What the Minister Confirmed

The Minister confirmed several important points.

First, IRCC is not currently finalizing new applications connected to Bill C-3 while the review is underway.

“At this point, we are not finalizing any new applications.”

Second, she indicated that applications are being reviewed more broadly.

“All applications are being reviewed.”

Third, she confirmed that affected individuals in Canada will retain the status they already had while the review continues.

“Anybody that’s in Canada may be affected will still have the status that they already had.”

These statements are significant because they suggest that this issue is no longer limited only to the individuals who received initial surrender letters. IRCC appears to be conducting a broader review of applications approved under Bill C-3 and the Lost Canadians framework.

What the Minister Did Not Explain

The most notable part of the exchange may be what the Minister did not say.

She did not confirm:

• whether this was caused by documentary evidence concerns;
• whether the issue involved applications relying on Ancestry or other third-party genealogy records;
• whether the problem was caused by one officer or multiple officers;
• whether artificial intelligence (AI) or automated processing tools played any role;
• how many applications are being reviewed;
• when finalization of new applications will resume.

Instead, the Minister repeatedly stated that she has instructed the department to investigate.

That is important because it suggests that IRCC itself may still be determining exactly what happened.

Some Applicants Have Reportedly Had Citizenship Certificates Reinstated

The reporter also stated that some affected individuals have now received follow-up letters from IRCC advising that their citizenship claims are being recognized again and that there is no longer a need to surrender their citizenship certificates.

According to the question put to the Minister, some of those individuals did not submit additional evidence between receiving the first letter and the second letter.

The Minister did not dispute that timeline.

If accurate, this raises further questions about what triggered the original surrender letters and whether the issue was truly about missing evidence, inconsistent processing, internal review procedures, or something else entirely.

What This Means for Applicants

For people who have already received citizenship certificates under Bill C-3 or the interim measures, the key point is that a review letter is not the same thing as a final revocation of citizenship.

For people waiting for approval, the Minister’s statement suggests that new finalizations may be paused while IRCC reviews what happened.

For people considering applying, Bill C-3 remains in force. The law has not been repealed, suspended, or overturned.

However, this situation reinforces the importance of submitting strong, reliable, verifiable documentation issued by the original authority wherever possible.

Our Analysis

At this stage, we do not know exactly what caused the issue.

Earlier indications suggested that documentary evidence may be part of the concern, particularly in light of IRCC’s recent changes to its online instructions for citizenship by descent applications immediately after issuing the suspension letters.

However, the Minister’s comments suggest that the situation may be broader than a simple question of whether certain applicants relied on third-party genealogical records.

If IRCC is reviewing all approved applications and pausing new finalizations, this appears to be a larger internal review of the program.

The most responsible conclusion right now is this:

IRCC has not yet publicly explained what happened, but it has confirmed that new applications are not being finalized and that existing applications are under review.

We will continue monitoring this closely.

What Applicants Should Do Now, Generally Speaking

If you have already applied or already received a citizenship certificate:

• keep all original documents and certified copies;
• monitor all correspondence from IRCC;
• do not ignore any letter or email from IRCC;
• contact your representative immediately if you receive a review letter.

If you are preparing to apply:

• do not rely solely on third-party genealogy records;
• obtain official documents from the original issuing authority wherever available;
• keep proof of all efforts made to obtain unavailable records;
• seek advice before submitting if your documentary chain has gaps.

Full Transcript of the Relevant Exchange

Note: This transcript was prepared from the publicly available CPAC recording at the link above. Minor transcription errors may exist. Readers are encouraged to review the original video for full context.

David Baxter, Canadian Press:

Good afternoon, Minister Diab, David Baxter with the Canadian Press. Bear with me, this is going to be a bit of a longer question, but it’s going somewhere, don’t worry.

Since I last had a chance to ask you about the whole situation with Bill C-3 and the Lost Canadians, your department’s website updated the document guidance to say that a certified baptismal record would be one of the applicable documents if someone couldn’t get a birth certificate of a Canadian ancestor.

The department put out a statement that same day saying that they were pausing the finalization of any other Bill C-3 related citizenship claims, and that they’re currently looking into what led to this whole situation of people getting surrender letters in the first place.

On Friday, the website was updated once again to remove the certification requirement from the baptismal record. On Saturday, people started getting letters from IRCC saying that their citizenship claims were being recognized once again. There was no longer a need to surrender their citizenship certificate.

I’ve talked to some of those people. They didn’t hear anything from IRCC between the first letter and the second letter, and never had to submit more evidence to support their claim.

Also, on Monday, your department was saying that all 4,000 people who received citizenship through Bill C-3 were going to be having their citizenship claims reviewed as part of this process. They aren’t getting surrender letters, but that review is ongoing.

So really the question is, it’s been over a week now since this whole thing started, what’s going on in IRCC with this program?

Minister Lina Diab:

Thanks for the question. I appreciate your interest because many people are interested, but it also affects many people. And so it’s important that we’re clear on this.

Being a Canadian citizen is a privilege. And it is one. You know, you’re lucky if you’re born in Canada, you’re a Canadian, and sometimes for many people, they don’t even think about it.

But for those that are not born in Canada, that is the most prized gift that they may ever receive in their lifetime. So we understand that.

We also understand that for Canadians as well, who are contributing to Canada, that is a very important question.

I have taken this issue very, very seriously, coming from an immigrant family who understands how serious this all is, and I have instructed the department when the second I found out there were some, you know, something that I wasn’t sure what it was, to investigate.

And so I can clearly tell you that at this point, we are not finalizing any new applications. And all applications are being reviewed. Those that are deemed to be okay are being told you’re fine.

David Baxter, Canadian Press:

But what led to this all in the first place? It’s been over a week now, and there’s still no clear answer. There’s a lot of people wondering what this means for their citizenship.

Was it an issue with AI or advanced analytics that the department uses in helping review large batches of materials? Was it some employee made a mistake somewhere down the line, and that triggered a broader review of files that they processed earlier?

Like, what exactly is going on that led to people being told, you have citizenship, some of them moved to Canada, sold their places in the US, got set up here, and then they got rug pulled by the government saying, actually, you might not be a citizen anymore, and they don’t know what’s going on with their lives.

What led to this whole situation?

Minister Lina Diab:

So, again, it is serious. I am taking it very seriously, which is exactly why I’ve instructed the department to investigate and look fully as to what has happened and how we got ourselves to here to ensure that those who are granted Canadian citizenship have proven their lineage and are receiving the right documents.

So anybody that’s in Canada may be affected will still have the status that they already had, and so they can continue to work, or, you know, whatever their situation is, that is still ongoing.

But, as I said, we are taking it seriously and we will review it.