An officer at Canada’s immigration department can put your permanent residence (PR) application on hold if they have reason to believe you are already a Canadian citizen.
According to Briannah Dale, senior communications adviser at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), in comments to CBC News, the department cannot say how many PR applications it has put on hold because the applicant may also qualify for citizenship.
The reason is Bill C-3, a change to Canada’s Citizenship Act that came into effect on December 15, 2025.
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The bill removed the previous first-generation limit. People born before December 15, 2025, who can trace an unbroken line of descent to a Canadian ancestor may now be Canadian citizens by descent themselves, whether or not they are fully aware of it.
This inadvertently creates a problem for many Americans with Canadian roots who are in the middle of an immigration application. Canada’s immigration department is clear that you cannot be a Canadian citizen and a Canadian permanent resident at the same time.
According to Dale, an officer can place a PR application on hold even where the applicant has not applied for a citizenship certificate, if the officer has “compelling reasons to believe an applicant may already be a citizen under Canadian law.”
Note: Having a Canadian grandparent is not enough to guarantee citizenship by descent. The ancestor must be a citizen at the time that the next generation was born, and there must be no breaks in the line of descent.
What happens if a person applies for both permanent residence and citizenship by descent?
Dale told CBC News that if someone applies for proof of Canadian citizenship while also applying for PR, the PR application is placed on hold while the concurrent citizenship application is assessed.
“If citizenship is confirmed, the permanent residence application will be considered withdrawn. If citizenship is not confirmed, the permanent residence application will return to its original place in the processing queue and resume processing.”
A response from IRCC’s Immigration Representatives Mailbox, published by immigration lawyer Steven Meurrens, sets out the underlying principle: “A person with a claim to citizenship is presumed Canadian through automatic operation of law and ineligible for immigration documents such as a permanent resident visa.”
It is worth noting that the representatives mailbox response describes the process somewhat differently; It states that “applicants who have a pending PR application will be contacted by IRCC to withdraw their immigration application and submit an application for Proof of Citizenship (or Adoption application if applicable).”
“Consequently, applicants who believe they may now have a claim to citizenship must submit an application for a citizenship certificate,” it advised.
The mailbox notes that it provides general guidance and does not answer case-specific inquiries.
Whether a file is withdrawn or simply paused is not clear from either response, and may come down to the officer handling it.
Proof of citizenship and PR: what the timelines look like
As of October 2026, IRCC’s published processing time for a proof of citizenship application was 34 months. This is subject to change and may rise or fall in the months ahead.
On the other hand, spousal sponsorship from outside Canada and outside Quebec currently sits at about 18 months. Processing times for Canada’s skilled worker system under Express Entry is closer to seven.
On paper, the immigration route looks faster. For someone with a genuine claim, it may be tempting to simply apply for PR status.
However, IRCC makes it clear that a person who qualifies for citizenship by descent is not eligible for a PR document as well.
Moreover, applying for proof of citizenship delivers a different status. A citizenship certificate confirms the applicant is already a Canadian citizen. There is no physical presence requirement in Canada, no citizenship test and no oath ceremony, all of which apply to those who wish to apply for Canadian citizenship through permanent residence.
That said, Dale has stated that those who already hold permanent resident status will not lose it while waiting for a citizenship certificate.
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Where that leaves a PR applicant
For anyone with a suspected Canadian ancestor and an immigration application in progress or in the planning stages, the sequence may matter. Resolving the citizenship question first avoids spending time on an immigration status that may not be applicable or available to them.
And on IRCC’s own account, applicants who turn out not to have a claim return to their original place in the queue.
Are you secretly a Canadian citizen by descent?
If you are unsure whether you are a Canadian citizen, it’s best to start by looking at your family tree.
A parent or grandparent or an earlier ancestor whose birthplace is listed as a Canadian province, is a clear indicator.
There are some other subtle clues that could hint towards French-Canadian ancestry: A family that spoke French at home, a French surname, roots in New England. CIC News has set out eight clues in a family history that may point to Canadian descent. None of these confirm a claim on their own. What they tell you is which branch of your family is worth researching.
The fastest way to narrow it further is often to ask your oldest living relatives. Your claim will ultimately rest on documents, and a conversation with an ancestor can reveal where those documents are likely to be.
It is also worth knowing who else in your family a claim would cover, because that affects what you file and when. Children born before December 15, 2025* are generally citizens by descent as well, and they apply for their own citizenship certificates.
Your spouse is a different matter. Canadian citizenship follows descent and adoption, not marriage.
*For children born on or after December 15, 2025, there is an extra requirement. The Canadian parent must demonstrate at least 1,095 days (3 years) of cumulative physical presence in Canada prior to the child’s birth or adoption
Think you may have Canadian ancestry? CanadaVisa’s citizenship by descent eligibility checker can tell you in a few minutes whether you have a claim worth pursuing.
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