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Americans Seek Canadian Citizenship Through Centuries-Old Ancestry Records
Archives are fielding thousands of requests as Americans search old records to prove an unbroken family line for citizenship claims.
- Following recent amendments to the Canadian Citizenship Act, known as Bill C-3, which removed the "first-generation limit," Americans are flooding Canadian archives to prove an "uninterrupted legal chain" for citizenship.
- The Canadian Parliament amended the Citizenship Act after a 2023 Ontario Superior Court ruling declared the previous "first-generation limit" on citizenship by descent unconstitutional.
- Provincial archivist Joanna Aiton Kerr noted a backlog of 1,700 applications in New Brunswick and Quebec, an "exceptional volume" more than 12 times higher than last year.
- Applicants like Cody Sibley and Maria Dutilly are researching family ancestry dating back to 1710, while others seek citizenship for safety, heritage, or to honor family background.
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada spokesman Matthew Krupovich cautioned that "distant Canadian ancestry alone does not make someone automatically eligible," as each application is reviewed case-by-case.
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30 Articles
30 Articles
The Toronto Star+4 Reposted by 4 other sources
Americans are looking back centuries to find Canadian ancestors — and citizenship
Cody Sibley was born and raised in Louisiana, but he always felt his family shared strong ties to Canada thanks to his Acadian ancestors from Nova Scotia.
·Toronto, Canada
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Americans seek their Canadian ancestry – and citizenship
The Canadian Press spoke to Americans who are hoping to be confirmed as Canadian citizens, after recent law changes lifted the so-called 'first-generation limit' on citizenship by descent. Some are looking back hundreds of years, long before Confederation, to find an ancestor born in what is now Canada.
·Canada
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Cody Sibley was born and raised in Louisiana, but he always felt that his family had close ties to Canada thanks to his Acadian ancestors in Nova Scotia.
·Montreal, Canada
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources30
Leaning Left19Leaning Right0Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution73% Left
Bias Distribution
- 73% of the sources lean Left
73% Left
L 73%
C 27%
Factuality
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