A new bill will allow people born outside Canada, who couldn’t pass on Canadian citizenship to their kids born abroad due to a rule called the first-generation limit, to automatically become Canadian citizens.

Bill C-3 amends the Citizenship Act, granting citizenship beyond the first generation if the parent resided in Canada for 1,095 consecutive days (three years) before the child's birth.

The federal government claims its proposed law is "inclusive" and protects Canadian values, but immigration experts appear on the fence, despite these claims. 

Immigration lawyer Ryan Neely, who praised the Liberal bill, acknowledged that passage of this legislation could create a large, "unknown number" of new Canadian citizens globally. 

Those who previously sought Canadian permanent residency but couldn't meet current requirements might now qualify as citizens if they have a direct descendant to pre-1947 Canada, potentially redefining Canadian identity.

However, he states C-3 fixes lingering issues for "Lost Canadians" unaddressed by previous legislative changes. The amendment overturns a Harper-era rule that limited citizenship transmission for Canadians born abroad, according to CTV News.

Ontario's Superior Court struck down the first-generation limit as unconstitutional two years ago, though it was still enforced due to a suspended ruling. A similar Liberal bill (C-71) failed to pass last May.

Admittedly, Neely and lawyer Heather Segal worry about the Department of Immigration's ability to manage increased applications, even though Segal sees the amendment as positive for Canadians.

Between January and April 2025, Canada welcomed over 800,000 new immigrants, including 132,100 permanent residents, 194,000 study permits, and 491,400 work permits. 

Almost half of Canadians believe there are too many immigrants coming to the country. Public pressure prompted rollbacks from 485,000 permanent residents in 2023 to 365,000 by 2027.

Neely emphasizes the need for the agency's systems to manage increased applications, a concern shared by Segal, who fears it could lead to an overload.

As of April 30, Immigration Refugee Citizen Canada (IRCC) has over 2 million applications in its inventory, including 242,500 citizenship applications, with a backlog of 760,200 applications.

According to IRCC data, their backlogs had more than halved since 2022.

The Immigration Department estimates it will take over seven years to clear the permanent residency application backlog, with appeals exacerbating the backlog.

Appeals surged from 5,572 in 2017 to 24,784 last year, while refugee claims increased from 43,250 to 272,440. Federal Court rulings against the immigration department nearly doubled from 612 in 2017 to 1,101 in 2024.

The briefing note, Undocumented Migrants, estimates that as many as 500,000 people reside in Canada without status, including illegal immigrants and others who exhausted their appeals.

Critics like Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner cite fraud, abuse, backlogs, and illegal immigration, urging an immediate curtailment of current levels. MP Jamil Jivani earlier sponsored a petition to end work permits for low-skilled foreigners.

The Liberal government still maintains high immigration rates, despite promising to reduce immigration to sustainable levels, capping temporary workers and students at 5% of the population (2 million) and permanent residents at 1% (400,000) by 2027.

Some 4.9 million people, whose visas are set to expire between September 2024 and December, are expected to voluntarily leave.

PETITION: Net-Zero Immigration!

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Canadians are suffering as a result of uncontrolled immigration under the leadership of Prime Minister Mark Carney. The cost of living has soared, there's inadequate housing, and our social welfare system is buckling at the seams. Please sign our petition here to demand that Mark Carney stop the unmitigated influx of immigrants to Canada!

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