Can Bill C-3 be reversed? Here’s what an immigration lawyer has to say

Since Canada’s Bill C-3 came into effect, misconceptions about what the legislation actually does — and doesn't do — have circulated among prospective applicants.

Bill C-3 is an amendment to Canada's Citizenship Act. It removes the first-generation limit that had previously barred Canadians born abroad from passing citizenship to their own children, also born outside Canada, and it introduces a 1,095-day substantial connection requirement for children born on or after December 15, 2025.

For readers pursuing citizenship by descent, this means a wider group of applicants is now eligible to claim Canadian citizenship.

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But it has also raised a harder question: Could a future Parliament amend or repeal the changes made by Bill C-3? And if that were to happen, would that mean that Canadian citizenship status for those under Bill C-3 would be taken away?

We spoke to a lawyer at Cohen Immigration Law, to get an answer.

Could Bill C-3 be reversed?

To begin with, it’s important to note that Bill C-3 is now part of Canada’s citizenship Act, having come into effect on December 15, 2025.

That means, for people born before that date, who became citizens because of the amendments, the legislation provides the basis of their Canadian citizenship. The citizenship certificate they are applying for is just proof of that status.

In other words, if this applies to you, you are already a Canadian citizen, and are merely requesting a document that proves your citizenship.

That said, could a future government amend the Citizenship Act again? And what would that mean for those who received citizenship certificates under the amendments made by Bill C-3?

As per the lawyer: “Technically, Parliament can always pass new legislation and change citizenship laws going forward. However, that is very different from saying that citizenship already acquired under C-3 would simply be cancelled if a future government decided to reintroduce a generational limit.

When Canada previously changed the citizenship-by-descent rules — including introducing the first-generation limit in 2009 — the legislation did not simply take citizenship away from people who were already Canadian citizens.

So, while no lawyer can guarantee what Parliament may do decades into the future, citizenship obtained under Bill C-3 should not be viewed as temporary or conditional. If IRCC assesses your application under the current law, determines that you are a Canadian citizen, and issues you proof of that citizenship, then you are a Canadian citizen.”

It’s also important to note that, amending the Citizenship Act is a complex and time-consuming process.

To amend the Citizenship Act, the government would have to introduce a bill in the House of Commons or Senate, then must pass it through both. This includes a First Reading, Second Reading, Committee study, Report Stage, and Third Reading. Once both chambers pass the bill, it goes to the Governor General for Royal Assent, becoming law.

This is a long drawn-out process that is unlikely to happen on an expedited timeline and without notice to applicants.

When can Canadian citizenship be revoked?

There are specific legal factors that lead to the revocation of Canadian citizenship, such as when the citizenship was obtained through fraud, false representation, or knowingly concealing material information.

In Canadian immigration, this is classed as misrepresentation, which is a serious offence.

Some examples of misrepresentation include (but are not limited to):

• Omitting, whether consciously or not, important information that could impact the outcome of your application; or
• Submitting altered or false documentation.

So while Canadian citizenship can be revoked, it is done under particular circumstances.

As per the lawyer: "It is not simply a matter of IRCC deciding one day to cancel a valid citizenship certificate because the political climate has changed."

IRCC's surrender letters controversy contributed to the confusion

That question didn't emerge in a vacuum.

In June 2026, Canada’s citizenship department, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), issued surrender letters to some applicants, asking them to return previously issued citizenship certificates, and paused the finalization of new proof of citizenship applications.

At the same time, the department updated the documentation standards applicants must meet — tightening requirements around original source authority and specifying that every generation in a descent chain must be documented.

By the end of June, IRCC announced that it had completed the broader review at the end of June and resumed processing. It also stated that only 1% of all applicants who had certificates issued to them were actually impacted.

However, for those who had already applied, or who were watching the process closely, the combination of paused applications, letters asking for documents back, and new evidentiary requirements made Canada’s citizenship by descent application process seem volatile.

Am I a Canadian citizen?

Since the passing of Bill C-3, tens of thousands of Americans are waking up to the reality that they are now considered Canadian citizens by descent.

Since both America and Canada allow dual citizenship, this means they are now dual US-Canadian citizens.

That means they retain their American passport and citizenship, while also enjoying the benefits that come with Canadian citizenship: the ability to freely live, work and travel in Canada, apply for a Canadian passport. Their children may be able to study in Canada without a study permit. Canadian citizens generally aged 18 to 35 may be able to apply through youth-mobility arrangements with more than 35 countries and territories, subject to each destination’s eligibility rules.

Meanwhile, getting a Canadian citizenship certificate alone does not trigger any new taxes. Canada taxes are based on residency, so an American who gains dual citizenship but does not move to Canada or have Canadian income won’t owe Canadian income tax. It’s only if an American settles in Canada as tax residents will they have to navigate both systems, but even then, the US-Canada tax treaty will be able to provide them with some relief.

If you have reason to think you may be a Canadian citizen by descent, the first step would be to speak to your oldest surviving relatives about ancestry. There are certain clues that could indicate Canadian ancestry: a grandparent or ancestor who speaks only French, a French-Canadian surname, or family that talks about how they moved from “up north.”

If you have an ancestor who was born in Canada, you qualify thanks to Canada’s birthright citizenship laws.

That said, ancestry alone does not establish citizenship. Every generational link and the relevant ancestor’s status must be documented.

If you are still unsure of where you stand, CanadaVisa has a citizenship eligibility checker that could provide you with more clarity.

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