Canada Allows Citizenship Claims Without Residency Requirements

Canada has enacted Bill C-3, formally titled An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act (2025), which allows two specific groups to claim Canadian citizenship or proof of it without needing to demonstrate physical presence in the country. This legislation received royal assent on June 5, 2025, and addresses a gap identified by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in December 2023.

The first group consists of individuals known as "Lost Canadians," who automatically became citizens when the bill came into force, having previously lost or never obtained citizenship due to outdated rules. Bill C-3 extends citizenship access to these individuals and their descendants, as well as those born or adopted abroad by a parent in the second generation or later before the law's enactment.

The second group includes children adopted outside Canada before December 15, 2025, by Canadian parents born or adopted abroad, allowing them to apply for citizenship without the physical presence requirement.