Lost Canadians — former s.8 retention-failure cohort restored by C-3

CA-HIS-03 captures the 'Lost Canadians' restoration pathway, focused on the residual cohorts that earlier reforms left behind, most notably the former section 8 retention-failure group, together with certain descendants of Lost Canadians born abroad before 1 April 1949. 'Lost Canadians' is IRCC's umbrella term for people who lost, or never obtained, Canadian citizenship because of outdated rules in earlier statutes. The largest tranches were resolved by Bill C-37 (S.C. 2008, c. 14, in force 17 April 2009) and Bill C-24 (Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, S.C. 2014, c. 22), which together restored or conferred citizenship on approximately 20,000 people per IRCC. An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025), S.C. 2025, c. 5 (Bill C-3), in force 15 December 2025 by Order in Council SI/2025-129, closes the remaining gaps: it restores former section 8 Lost Canadians and extends descent to second-and-later-generation persons born or adopted abroad before coming-into-force. Restoration operates by operation of law; affected persons do not 'apply' to become citizens but apply for proof of citizenship (a citizenship certificate). This is a Canada-only historical-restoration route; no US Jay-Treaty or birthright framing applies.

Restoration of status under CA-HIS-03 is by operation of law and itself carries no grant fee. The cost is the proof-of-citizenship (citizenship certificate) application fee of CAD 75.00 per the IRCC fee list (date-modified 2026-04-30). A search of citizenship records, often needed to locate historical records in Lost-Canadian cases, is CAD 75.00. These figures are distinct from the adult section 5(1) grant fee of CAD 653.00 (CAD 530 processing plus CAD 123 Right of Citizenship Fee; the RCF rose to CAD 123 effective 31 March 2026), which does NOT apply to CA-HIS-03 because no grant is being made. The legacy 'CAD 630 total / CAD 100 RCF' figures are stale and must not be cited. Where a person restored automatically by C-3 wishes to renounce, the C-3 simplified renunciation path carries no fee (CAD 0) per SOR/2025-278, as opposed to the standard section 9 renunciation fee of CAD 100. All IRCC fees are indexed annually under the Service Fees Act, so a further small adjustment is expected around spring 2027.

The route is operationalized through the live consolidated Citizenship Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-29, chiefly the section 3(1)(f)-(j) 'ceased to be a citizen... resumed' historical chain and the section 3(1.1)-(1.5) 'citizen despite death of parent or grandparent' rules, both as amended by S.C. 2025, c. 5 (Bill C-3). C-3 received Royal Assent 20 November 2025 and came into force 15 December 2025 by Order in Council SI/2025-129 (P.C. 2025-928, dated 11 December 2025, made under section 7 of the amending Act). The C-3 statutory summary expressly 'restores citizenship to former section 8 Lost Canadians' (lost for failing to make, or to have approved, a retention application under the former section 8). C-3 also repealed legacy retention machinery, including old s.3(4), (4.1), (5.1), (5.2) and old s.3(1)(f)(iii), clearing the former retention/affirmation apparatus from the live statute. The predecessor Bill C-71 (44th Parliament) lapsed at dissolution and is NOT the operative instrument; the operative amending Act is exclusively S.C. 2025, c. 5.