Indian-origin families and ‘lost Canadians’: New citizenship bill removes first-generation cap, helping more children of Indian-origin Canadians born abroad become citizens
In a major relief for Indian-origin residents and others affected by restrictive nationality laws, Canada is introducing Bill C-3, a landmark amendment to its Citizenship Act.
The bill, currently before Parliament, proposes to extend Canadian citizenship rights beyond the current first-generation limit for children born abroad. It also aims to restore citizenship to a category of people known as ‘Lost Canadians’—those who were previously denied or stripped of citizenship due to outdated legal provisions, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
The proposed bill allows Canadian parents born abroad to pass on citizenship to their children—if they meet a residency requirement
Under current rules, Canadian citizens born outside Canada cannot pass on citizenship to their children also born abroad. Bill C-3 seeks to eliminate this restriction. Once passed, Canadian parents—regardless of whether they were born in Canada—can confer citizenship to children born or adopted outside Canada, even beyond the first generation.
However, the parent must have lived in Canada for at least 1,095 days (or 3 years) before the child’s birth or adoption to qualify.
Lost Canadians to regain citizenship, and children of citizens abroad to benefit
Bill C-3 also addresses long-standing grievances of the ‘Lost Canadians’—individuals who lost or were denied citizenship because of outdated clauses in Canada’s older citizenship laws. Past legal updates in 2009 and 2015 helped many, but not all. The new legislation aims to cover those left out, ensuring that both the affected individuals and their descendants are eligible to regain or acquire Canadian citizenship.
The government stated: “Bill C-3 will restore citizenship to remaining Lost Canadians, their descendants, and anyone born abroad to a Canadian parent in the second or subsequent generations before the law comes into effect.”
This includes those who lost citizenship due to Section 8 of the earlier Citizenship Act, which had previously mandated loss of citizenship under certain residency conditions.
An inclusive step amid US crackdown on immigrants
Bill C-3 comes at a crucial time when many Indian-origin families are grappling with uncertain futures in the United States, especially under renewed immigration restrictions by the Trump administration. Canada’s move stands in contrast, offering greater inclusion and legal clarity to individuals with transnational family ties.
