BREAKING: Canada freezes all new citizenship by descent approvals, reviews certificates already granted

On Tuesday, June 23, Immigration Minister Lena Diab confirmed that Canada has paused all new citizenship by descent approvals and is reviewing the files of people who have already been granted citizenship.

“Those that are deemed to be okay are being told [they’re] fine,” Diab said. 

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Those who have already been granted Canadian citizenship under Canada’s new citizenship by descent law will continue to have their status and can work as their application is reviewed, the minister said.

"We are taking it seriously, and we will review it and take the time that we need, ensuring that we will be clear with Canadians," Diab told reporters at a press conference.

On June 13, Canada's citizenship department sent surrender letters to those who received Canadian citizenship under Canada’s updated citizenship by descent laws, telling them their citizenship claim was "under review" even though it had already been approved.

What triggered the pause?

At the press conference, a journalist pressed Diab on whether the review was triggered by an error in the department's use of AI, advanced analytics tools, or by a mistake made by an individual officer.

The minister did not answer direct questions about what caused the government to demand that approved citizens hand back their certificates.

She said only that she had instructed the department to investigate "the second" she became aware something was wrong.

Updated documentation

Following this review of Canadian citizenship certificates, Canada's citizenship department has issued new guidance on what it expects as proof of Canadian lineage from people applying for citizenship by descent.

These changes raise the accepted supporting documentation and the documentary standard for citizenship-by-descent applications.

Among other changes, documents proving your line of descent must now come from the original source authority.

Where things stand now

Canada has already begun returning some certificates as of this week.

Revalidation letters sent by the department state that a review of the documents filed is complete, that there is sufficient evidence to support the claim, and that the person is entitled to hold a certificate.

Canadians who have been issued these revalidation letters report not submitting any additional evidence since receiving their surrender letters. This suggests the government reviewed their file with information they had already submitted.

Background

On December 15, 2025, changes to Canada’s Citizenship Act took effect, allowing people born before that date to now claim Canadian citizenship without meeting any residency requirement, provided they can prove lineage from a Canadian citizen.

Beginning in February and March 2026, immigration lawyers and citizenship consultants across Canada experienced a massive surge in demand to assist with applications, especially from Americans, for proof of Canadian citizenship certificates.

As of June, there are 82,000 applications in the queue, pushing the expected processing time for incoming applications up to 15 months.

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