Millions more Americans are discovering they may qualify for dual Canadian citizenship following a recent change to Canada's requirements, triggering a significant surge in applications from its southern neighbor.
For people like Zack Loud of Farmington, Minnesota, the revelation that Canada already considered him and his siblings citizens due to their Canadian grandmother came as a surprise under the new legislation.
"My wife and I were already talking about potentially looking at jobs outside the country, but citizenship pushed Canada way up on our list," Loud said.
Since the new law took effect on December 15, immigration lawyers in both the United States and Canada report being inundated with clients seeking assistance to submit proof of citizenship applications.
Driven by politics, family heritage, job prospects, and other factors, hordes of Americans are now exploring whether this simplified process makes it the opportune moment to secure dual citizenship.
Nicholas Berning, an immigration attorney at Boundary Bay Law in Bellingham, Washington, noted his practice is "pretty much flooded with this."
He added, "We’ve kind of shifted a lot of other work away in order to push these cases through."
Similarly, immigration attorney Amandeep Hayer’s Vancouver, British Columbia-area practice saw its caseload jump from approximately 200 citizenship cases annually to over 20 consultations daily.
The new law represents the latest in decades of changes to Canada’s citizenship legislation, often aimed at updating historical interpretations or addressing discrimination. Previously, Canadian citizenship by descent could only be passed down one generation, from parent to child.
However, the updated legislation extends citizenship to anyone born before December 15 who can demonstrate a direct Canadian ancestor – be it a grandparent, great-grandparent, or even more distant relative.
Those born on or after December 15 must prove their Canadian parent lived in Canada for 1,095 days.
Under the new provisions, descendants of Canadians are already considered citizens but must provide proof to obtain a certificate. Hayer estimates millions of Americans are Canadian descendants.
"You are Canadian, and you’re considered to be one your whole life," said Hayer, who advocated for the new law in parliament. "That’s really what you’re applying for, the recognition of a right you already have vested."
He likened it to a baby born in Canada: "If a baby’s born tomorrow in Canada, the baby’s Canadian even though they don’t have the birth certificate."
American applicants cite various motivations, with many pointing to Donald Trump's administration's immigration crackdown and other political issues as catalysts for seeking dual citizenship. Michelle Cunha, from Bedford, Massachusetts, decided to move to Canada after decades of political activism, feeling she had "nothing left to give."
"I put in my best effort for 30 years. I have done everything that I possibly can to make the United States what it promises the world to be, a place of freedom, a place of equality," Cunha said. "But clearly we’re not there and we’re not going to get there anytime soon."
Troy Hicks, whose great-grandfather was born in Canada, was spurred by an international trip.
"I recently went to Australia and you know, first words out of the first person I talked to in Australia was basically an expletive about Trump and the U.S.," said Hicks, of Pahrump, Nevada. "It was just like, whoa, I walked off a 20-hour flight and literally the first words of somebody’s mouth to me were that. ... So the idea of doing that with a Canadian passport just seemed easier, better, more palatable."
Maureen Sullivan, of Naples, Florida, was motivated by immigration enforcement in Minnesota, which became personal when her teenage nephew encountered federal officers near his high school in St. Paul. Sullivan, whose grandmother was Canadian, views Canadian citizenship as a safeguard should conditions in the U.S. "really go south."
"When I first heard about the bill, I couldn’t believe it. It was like this little gift that fell in my lap," Sullivan said. "There was kind of this collective excitement amongst the (family) who just felt like, we wanted to feel like we were doing something to take care of our security in the future if needed."
For those with documentation ready at hand, the proof of citizenship application fee is a relatively inexpensive 75 Canadian dollars ($55). "There are some situations where a lawyer might be the right thing, but for many people, I would guess 90% of people can probably do this on their own," Mangan said.
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada office, which processes applications, states that processing times for a certificate are around 10 months, with over 56,000 people currently awaiting a decision.
From December 15 to January 31, the agency confirmed citizenship by descent for 1,480 individuals, though not all were Americans. Last year, 24,500 Americans gained dual U.S.-Canada citizenship.
In Canada, Fen Hampson, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa, noted that Canadians are generally a "welcoming people." However, Hampson also expressed concerns that a surge of interest from Americans could potentially delay efforts by refugees and asylum-seekers fleeing vulnerable situations.
"I think where people start looking askance is someone who’s never been to Canada, who has very thin ties. They can get a passport, becoming Canadians of convenience. People don’t like that," he said.
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