Do you need a lawyer to apply for Canadian citizenship through descent?

Many Americans exploring Canadian citizenship through descent assume they need to hire a lawyer before they can apply.

In reality, you are not legally required to use a lawyer for a Canadian citizenship application. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) allows applicants to prepare and submit their own files.

The application forms and guidance are available free of charge on the government’s website, and applications are assessed on the same basis regardless of whether a representative was involved. Hiring someone does not give your application special priority or guarantee a more favourable outcome.

That said, the fact that you can apply on your own does not always mean that you should. Canadian citizenship through ancestry applications, particularly those involving multiple generations, historical records or complex family histories, leave very little room for error. A single mistake can result in the entire application being returned, resetting an already long process. This is why many applicants opt to use an authorised Canadian immigration consultant.

Citizenship-by-descent cases are often document-heavy

Under Bill C-3, which took effect on 15 December 2025 and expanded eligibility for ancestry-based citizenship claims, millions of Americans may now qualify through a parent,
grandparent or more distant Canadian ancestor.

That expansion has created a surge in applications involving:

• Multi-generational family trees
• French-Canadian ancestry
• Missing birth or marriage records
• Historical church documents
• Adoption histories
• Name changes across generations
• Ancestors born in multiple jurisdictions

These cases often involve tracing records across provincial archives, historical databases and older citizenship legislation.

Lawyers are not the only authorised professionals 

If you do choose to use a paid representative, Canadian law recognises two categories of authorised professionals for citizenship applications: lawyers who are members in good standing of a Canadian provincial or territorial law society, and members in good standing of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), known as Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants, or RCICs. 

Both are fully authorised to advise you, prepare your application and correspond with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on your behalf.

Doherty Fultz Immigration are experienced RCICs who focus specifically on complex ancestry-based citizenship applications.

What is the difference in practice?

A lawyer’s training covers the full breadth of Canadian law, of which immigration and citizenship is one part. An RCIC’s training, by contrast, is focused entirely on Canadian immigration and citizenship law from day one. RCICs complete a Graduate Diploma in Immigration and Citizenship Law and must pass a rigorous entry exam before they can represent any client. 

What actually matters for a descent claim?

Whether you choose a lawyer or an RCIC, the most important factor when applying for Canadian citizenship through a parent, grandparent or relation further back is not the professional’s job title. Rather, it is their specific experience with citizenship by descent claims.

These applications are a niche area of Canadian immigration law. They involve genealogical research, historical records, older citizenship legislation and the ability to build a complete, unbroken documentary chain across multiple generations. A general law practitioner, may have limited experience with the specific requirements of a descent claim..

What about applying without any help?

Technically, Americans can manage their own applications. But the risks are real. Even small discrepancies involving names, dates or generational links can cause an application to be returned. For anyone pursuing Canadian citizenship through a grandmother, Canadian citizenship through a grandfather or more distant ancestry, the genealogical complexity alone can make professional guidance a worthwhile investment.

Doherty Fultz Immigration specialises specifically in Canadian citizenship through descent applications, including complex multi-generational cases. As experienced Canadian immigration consultants, we are fully authorised to represent you before Immigration Canada and other related authorities, and we have helped Americans from all 50 states navigate this process. Our principal, Cassandra Fultz, was born and raised in America, and our pricing is transparent and flat-fee.

If you are considering applying for your grant of Canadian citizenship and want to understand your options, contact Doherty Fultz Immigration today for a consultation.