Do I Need to Spend 1,095 Days in Canada to Get Canadian Citizenship for My Child?
If you are a Canadian citizen who was born outside Canada and already have a child or plan to have one, you may wonder whether you need to spend a certain amount of time in Canada before applying for your child’s citizenship.
The answer depends on your child’s date of birth.
On December 15, 2025, Bill C-3 came into effect, removing the first-generation limit on Canadian citizenship by descent in many cases. If your child was born outside Canada before this date, you generally do not need to have spent any time in Canada for your child to qualify for citizenship by descent.
However, if your child was born outside Canada on or after this date, or if you have a child in the future, you generally must have spent at least 1,095 days (three years) in Canada before your child’s birth to pass on your Canadian citizenship.
If you adopt a child born outside Canada on or after this date, you may also need to meet the 1,095-day requirement before the adoption. However, adopted children follow a different citizenship application process.
The good news is that these three years do not need to be continuous or fall within a specific timeframe, unlike the physical presence requirements for regular citizenship grant applications.
You can accumulate these days over many years. For example, you may have spent part of your childhood in Canada, moved abroad, and later returned to attend university. As long as you can prove that you have accumulated a total of three years of physical presence in Canada before your child’s birth, your child may qualify for Canadian citizenship.
To apply for a citizenship certificate for a child born outside Canada on or after December 15, 2025, you need clear documentation showing that you accumulated these three years in Canada before your child’s birth.
This can be proven through passport stamps, residential records such as rental agreements, employment and educational records, Canadian government records, and school transcripts. Affidavits from organizations or individuals who have knowledge of the parent’s time spent in Canada may also be accepted.
Not Sure Whether the 1,095-Day Rule Applies to Your Child?
Ponderosa Immigration can review your family circumstances and help you identify the appropriate citizenship process.
