Claiming Canadian Citizenship Through a Grandparent — or even a Great-Grandparent!
With major changes coming to Canadian citizenship law through Bill C-71, getting citizenship through a grandparent is now a reality but many people are wondering What about through a great-grandparent?
Here’s what we know — and where things are still uncertain.
Citizenship Through a Grandparent: The Current Rules
Until now, Canada’s citizenship law only allowed you to inherit citizenship automatically if:
- Your parent was Canadian (either by birth in Canada or naturalization), and
- You were born outside Canada to that Canadian parent.
If your Canadian connection was only through a grandparent — meaning your parent was not a Canadian citizen at your birth — you had no claim under the old rules. Citizenship could not “skip” a generation.
How Bill C-71 Changes Things
Bill C-71 will remove the old first-generation limit and allow Canadian citizenship to pass to grandchildren born abroad.
Once Bill C-71 is in force:
- If your grandparent was a Canadian citizen, you will be able to claim citizenship directly, even if your parent never obtained Canadian citizenship.
- There will be a “substantial connection” test if you are born after December 2023 (when the Canadian Government announced they would not appeal the decision overturning the First Generation limit)
This is a major shift.
Citizenship Through a Great-Grandparent: Is It Possible?
Now for the more speculative part.
Bill C-71 does not create a direct right to claim citizenship through a great-grandparent.
However, in some cases, it might become possible, depending on the final regulations and individual family history.
Here’s how it might work:
- If your great-grandparent was Canadian,
- And your grandparent inherited or could have inherited Canadian citizenship,
- Then you might be able to claim citizenship as the grandchild of the Canadian citizen (your grandparent),
- Even if your parent was not a Canadian citizen.
This depends on several important factors:
- Whether your grandparent would be treated as a Canadian citizen under the new rules,
- Whether the “substantial connection” requirements are met, and
- Whether the government allows for recognition of these links even when your parent never claimed citizenship.
Right now, this is all highly speculative.
The law is clear about passing Canadian citizenship to grandchildren — but passing it through to great-grandchildren depends entirely on how intermediate generations are handled, and could be very limited in practice.
In Short
- If you have a Canadian grandparent:
You can now begin the process for applying for Canadian citizenship. - If you only have a Canadian great-grandparent:
Your situation is more complicated, and any path to citizenship will depend on whether your grandparent is considered to have inherited citizenship under the new rules. It’s not guaranteed.
What You Should Do Now
If you think you might qualify:
- Gather important documents like birth certificates, marriage certificates, and proof of your grandparent’s Canadian citizenship.
- Trace where each generation was born and lived.
- Follow our updates closely for the full implementation of Bill C-71, including detailed application instructions.
Canadian citizenship by descent is documentation-heavy. Start preparing your family records early to avoid delays once the new rules are in place.
If you believe you are eligible for Canadian citizenship based on the above information then please get in touch and speak with an expert now.
