have followed have brought a surge in applications, and IRCC's processing estimate has climbed accordingly.

A certificate review likely added to the delay

A second factor may also be pushing wait times higher. In June 2026, IRCC emailed a group of recent recipients of Canada's citizenship certificate across the US, telling them their approved claim was now under review.

For the month that followed, the department paused finalizing new citizenship-by-descent applications while it checked the documentation behind certificates already issued. IRCC completed that review on June 30.

Processing for proof of Canadian citizenship applications has since resumed. But the review sat on top of an already-swelling caseload, and that overlap likely contributed to sharper jump in wait times.

Should I wait to apply?

Those who are eligible and apply today join a queue of more than 121,000 people, with a decision realistically landing well over two years out.

Waiting to apply won't necessarily help. IRCC calculates its estimate based on how many applications are already ahead of a given file at the time it's submitted, along with staffing and expected new volumes.

Someone who delays is more likely to step into a longer wait later, not a shorter one, as more people submit applications.

Am I a Canadian citizen?

Anyone born before December 15, 2025 who can trace their ancestry to a Canadian grandparent, great-grandparent, or more distant ancestor may already hold Canadian citizenship, regardless of where they were born.

It doesn't matter where the person was born, or whether their parents or grandparents ever lived in Canada or held Canadian passports.

Since the passing of the bill, thousands of Americans have been applying for proof of Canadian citizenship, in the form of a Canadian citizenship certificate. This document confirms their status, giving them access to the benefits that come with being a Canadian citizen (including a Canadian passport).

If you are unsure whether you qualify, you can check your eligibility through CanadaVisa's citizenship by descent eligibility checker.

Get a Free Consultation on Applying for Proof of Canadian Citizenship