Restauración del descenso retroactivo del C-3: segunda generación o más nacidos antes del 15 de diciembre de 2025

CA-HIS-04 es la ruta retroactiva de restauración del descenso creada por el Proyecto de Ley C-3 (Ley para enmendar la Ley de Ciudadanía (2025), S.C. 2025, c. 5), vigente el 2025-12-15 según la Orden del Consejo SI/2025-129 (P.C. 2025-928). Confiere la ciudadanía canadiense, por aplicación de la ley, a las personas nacidas fuera de Canadá ANTES del 15 de diciembre de 2025 que fueron excluidas por el antiguo límite absoluto de primera generación (FGL), es decir, los descendientes de un canadiense nacidos en el extranjero de segunda generación y posteriores. Antes del C-3, la FGL agregada por el proyecto de ley C-37 (S.C. 2008, c. 14, vigente el 17 de abril de 2009) prohibía la descendencia de cualquier persona nacida en el extranjero de un padre canadiense que fuera ciudadano por descendencia, sin ningún mecanismo de escape. El Tribunal Superior de Ontario, en Bjorkquist v. AG Canada, 2023 ONSC 7152, declaró inconstitucional esa prohibición (Estatuto s.6 + s.15); El C-3 es el sustituto correctivo del Parlamento. La cohorte anterior al CIF ahora se restablece automáticamente y se aplica solo para la PRUEBA de ciudadanía (un certificado de ciudadanía). Esta ruta es distinta de CA-HIS-03 (antiguo artículo 8 Canadienses perdidos) y de CA-DSC-02 (la prueba prospectiva de conexión sustancial de 1095 días para nacimientos a partir del 15 de diciembre de 2025). A partir del 1 de junio de 2026, esta es la ley vigente, no pendiente.

A person falls within CA-HIS-04 if: (1) they were born outside Canada BEFORE 2025-12-15; (2) at the relevant time in their ancestral chain there was a Canadian-citizen parent (or grandparent) linking them to Canada; and (3) they were excluded from citizenship solely by the old absolute first-generation limit (i.e., they are a second-or-later-generation born-abroad descendant of a Canadian). For this pre-CIF cohort the 1,095-day substantial-connection test does NOT apply — that test gates only births on/after 2025-12-15 (CA-DSC-02). Where the linking parent or grandparent died before C-3 came into force, s.3(1.5) preserves the descendant's claim notwithstanding that death. Restoration is by operation of law and retroactive: the person is treated as having been a citizen from birth (consistent with the s.3(7)(h) deemed-from-birth principle for descent), so no discretionary grant is involved. Because acquisition is automatic, the operational act is applying for proof of citizenship rather than for a grant. A genetic/legal parent-child link in the chain is required, consistent with Kandola v. Canada, 2014 FCA 85.

Because beneficiaries are already citizens by operation of law, the operational step is a proof-of-citizenship (citizenship certificate) application. Core evidence assembles the descent chain: the applicant's own foreign birth certificate; the birth certificate(s) and proof of Canadian citizenship of the linking parent and, where relevant, grandparent (e.g., their Canadian citizenship certificate, Canadian birth certificate, or naturalization record); marriage/name-change documents bridging name discrepancies along the chain; and, where the linking parent or grandparent died before 2025-12-15, the death certificate engaging s.3(1.5). Documents in a language other than English or French require a certified translation. Identity documents and photographs follow the standard IRCC proof-of-citizenship checklist. Where a genetic link could be questioned (e.g., assisted reproduction in the chain), additional proof of the biological parent-child relationship may be needed in light of Kandola. Applicants should retain the live IRCC proof-of-citizenship document list, as IRCC updates checklists; verify the current list at application time.

1. Confirm the descent chain and that the person was born outside Canada before 2025-12-15 and was excluded only by the old FGL. 2. Gather proof of the linking Canadian parent/grandparent's citizenship and the chain of birth/marriage/death records (death certificate if the linking ancestor died before CIF, for s.3(1.5)). 3. Complete IRCC's proof-of-Canadian-citizenship (citizenship certificate) application; this is the route's operational vehicle because the person is already a citizen by operation of law. 4. Pay the proof-of-citizenship fee (CAD 75). 5. Submit and await assessment; IRCC verifies the chain against records and may request additional evidence or a search of citizenship records (CAD 75). 6. On a positive decision, IRCC issues a citizenship certificate (e-certificate or paper) evidencing the pre-existing citizenship — no oath and no ceremony, because this is recognition of automatic descent, not a grant. Applications that were in progress under the 2025 interim s.5(4) measure are processed under the new C-3 rules without a new certificate application.

As of 2026-06-01 IRCC's posted processing time for a citizenship grant for adults is about 13 months, against a 12-month service standard published in the IRCC 2026-27 Departmental Plan. Proof-of-citizenship (citizenship certificate) applications, which are the operational vehicle for CA-HIS-04, are processed on a separate IRCC timeline that fluctuates and is published via the IRCC processing-times tool. The live IRCC processing-time widget returned a load error at fetch on 2026-06-01, so any month-count should be re-pinned same-day at QA before being hard-cited. Complex multi-generation chains (e.g., engaging s.3(1.5) for a deceased linking ancestor, or requiring a search of citizenship records) can take longer than a simple proof application because IRCC must verify each generational link. Urgent processing may be requested where eligibility criteria for urgency are met. No statutory maximum processing time applies; timelines are administrative.

La tarifa operativa para CA-HIS-04 es la tarifa de prueba de ciudadanía canadiense (certificado de ciudadanía) de CAD 75,00, según la lista de tarifas del IRCC (fecha de modificación 2026-04-30). Una búsqueda en los registros de ciudadanía, que a veces es necesaria para documentar el estado de un antepasado vinculado más antiguo, cuesta 75,00 CAD adicionales. NO hay tarifa de subvención ni tarifa de derecho de ciudadanía (RCF) para esta ruta, porque la persona ya es ciudadana por ministerio de la ley y simplemente está obteniendo pruebas: la RCF (123 CAD, aumentada de 119,75 CAD a partir del 31 de marzo de 2026) y la tarifa de procesamiento de 530 CAD se adjuntan a las subvenciones de la sección 5, no al reconocimiento de ascendencia. Las personas que se convierten en ciudadanos automáticamente según C-3 pero NO desean la ciudadanía pueden utilizar la ruta de renuncia simplificada C-3, que no conlleva tarifa (0 CAD) según SOR/2025-278, en lugar de la renuncia estándar s.9 (100 CAD). Todas las tarifas se fijan administrativamente y están indexadas; verifique la lista actual de tarifas del IRCC en el momento de la solicitud.

El instrumento de control es una ley para modificar la Ley de ciudadanía (2025), S.C. 2025, c. 5 (Proyecto de ley C-3, 45.º Parlamento, 1.ª sesión), aprobado el 2025-11-20 y en vigor el 2025-12-15 por OIC SI/2025-129 (P.C. 2025-928, redactado en virtud del artículo 7 de la Ley). El efecto retroactivo se operacionaliza a través de la Ley de Ciudadanía consolidada, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-29, artículo 3: la promulgación del C-3 garantiza la ciudadanía por descendencia para todas las personas nacidas fuera de Canadá antes de la entrada en vigor de un padre que era ciudadano, y el artículo 3(1.5) ("ciudadano a pesar de la muerte de uno de los padres o abuelos") cura los casos en los que el antepasado vinculado murió antes de que el C-3 entrara en vigor. La Sección 3(6.5) (agregada por S.C. 2025, c. 5) forma parte del mecanismo de cronometraje/consideración de cohortes retroactivas dentro de la sección 3 consolidada; esta disposición insertada en el C-3 está respaldada por evidencia (su estado vigente se resolvió mediante el análisis del retraso de consolidación - CA-A-051), siendo el aparente panel de 'Enmiendas no vigentes' un retraso de consolidación conocido resuelto hacia el documento de antecedentes de entrada en vigor del IRCC y la Gaceta OIC SI/2025-129. La antigua disposición de la FGL (antiguo artículo 3(3)(a), promulgada por el S.C. 2008, c. 14) fue reemplazada por el S.C. 2025, c. 5, s.1(8) de modo que el s.3(3) ahora muerde sóloprospectivamente. El artículo 3(1)(b) del texto básico de ascendencia y la regla de consideración por nacimiento del artículo 3(7)(h) no se modifican.

Citizenship under CA-HIS-04 arises by operation of law, so no discretionary decision-maker confers it. The administrative decision is IRCC's verification of the descent chain and issuance (or refusal) of a citizenship certificate as evidence of the pre-existing status. IRCC officers act under the Citizenship Act and Regulations; the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration is responsible for the program. Where IRCC refuses to recognize citizenship (e.g., disputes the chain or a genetic link), the remedy is judicial review in the Federal Court, the 'Court' defined in s.2(1) of the Act. The presumptive standard of review is reasonableness per Canada (MCI) v. Vavilov, 2019 SCC 65, with correctness reserved for limited categories such as constitutional questions. This contrasts with s.5 grants, where the Minister 'shall' (s.5(1)) or 'may' (s.5(4)) decide; here there is no grant decision to make — only recognition of automatic citizenship.

There is no internal statutory appeal of a proof-of-citizenship decision to a tribunal. A person whose citizenship recognition is refused may seek leave and judicial review in the Federal Court under s.22.1 of the Citizenship Act and the standard administrative-law framework, with the reasonableness standard from Canada (MCI) v. Vavilov, 2019 SCC 65, [2019] 4 SCR 653 applying to the officer's determination of the descent chain; constitutional questions (and other Vavilov-listed categories) attract correctness. The Federal Court is the 'Court' defined in s.2(1) of the Act. Practically, because the dispute is almost always documentary — whether the generational records establish the link — the more efficient course where a refusal turns on insufficient evidence is to supplement the chain (e.g., obtain the linking ancestor's record via a search of citizenship records, CAD 75) and re-apply, rather than litigate; judicial review tests the reasonableness of the officer's decision on the record before them, not fresh evidence. The constitutional foundation of the cohort's claim was settled by Bjorkquist v. AG Canada, 2023 ONSC 7152 (the old FGL struck on Charter s.6 mobility AND s.15 equality, the s.7 claim dismissed and no damages awarded), and Parliament's remedial response in C-3 means recognition now rests on statute for the whole cohort rather than on the s.24(1) constitutional-exemption mechanism the court reserved for the three named Bjorkquist applicants (Maruyama, Setterfield, Kovacs). Where assisted reproduction puts a genetic link in issue, a Kandola-type dispute may itself be the reviewable question.

Canada has permitted dual citizenship without restriction since 15 February 1977 (commencement of the Citizenship Act, S.C. 1974-75-76, c. 108). A person restored under CA-HIS-04 therefore keeps any other nationality they hold; Canada imposes no renunciation-of-foreign-citizenship requirement and does not treat acquisition of Canadian citizenship by descent as triggering loss of another. Conversely, the person should check the other country's rules, since some states restrict dual nationality and Canada cannot control a foreign state's response. Because CA-HIS-04 citizenship is automatic and retroactive to birth, the beneficiary is treated as having been Canadian all along, which can have downstream consequences abroad (e.g., tax or military-service regimes that key off nationality). A beneficiary who does not want Canadian citizenship may renounce — and C-3 created a no-fee simplified renunciation (SOR/2025-278) precisely for persons made citizens automatically under the new descent rules, distinct from the standard s.9 renunciation (CAD 100), provided the anti-statelessness condition (holding or acquiring another nationality) is met.