Summary
Canada has changed its citizenship rules to automatically grant citizenship to children born or adopted abroad if their Canadian parent was also born outside the country. The parent must have lived in Canada for at least three years before the child's birth or adoption. The changes come from a court ruling that found previous laws unfairly restricted citizenship.
Key Facts
- Canada's new rules give automatic citizenship to some foreign-born children of Canadian parents.
- The parent must have lived in Canada for at least three years before their child's birth or adoption.
- The changes address past rules seen as outdated and unfair.
- The rules changed after a 2023 court said some citizenship limits were unconstitutional.
- An earlier law from 2009 had stopped automatic citizenship for children of Canadians born abroad.
- Approximately 115,000 people might be affected by this change in the next five years.
- Conservative politicians wanted stricter rules, such as language and security requirements, but these were not added.
- A new Canadian citizen, Alfie Jones, is eligible under the new rules and plans to play for Canada in the 2026 World Cup.
