Lost Canadians

Who the Lost Canadians are

• Gender rulesChildren born abroad to a Canadian mother married to a non-Canadian, under the 1947 ActThe 1947 Act treated people differently by gender and marital status. Canadian women married to foreign men couldn’t pass citizenship to children born abroad.
• Paperwork rulesBorn abroad to a Canadian parent between 1947 and 1977Their birth had to be registered, and they had to apply to keep their citizenship before their 22nd (later 24th) birthday. Those who didn’t, lost it.
• The age 28 ruleBorn abroad between February 15, 1977 and April 16, 1981, in the second generation or laterThey lost citizenship at 28 unless they applied to keep it. Anyone who turned 28 on or after April 17, 2009 kept it, because the rule was repealed.
• Before 1947People born before January 1, 1947, including some children of war brides and service menMost were brought in by the 2009 changes, and more in 2015.

What changed, and when

• 2009Most Lost Canadians restoredThe law restored or gave citizenship to most Lost Canadians, going back to January 1, 1947. It also scrapped the keep-it-by-28 rule, but brought in a limit: citizenship by descent stopped at the first generation born abroad.
• 2015More cases from before 1947Citizenship was extended to more people born before 1947, and to their children born in the first generation abroad. IRCC says about 20,000 people came forward for proof of citizenship after the 2009 and 2015 changes.
• 2025Bill C-3, in force from December 15, 2025It gives citizenship to the remaining “section 8” Lost Canadians (the age 28 group) and covers the descendants of Lost Canadians. It also removed the first-generation limit for people born abroad before December 15, 2025.

What to do now

If you think you or a parent became Canadian through these changes, IRCC says you must apply for a citizenship certificate to find out for sure. You don’t apply to become a citizen: the certificate is proof that you already are. It costs CA$75, and you need it before you can get a Canadian passport.

How to get a Canadian citizenship certificate · Five examples: am I a Canadian citizen?

If your family history goes back before 1947, or a parent lost citizenship before you were born, the rules get complicated. Send IRCC the documents for each generation and let them decide, or ask a regulated Canadian immigration lawyer.