# 2009 changes that restored Canadian citizenship



## Pallykin (Mar 30, 2014)

A long time ago, I heard a story on the radio about Canada revamping its citizenship rules, and that one consequence would be that someone born in Canada who subsequently became a citizen elsewhere thus losing their Canadian citizenship would have it restored.

I'm advising my nieces as to their options as far as Canadian citizenship goes. Their mother was born in Canada, but became a US citizen after she turned 18 and before her children were born, somewhere around 1980. With the 2009 law, it's my understanding that she is once again Canadian, and she can pass this down to her daughters as first generation born abroad.

Assuming that I have this right, what would be the procedure for getting a Canadian passport for the daughters? Do they need to apply for a Certificate of Citizenship first? And then use that to get a passport? What would be the time frame for this process?

The nieces are young adults, and are at the age when international work experience or education would be both desirable and doable.


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Have you tried the 'Am I a Canadian Citizen' tool on the consulate's page?:
Citizenship
Let them contact the Canadian Consulate close to where they live to inquire, if you can't find all the information online.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

Pallykin said:


> A long time ago, I heard a story on the radio about Canada revamping its citizenship rules, and that one consequence would be that someone born in Canada who subsequently became a citizen elsewhere thus losing their Canadian citizenship would have it restored.




When did Canada ever prevent people from holding dual citizenship?


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## MarylandNed (May 11, 2010)

colchar said:


> When did Canada ever prevent people from holding dual citizenship?


Canada restricted dual citizenship between 1947 and 1977.

History of Canadian nationality law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

_Loss of Canadian citizenship generally occurred in the following cases:

- naturalization outside Canada
- in the case of a minor, naturalization of a parent
- service in foreign armed forces
- naturalized Canadians who lived outside Canada for 10 years and did not file a declaration of retention
- where a Canadian had acquired that status by descent from a Canadian parent, and who was either not lawfully admitted to Canada for permanent residence on the commencement of the Act or was born outside Canada afterwards, loss of citizenship could occur on the person's 22nd birthday unless the person had filed a declaration of retention between their 21st and 22nd birthday and renounced any previous nationality they possessed._


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## Pallykin (Mar 30, 2014)

EVHB said:


> Have you tried the 'Am I a Canadian Citizen' tool on the consulate's page?:
> Citizenship
> Let them contact the Canadian Consulate close to where they live to inquire, if you can't find all the information online.


Unfortunately, the tool is being updated...


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## Pallykin (Mar 30, 2014)

MarylandNed said:


> Canada restricted dual citizenship between 1947 and 1977.


Now I'm wondering if she really did lose Canadian citizenship; maybe she just thought she did? She would have turned 18 in 1979, and become a US citizen at some point after that. This would have been pre-internet days, so it would not have been trivial for a teenaged girl to be up to date on Canadian immigration law. Since her family left Canada in 1966, they might have been operating under the impression that the law at the time they left was still in force... I'm going to have to ask them about this...


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## MarylandNed (May 11, 2010)

Pallykin said:


> Now I'm wondering if she really did lose Canadian citizenship; maybe she just thought she did? She would have turned 18 in 1979, and become a US citizen at some point after that. This would have been pre-internet days, so it would not have been trivial for a teenaged girl to be up to date on Canadian immigration law. Since her family left Canada in 1966, they might have been operating under the impression that the law at the time they left was still in force... I'm going to have to ask them about this...


Seems to me that she is a Canadian citizen and that her children are Canadian citizens by descent. To find out, the children should apply for Canadian citizenship certs. Once those are obtained, they can apply for Canadian passports.


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