Your grandparent’s record hasn’t arrived, but the wait time is now two years. Should you submit a citizenship by descent application anyway?

You've filled out the correct form, gathered your photographs, paid the fees, and requested the right birth certificate from a provincial archive.

By all appearances, you're ready to submit a citizenship by descent application to the Canadian government.

Except there's one problem. The New Brunswick Archives, where you requested your grandmother's birth certificate, is facing higher-than-usual demand. Staff say it will take at least 12 weeks just to begin processing your request, and that timeline could get longer.

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Your Canadian grandmother is your anchor ancestor, sometimes called generation zero, the person your entire citizenship claim rests on. That means the most important document in your application is missing, and it could be months before it arrives.

So, what do you do? Apply now, or wait?

Why waiting can backfire

Tens of thousands of people have been applying for proof of citizenship certificates every month, since Bill C-3 took effect on December 15, 2025, eliminating the first-generation limit on Canadian citizenship by descent for those born before that date.

This is the document that unlocks the full benefits of Canadian citizenship, including a Canadian passport.

That surge has pushed processing times up sharply. In May 2026, the processing time for an application was about 12 months. By August, that had climbed to 25 months, more than double.

Waiting until the archive comes through might feel like the safer choice. But there's a catch. Every month you wait for a document, even a necessary one, can mean months of wait time as Canada processes the mounting backlog of applications.

Applying without an essential record

If everything else in your file is ready (i.e., your form is complete, your fees are paid, your other documentation and photos are in order), you can submit it without the missing record.

But that only works if you have other documentation to fill the gap. For example, if you found a record of your grandmother on a genealogy website or census record. You'd need to include that copy, along with proof that you've formally requested the original from the correct archive.

Once the real record arrives, you need to add it to your file after submission.

Keep in mind that submitting an application without the crucial document is best seen as a contingency plan. Ideally, you are able to receive the document in question from the archive and add it to your application package before it starts getting processed.

An application missing a key document, with nothing to stand in for it, risks being returned or refused, which costs you more time than waiting would have.

If you have nothing to bridge the gap, it's better to hold off until you receive the record from the archive, to minimize the risk of your application being returned or refused.

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What can stand in for a missing record

If you're submitting an application with a gap, you can include the following to help explain the missing document:

• Proof that you've ordered the record (an order confirmation from the relevant provincial archive or registry office) along with a letter of explanation; and
• Secondary evidence of your ancestor's Canadian status, such as baptismal or church records, Canadian census entries, or boat manifests.

What to avoid:

• Submitting an application without proof that you've requested the record from the official source authority;
• Not explaining the gap caused by the missing document through a letter of explanation; and
• Leaving out secondary documentation that supports your case.

Why having supplementary documents matters now more than ever

In June, a routine check identified about 100 certificates with potentially insufficient supporting documentation, some of which relied on records from open sources.

As a result, IRCC reviewed all citizenship certificates issued under Bill C-3.

Following that review, IRCC updated its guidance on what counts as acceptable proof of Canadian lineage. Documents proving your line of descent must now come from the original source authority, meaning the civil registry, vital statistics office, or provincial archive that created and holds the record.

A printout from a subscription genealogy site like Ancestry or FamilySearch no longer carries a claim on its own.

This means that Canada’s citizenship department is placing more weight on obtaining documentation directly from the source authority, and carefully assessing it before approving applications.

What to ask yourself before you submit

• Have you contacted the correct source authority for the missing document?
• Do you have proof of that request, such as a confirmation email?
• Do you have secondary documentation that fills the gap?
• Have you explained the situation in a letter of explanation?
• Is the rest of your application free of common mistakes?

If you're applying for a proof of citizenship certificate and any of this feels uncertain, a licensed immigration professional can review your file and walk you through next steps.

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