As US birthright citizenship faces new restrictions, many Americans are learning they qualify for Canadian citizenship

On Thursday, August 6, US President Donald Trump signed two executive orders aimed at narrowing birthright citizenship, months after the Supreme Court struck down his broader attempt to do the same.

One order expands the categories of people the administration says are ineligible for automatic citizenship at birth, including children connected to foreign governments or designated terrorist organizations. The other targets "birth tourism," seeking to bar entry to people the administration believes are travelling to the US specifically to give birth on US soil.

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This is the second time Trump has tried to reshape birthright citizenship since returning to office. The first attempt, signed in January 2025, was broader and was struck down by the courts before it ever took effect.

Legal experts expect this version to face the same scrutiny. For now, it adds another chapter to a fight over US citizenship policy that's been on-going for close to two years, with no final resolution in sight.

Meanwhile, Canada moved in another direction

While US citizenship policy remains contested in the courts, Canada opened eligibility for its citizenship to millions of Americans last year.

On December 15, 2025, a change to Canada's Citizenship Act, Bill C-3 took effect, allowing Canadian citizenship to pass down by descent to grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and further generations born before that date.

That means that those born before December 15, 2025, who can trace an unbroken line of descent to a Canadian ancestor are already Canadian citizens. For those born after that date, their parents must show at least 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada before the applicant's birth.

Since the passing of this bill, thousands of Americans have been applying for proof of Canadian citizenship. Many have no immediate intention of moving to Canada. Instead, it serves almost as a secure back-up option, and a desire for a second passport. With America’s politics in constant flux, many see Canada as a stable – and welcoming – country to settle into in the future.

That's especially true for some LGBTQ+ and transgender Americans, who have watched a wave of state and federal policy changes affect their communities over the last few years, and who may see a second citizenship as one way to keep more options open. In some of these cases, applicants can request urgent processing, which IRCC grants at its discretion where someone faces harm or hardship

Many others are applying for their children, who may also be Canadian citizens by descent, through the same bloodline. The citizenship provides their child with easy access to another country, more travel and work opportunities, and also access to cheaper tuition fees should they wish to study there.

Those thinking of relocating to Canada as citizens can also benefit from Canada’s social services, including its publicly funded healthcare system.

Are you a Canadian citizen?

Bill C-3 works differently than most immigration processes.

You don't apply to become a Canadian citizen through it. If you can trace your family tree back to a Canadian, without a break in the chain, you may already be a Canadian. You need to apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate, a document proving your status.

That means locating records for every generation between you and your Canadian-born ancestor: birth certificates, marriage certificates, and anything that documents a name change along the way. Once that documentation is assembled, the next step is filling in the necessary form and submitting an application package to Canada’s citizenship department.

Current processing times for these applications run around 19 months.

If you think you might have a Canadian-born ancestor somewhere in your family tree, CanadaVisa has a citizenship by descent eligibility tracker that can be used as a starting point to help you find out whether your family history could qualify.

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