SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Canada's Bill C-3 took effect on Dec. 15, 2025, opening citizenship by descent to anyone born before that date who can prove they have a direct Canadian ancestor such as a grandparent, great-grandparent or more distant relative. Previously, Canadian citizenship by descent could only be passed down one generation, from a parent to a child.

Under the new law, descendants of Canadians are considered citizens but must provide proof to obtain a certificate of citizenship. People born on or after Dec. 15, 2025 must show their parent met a residency requirement of 1,095 days. The application fee for proof of citizenship is 75 Canadian dollars.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada confirmed citizenship by descent for 1,480 people from Dec. 15 to Jan. 31, though not all were Americans. The processing time for a certificate of citizenship is around 10 months, with more than 56,000 people awaiting a decision, according to the agency's website. Last year, 24,500 Americans gained dual U.S.-Canada citizenship.

Amandeep Hayer, an immigration attorney whose Vancouver, B.C., area practice went from about 200 citizenship cases a year to more than 20 consults per day, advocated for the new law in the Parliament of Canada. Hayer estimated that there are millions of Americans who are Canadian descendants.

"You are Canadian, and you're considered to be one your whole life," Hayer said. "The best way I can put it is like, if a baby's born tomorrow in Canada, the baby's Canadian even though they don't have the birth certificate."

Zack Loud of Farmington, Minnesota, learned that under the new law Canada already considered him and his siblings citizens because their grandmother is Canadian. "My wife and I were already talking about potentially looking at jobs outside the country, but citizenship pushed Canada way up on our list," Loud said.

Michelle Cunha of Bedford, Massachusetts, decided to move to Canada after reflecting on decades of political activism. She used an attorney and estimates the application cost will be about 6,500 Canadian dollars.

"I put in my best effort for 30 years. I have done everything that I possibly can to make the United States what it promises the world to be, a place of freedom, a place of equality," Cunha said. "But clearly we're not there and we're not going to get there anytime soon."

Other applicants include Troy Hicks of Pahrump, Nevada, whose great-grandfather was born in Canada, and Maureen Sullivan of Naples, Florida, whose grandmother was Canadian. Sullivan was motivated by the Trump administration's immigration enforcement in Minnesota after her teenage nephew encountered federal officers near his high school in St. Paul.