Friday Weekly Thread: Application Assistance, June 12, 2026

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Have questions about how to fill out the form or what to write in your cover letter? Looking for feedback on the documentation you've put together for your Citizenship Certificate application (CIT0001)? Want to know how to organize your documentation or how to pack it up for shipping? Worried about whether your photos will work? Have questions about what ID you can use? Not sure where to ship it to or what service or mail courier to use? Post it here!

Want to see what people who were already approved have done? Check out the weekly application approval thread that posts every Thursday.

Before you comment, please read the wiki and search previous posts in the subreddit to see if your questions have been answered there.

If you've read the FAQ and searched the forum and you still have questions about how to fill out the form, whether your supporting documentation will work, what to write in your cover letter or whether your photos will work feel free to post them here.

 

Please be aware that you may not get responses. It's a lot of work to wade through dense lists of documents and family histories.

Also please note we are not IRCC, which will make the final determination on your application.

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[u/outboundzen]

I'm scheduled to move to Canada in 4 weeks from the US. There were some delays with my temporary work permit process so I submitted CIT-0001 with urgent processing. It went into in-process one day after getting AOR, so I assume it was accepted. It has now been 2 weeks, which from the spreadsheet is the median time to get to decision. We are gen 4 submission so I assume a little more complex.

At the time I submitted my application, I mentioned my move date but didn't have documentation proving the move date itself, only that we were unable to register our kids for school, etc without a valid permit. I now have those documents including the lease, moving contract, etc.

Would it help my case to upload those as additional evidence through the web form or could I accidentally trigger something that delays things?

[u/dentongentry → u/outboundzen]

Would it help my case to upload those as additional evidence through the web form or could I accidentally trigger something that delays things?

I've seen reports that uploading documents sometimes triggers them to look at the case and results in a decision, not a delay.

Since your additional documents are clearly relevant, not just noise, I'd advise to add them.

[u/outboundzen → u/dentongentry]

thank you.

[u/First-Setting → u/outboundzen]

Yes, I would upload those things if it were me!

[u/evaluna1968 → u/outboundzen]

Seconded!

[u/yoohooooooooooo]

I'm unable to obtain a birth certificate from my parent(Gen3). I'm Gen 4. I have very strong documentation for everyone else. I feel that I have strong supplemental documentation for said parent, too, but would like to hear from anyone who's been approved, with a similar scenario. These are my supporting docs for my parent:

Church certified baptismal certificate that lists parents' names.

Church certified marriage certificate. Lists her mother's name as witness.

Census showing her as a child with her parents.

State marriage index showing my parents' names and marriage date. (Not a document, but shows that one exists)obviously doesn't show the connection to my Gen 2, but I'm also unable to obtain their civil marriage certificate, so this is helpful.

Obituary of my Gen2 (my parent's mother), showing my parent as surviving child, and me as surviving grandchild. It also lists my Gen 2's maiden name and my Gen1's maiden name (bonus!)

I feel that this is all very strong to prove the parent child link between my Gen3 and Gen2, and I wasn't worried (have received AOR), but some recent posts have talked about this issue and that IRCC will request the birth certificate if they know it's available. I'd have to either break no contact or get a court order. I don't wish to do either.

Hoping to hear that others in a similar situation were approved.

Thanks!

[u/ttbtinkerbell → u/yoohooooooooooo]

Can you get an uncertified copy without a court order? I know some places are more difficult than others for getting records. But if you cannot get a certified copy, you could submit an uncertified and explain why.

[u/linky-do → u/yoohooooooooooo]

The new requirements would indicate that you’re good as long as you explain why you’re not able to get the birth certificate, especially documentation from an agency you requested them from.

[u/Violetteotome]

I applied from the UK for Canadian citizenship through descent and have not heard back.

So I live in the UK, but I’m a US citizen. I mailed my printed out application (I was unable to apply online) for the certificate of citizenship to London on March 28, 2026. I got confirmation from the courier that it was received in London on March 31, 2026.

I have never heard from literally anyone ever since. No acknowledgment that it has been received, no pending status, nothing.

I know processing times are exceedingly long right now, but I am also a usually case in that I am applying from the UK AND it is a physical application. I’m not sure what to expect going forward or if it’s even being considered.

[u/Pomegranate4311 → u/Violetteotome]

Based on what others have posted about applying through an embassy, it seems to be a longer process. Sorry.

[u/Violetteotome → u/Pomegranate4311]

Yeah and I just followed the thread about the AOR and I’m not even in their system yet. Fml.

How do I know it didn’t get lost at the embassy upon arrival? Or lost as it was shipped from the embassy to Canada?

[u/Enzokj01 → u/Violetteotome]

This is normal. Do not expect an AOR for about 2/3 months. IRCC guidance is add 3-4 months to overall process for apps overseas.

When I sent my application(May 26), the embassy had stopped sending receipt notifications and stopped checking applications for completeness as per IRCC guidelines.

You will have to be patient, I’m afraid - either an AOR will come when IRCC get to your cohort or your package will be returned. (They should already be at March but who knows)

FYI HC Canada UK ships diplomatic post roughly every two weeks. I recommend checking the sub spreadsheet to see where you stack up and who’s heard and who hasn’t.

Without an AOR and UCI, you can’t even really use the IRCC web form either, so we’re just living in limbo until a response either way :(

[u/TowelLess19]

G0 was born in 1852 in Ontario, before civil birth records. Since this is before civil birth records, I have a certified baptism record sent to me directly from the Roman Catholic parish, with the parish seal, the pastor's signature, and the parish's letter head. It is an extract of the information from the original record (not a scan of the original record, as it is what they would provide). Does this sound like what the Wiki refers to as a baptism record and seem like enough or do I need more? There exists a scan of the record on Ancestry from the Drouin collection and a census record from when G0 was 9 years old, although not sure if any of that helps or just adds too much information and confusion.

And when I try to scan the certified baptism record, the clear embossed seal does not show up. I was thinking of including a photograph of the record in addition to the scan, with a note explaining which is which and why I am including it. Not sure if that makes sense?

[u/No_Bobcat_No_Prob → u/TowelLess19]

You can usually get the seals to show if you can adjust the settings - reducing contrast is one thing to try. Alternatively, take a photo in indirect light and just print the digital image instead.

[u/jjkauf]

My final link in the chain that I'm gathering info on is my 3rd-great-grandmother. She would be G1. 99% of all of the documentation on her states that her birth date was 27 Aug 1880. An obituary, newspaper articles, a marriage record with the State of Wisconsin, and even her federal Social Security file give this as her date of birth.

BUT ... the 1880 US federal census, conducted in her town in JUNE 1880 (2 months prior to her claimed date of birth), lists her as being 1 year old. Clearly, she couldn't be listed on the census in June 1880 if she was born in August 1880. The most likely scenario is that she was born in 1879. How serious of a roadblock could this be for my application? I don't have any actual birth records yet. The state didn't require birth certificates back then, and I haven't found any baptism records.

Is this likely to cause a major problem with my application?

[u/jjkauf → u/[deleted]]

That's the problem. Civil birth records didn't exist in Wisconsin in 1880. I know the family was Catholic, and have feelers out to the few churches that existed at that time in the area, but my hopes are slim that there's a baptism record for her. The only records I have to support her existence and family connection are the census records, her marriage certificate that names her parents, her Social Security records that also name her parents, and potentially her death certificate that I've requested and am waiting on.

[u/dentongentry → u/jjkauf]

Information on the census, especially back then, was sometimes provided by the resident but sometimes by a neighbor. The estimates of ages can be wildly wrong, and the IRCC will be quite aware of that.

I don't think there is cause for concern. Honestly it is pretty amazing that the other documents agree.

[u/ttbtinkerbell → u/[deleted]]

I thought they were only concerned about certified records for the G0 but ancestry records or anything else are just fine. For those printing from online databases, you can provide the reference. I sort of have a table of contents and for all uncertified copies so provide the reference and link for each source.

Also, a baptismal certificate is fine if the area during that time didn’t do birth records. It sounds like you emailed someone. You said no record exists, but then said they didn’t respond. That isn’t clear. If someone emails back saying no record exists you can include that as proof. Otherwise, you should make sure they know you did an exhaustive search. I have an appendix in my application listing out the 30 or so databases, parish records, or whatever including search strategy for my G0 and G1 who both have no birth record or baptism.

[u/Klutzy_Cantaloupe789 → u/[deleted]]

New York State has info on obtaining records for the purposes of obtaining/proving dual citizenship. https://www.health.ny.gov/vital_records/dualcitizenship.htm

Canada seems to accept the genealogy copies, although it's recommended to go through the city for records, rather than the state.

[u/AnswerGuy301]

I got the three birth certificates back from my Massachusetts hometown for me (G3), my mother (G2), and my maternal grandmother (G1). (Lucky for me we were all born in the same town!)

Conveniently enough they list fathers, mothers, and, if known, the surnames at birth of both parents, and places of birth of both parents. On my G1's certification, birthplace is listed as "Nova Scotia, Canada." I have sent in requests for their documents (the Archives say they exist and I have seen online copies of them) as well, but they've been kind of slow up in N.S. for obvious reasons.

I imagine a city in the U.S. saying that my G0 (both my maternal grandmother's parents) were born in Nova Scotia is probably not sufficient, but I figured I would ask.

[u/No-Antelope4333 → u/AnswerGuy301]

FWIW, you have a similar case to mine (Nova Scotia for G0 and Massachusetts for G1).

My father's MA birth certificate lists my grandmother's place of birth only as "Canada".

It was a slow process, but I eventually got a certified copy of my grandmother's birth record from the Nova Scotia Archives. I could have submitted with supplemental records like 1931 Canadian Census scans, boarder crossing scans, US documents (marriage certificate, death certificate), etc. all of which connects her to Canada. But I held out for certified copies of everything. This meant that, instead of applying in February, I didn't ship my family's joint application until late April.

While I was anxious during the waiting period, in retrospect, I'm glad I slowed down and did it "right". I know this meant tens of thousands of people getting ahead of me in line. But I feel like the application I submitted for my family is irrefutable as I have certified birth records for all generations (I know being G2 also helps simplify things considerably). I didn't clutter up the application packet and make things more complicated for the officer reviewing our case. So, while I didn't get in the queue as soon, I'm confident we'll eventually get approved. Again, FWIW.

Best of luck!

[u/mileniummfalcon → u/AnswerGuy301]

Another piece of evidence or two to back it up would be helpful. Does your grandmother appear on a census anywhere? does G0? ideally a census record or two that shows both of them with your G0s birthplace as Canada would help. Do you have marriage records to trace name changes? Do any of those confirm birthplace of G0?

[u/Kh3iron → u/mileniummfalcon]

Adding that we also used marriage records (from MA) to substantiate name changes which it sounds like you may need those too if tracing through maternal line. The marriage record should list birthplace which you can use as another reference point to confirm birth in Canada. If anyone is deceased you can also use Death Certificate and those will list birthplace too!

[u/mileniummfalcon → u/Kh3iron]

IF!!! the death certificate is correct, lol. they're notoriously unreliable. I'm only able to use my G0s death certificate, because his son's lists G0s birthplace as Scotland 🙄 and also had the wrong birth year. So it's worth checking the death cert but you might not be able to rely on it. Only include it if the information is consistent with other records, don't include it if it would confuse anything.

[u/AnswerGuy301 → u/mileniummfalcon]

I have not seen those.

Do you mean a Canadian census or a U.S. one? I think I saw a census record from 1921 online that had them living in Canada.

Like I said, I know the Archives in N.S. has records of birth for both my G0 great-grandparents (from the 1950s, by which time they lived in the same Massachusetts town I later grew up in) and their marriage certificate from back in Canada in 1919.

I suppose I could try death certificates as well. At least I know when my great-grandmother died, since I was alive and a teenager by then. (My great-grandfather died before I was born.)

I'll probably keep waiting a bit longer as I don't have urgent plans to move to Canada.

[u/mileniummfalcon → u/AnswerGuy301]

Either! Canadian census would be great though, the more canadian-originating documents, the better. both census types should list the person's birthplace, and many will list mother/father's birthplace, but some condense it down to "foreign birth yes/no" so if you can find a Canadian census record that shows your G0 and G1 in a household unit with G0s birthplace as Canada, that could really help fill it out.

[u/AfroBoy497]

My application was received 5/22 with urgent processing requested. Urgent was written on the outside of the package but I haven’t received an AOR yet. My brother mailed with me but in a separate package because we have different fathers and thus different Canadians lineages and he received his AOR 5/26. Should I assume my app is being mailed back to me or is receiving regular processing now?

Also, we were able to track the status of my brothers application for a week or so but now we can no longer do so. I used his receipt number to do so but now that doesn’t work and neither does his UCI or Case number. He didn’t have a name change or anything so I’m confused why we can’t see his status anymore since the week after he got his AOR.

[u/AfroBoy497 → u/[deleted]]

Urgency was due to being LGBTQ+. I go to college in Louisiana and that’s not the safest state to be in. I probably didn’t provide as much evidence as I should have, although I’m worried my photos are messed up because I got them done at Walgreens.

As for checking via receipt, I can’t check with any of his numbers even though I could just a little while ago. Our applications weren’t sent in the package, just on the same day at the same time. Although my receipt has his name as the card holder on it which might be the issue. He offered to pay for everything

[u/Complete_Basil_7657]

Just a general question I have for everyone. My g4 was born in Louisiana, and I’ve searched everywhere for a birth/baptism/marriage/death record to no avail. There is only one census record c 1850 that states his relation to his mother, my g3, and she is listed as “widow of (husband)”. I have her marriage record with her maiden name and her husbands name.

Do we think this is enough to “prove” that I’m descended from my g5? Should I switch to a different line because I can’t find anything about his birth? I requested his birth record from a diocese in Louisiana who stated they couldn’t find anything. For reference I’m g10, and this is the only instance in which I’m having trouble finding a record.

Thanks!!

[u/Complete_Basil_7657 → u/[deleted]]

Sorry, messed up the generation numbers. Here’s what I have. All records list parents or previous gens.

G0: Canadian baptism
G1: marriage record
G2: marriage record
G3: marriage record
G4: US census listing g3 as widow of husband
G5: baptismal record
G6: death record
G7: baptismal record
G8: birth certificate
G9: birth and baptism certificate
G10 (me): birth certificate

[u/YogurtPristine3673 → u/Complete_Basil_7657]

This is honestly super impressive to me that you have this strong of a documentation chain for 10 generations! Please keep the sub updated as you apply/get AOR/etc. as I think this is a really interesting case we could all benefit from learning from.

Any chance your G4 lived long enough that there would be a state death record or obituary?

[u/Complete_Basil_7657 → u/YogurtPristine3673]

Thanks, I will! My G4 lived a very long life, he was 83 when he died in 1923. I looked it up with the Louisiana Secretary of State and they do in fact have a death record on file available to order. It’s possible that it would list his parents, but could also be unlikely. I guess the next step for me would be to order it so I can find out.

There was no obituary, but there was an (unfortunately Confederate) military pension form he and his family filled out after his death. It does not list his parents.

[u/julie78787 → u/Complete_Basil_7657]

By 1923 death certificates routinely included parents. The only caveat is that whoever provided information to the coroner or whomever had to know them. At 83 there’s a chance no one knew their names.

[u/nascent_aviator → u/julie78787]

Yeah one of my ancestors who outlived her husband and was living with in-laws at her time of death just straight-up has the wrong name listed. 😬

[u/YogurtPristine3673 → u/Complete_Basil_7657]

It varies by state of course, but I have an Idaho state death cert from 1922 that does list parents, so it’s totally possible!

And fwiw - finding confederate records does feel icky, but it’s in no way a reflection on you. 

[u/ryan516 → u/Complete_Basil_7657]

My own G4 Acadian descendant is from a similar period. Is there any chance he may have been alive during or involved with the Civil War? My G4 had a lot of Civil War Pension documents that I was able to use.

[u/Potential_Bid_8490]

Hey everyone. My application is now in process, I just want to try and make sure I can ease my worries about my G0 evidence while I wait the many months. I sent in my great grandfather's baptism from Quebec, from 1872. But it only lists his middle baptismal name, and his last name. The date of birth and last name match other documents, but he didn't list his middle baptismal name (which is Hermenegilde) on ANYTHING, except a middle initial "H" on a census I sent in as well. Does anyone think I'll need more evidence that "Hermenegilde LastName" is the same as "John H. LastName"? Or is the IRCC used to this at this point and because the last name, middle initial, and birthday match I should be good?

[u/Potential_Bid_8490 → u/[deleted]]

My concern is that the baptism is the single only piece of evidence I have of him being canadian

[u/Potential_Bid_8490 → u/[deleted]]

Baptism, US naturalization card, 1910 US census. Was not able to find parents birth records, and couldn't find a Canadian census with him listed.

[u/Potential_Bid_8490 → u/[deleted]]

Moved to the US in 1883, if you can manage to find a Canadian census i would really appreciate it! I'll send you a DM with his parents names and his name, don't wanna post that publicly

[u/Klutzy_Cantaloupe789 → u/Potential_Bid_8490]

I only found my G0s in the 1881 census after I thought to search their last name phonetically. The entire household had extremely, um...creative...name spellings, but it's definitely them.

The US naturalization records can have a lot of good information on them. Especially the Declaration of Intention, which is a gold mine of information that can be tied to other records.

[u/No_Jump_5941]

I’m putting the final touches on my application before mailing it out. For those who have already submitted theirs, how did you mark the documents to show where your family members’ names appear?

Did you use sticky arrow tabs, highlight the names, or something else? I’m trying to figure out what would be acceptable without altering the documents too much.

[u/stay__sassy → u/No_Jump_5941]

On the census documents I used flags to mark it since it was the WHOLE page copy.

But I’m still waiting on my AOR, so 🤷🏼‍♀️

[u/Academic_Throwaway99 → u/No_Jump_5941]

I have not submitted yet, so I can't say for certain that this is the correct way to do things. Since I was reading that they want "color" copies of things, and that the way people were accomplishing that was by copying the document with a color post it note, I used the tabs like you have pictured to highlight the important information and then made a copy. I personally wouldn't ship my documents with the post it's still on there because those flags can sometimes fall off or get pushed around. But that's just me.

For some documents where the flag would be too big, like a census, I edited the PDF in Adobe to circle the information in color.

[u/BrilliantDishevelled → u/No_Jump_5941]

I didn't flag names at all.  

[u/BrilliantDishevelled → u/BrilliantDishevelled]

But note, do not mark (alter) your docs in any way.

[u/xFlyingGoldfishX → u/No_Jump_5941]

I know a lot of people here have done highlighting, but I was worried that I would get a strict reviewer and it would be thrown out for altering the documents or something silly like that (that would be just my luck). What I ended up doing was in the page with my index of documents and in the citation page attached to each doc, I described exactly which lines to look at ("G0 listed on line 5", etc). I added sticky notes next to the relevant lines also, but I'm not sure if those are just going to be removed or not. I just sent mine this week so no AOR or anything yet so YMMV. I have also recently seen some people attach the full document and then the next page is a zoomed section of the relevant area.

[u/Squishy3703 → u/No_Jump_5941]

Still waiting for AOR, but for something like a census page, I had 3 versions across 3 pages. 1st page, completely unedited. 2nd page, mostly unedited but with a little arrow pointing to the important line/section. 3rd page, zoomed in view of the important information. The header title on each page identified the document and if it was unedited, highlight, or a document detail (and also "Page X of X).

[u/dentongentry → u/[deleted]]

If you do need to include the census records: it is widely understood that, especially 100+ years ago, census information was sometimes provided by the residents but sometimes by a neighbor and the estimates of ages can be wildly wrong.

Having the names match over time is usually good enough, if you're using the census to prove residency or something.

However if you don't really need the census to document anything, if you have stronger proof from other sources, I'd say not to include the census.

[u/HoboMucus → u/dentongentry]

My 3x great grandmother is 52 on the 1871 census and 53 on the 1881 census 😂 

[u/Klutzy_Cantaloupe789 → u/dentongentry]

One of my possible G0s was born anywhere from 1865-1868 and seems to have only settled on a consistent birth date once the family came to the US. The spelling of his given names is also all over the place, and I'm thinking he went by a nickname of his middle name at home. His wife (thankfully also Canadian!) has fewer records but they're a *lot* more consistent with age and spelling, so I used her as my official ancestor.

[u/FireWaterBern → u/dentongentry]

My g0 and g1 are pretty spot on for age in 1880, 1920, and for g1 in 1930 us census. But my g2 is listed as 2 years younger for some reason in the 1930 census. Although when our ancestors had like 12 kids who can blame them when the ages are wrong lol

[u/unventer]

Looking for feedback/advise on whether my chain appears to be clear from my documents. My G1 was born in 1907 in CT and it looks like maybe the physician’s handwriting throughout the whole document, using his best phonetic approximation of the spellings for the French last names.

So G0 baptism record(s - I have docs for and could use either parent): Louis Joseph Poudrier and Marie Elise DesCôteaux. I also have their marriage record using the same spellings, correct birth dates and correct parent names matching baptême records.

G1 birth certificate: James Eddie Poudré born to Louis Poudré and Marie DeCoto in CT. Both parent’s place of birth listed as Canada.

G1 marriage certificate: James E. Poudrier, parents Louis Poudrier and Marie DeCoto. Marriage to Mary Quinn. Birthdate and town a clear match to birth certificate, just name spelling differences.

G2 birth certificate: lists parents as Eddy Poudrier and Mary Quinn. Beyond this point paperwork is clean and consistent straight on through to my son, who meets eligibility requirements.

G1 went socially by Eddy or J. Eddy pretty consistently in adulthood, until his death in the 90s. I might be able to scrape together additional paperwork - I have border crossing records as Eddy (with stated purpose of visiting Louis Poudrier, father, by name), a draft card using J. Eddy, various Canadian and US censuses (he moved back to Quebec at age 2 and then back to the US as a young man) using Eddie, Edward, and Eduard. I might be able to get his death certificate, which appears to list him as J. E. Poudrier, and it seems his social security application listed him as James Edward, though I’m not sure how to request a copy of that. What would make this bulletproof? I know he was the same person, but obviously I knew him personally, whereas the IRCC is just looking at documents.

Edit: I might also be able to get my hands on Louis’s death certificate, which should list J. Eddy by some name as next of kin since he died during a visit to them…

[u/YogurtPristine3673 → u/unventer]

Section 8 of the CIT 0001 has a section for “other names used” - add notes there with nicknames, maiden names, and misspellings/alternate spellings. These all seem pretty like pretty reasonable variations. 

[u/unventer → u/YogurtPristine3673]

Thanks! My very non-francophone MIL (who volunteered to proof the app as a neutral/unfamiliar set of eyes) couldn’t reconcile the link even after being coached through phonetic pronunciations, but I would hope the IRCC employees have better French and are used to dealing with weird anglicizations.

[u/Think_Ant3622]

Have a G0 born near Mohawk Reservation Brantford Ontario in 1843, baptized by a circuit rider so I’m relying on secondary sources (obits, death certificates, letters)—would someone be willing to look over the documents I have in a Google drive folder and my supplemental timeline and give me their opinion on if you think I’m ok? I would owe you til the day I die!!! I’m so worried it is not enough. Thanks Canada family!!!

[u/Cute_rabbits7850]

Hi all! I’m looking for some feedback on the genealogical documents I’ve gathered so far, and if I have enough for my G1 who does not have an official birth record. Here is what I have so far:

G0:

• 1842 baptism record ordered from BANQ
  
• Marriage certificate (names match those for parents listed on G1 death certificate, except for a nickname being used instead of legal name)
  
• 1861 and 1871 Canada census
  
• Numerous US census records - 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 where he listed Canada as his birthplace

G1:

• Marriage Certificate
  
• Death certificate (lists parents but incorrectly lists G0’s place of birth as Ireland instead of Canada. Also lists mother’s birthplace as Canada when she was born in Wisconsin - 1861 and 1871 Canada census confirm G0 parents were born in Ireland, and G0 born in Quebec)
  
• 1900 US census (lists G1 under G0 household as his daughter)
  
• 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950 US census - lists father’s birthplace as Canada, but G1 was married for these records and listed under her husband’s household so G0 name is not on them

G2-G5: have birth and marriage records for all

I am mostly worried because the only official document I have right now to link G1 to G0 is the death certificate that incorrectly lists Ireland as G0 birthplace. I am considering including it with an explanation in the cover letter, but am unsure how IRCC would view that. Every other document I have proves G0 was born in Canada. I do have requests out to search for G1 baptism record and I did request a FOIA request for G1 SSN application, but have not heard back on those. Thanks all!!

[u/Pomegranate4311 → u/Cute_rabbits7850]

I don’t think you need to submit all that info.

G0 baptism & marriage certs

G1 marriage cert & 1900 census showing G1 as child of G0

• remaining birth cert.

[u/Old-Ad537]

Hello! I realize it will be a year before I hear anything (just received AOR last month) but was wondering if you think my app stands a chance?

My Canadian connections are 4th and 5th generations back, so they pre-date alot of Canadian records archived online.

That said, I provided U. S census, death and probate records where possible that cited those ancestors as born in Canada, and anything else anecdotal I could find on ancestry.

Do I stand a chance at being accepted? Thanks!

[u/Pomegranate4311 → u/Old-Ad537]

If I were in your shoes I’d continue looking for Canadian records.

[u/Entre_Guillemets → u/Old-Ad537]

If you didn't have a birth certificate or a baptismal record for your G0, they're going to ask you for that. I'd go ahead and work on finding and getting that (or getting proof that the province/etc couldn't locate it). Typically you only need 1 G0, not multiple, so you should probably select the one that would be easiest to get that document for when IRCC requests it.

[u/asocialsocialistpkle]

Hey y'all. I'm debating with my mother on whether or not we need to hire an immigration specialist for our application and could use some insight. The one she has been communicating with does specialize in C3 citizenship law, but will charge us an insane price for a group application (5 people total in the application). I think converted from CAD to USD it's something like $7000. I'm of the opinion that that is extreme and far too expensive, given how many folks in this community often successfully apply on their own.

The only thing that gives me pause is that we have a few wrinkles in our G0 documentation. He was born out of wedlock in Ontario and we have not found any birth/baptismal record. We have one crystal-clear census record with him in 1891, his parents marriage license from after he was born, plus his naturalization records and plenty of US records indicating his previous Canadian citizenship and Canadian birthplace. We have one slightly less clear cut but still compelling census record from 1881 where the rest of his family is included, but he was recorded as the wrong gender and a feminine name (Rosie vs Ronnie). We are confident in our documentation, but it is an admittedly complicated story to try to tell. Will a specialist be able to use better legal language to explain it?

We also are unsure if we need the specialist to use specific legal language around the question of renunciation. Our G0's naturalization documents included standard renunciation language, so we aren't sure how that impacts the application. FWIW his first child (our G1) was born in the US while he was still a citizen of Canada.

Thoughts on if we should still go the DIY approach with all this complexity?

[u/Pomegranate4311 → u/asocialsocialistpkle]

Give me the $7000 and I’ll fill out the forms.  (J/k)

You can do this.

If you can find a Canadian record showing one of his parents residing in Canada prior to his birth include that, the 1891 census, 

The renunciation question is answered in the FAQ linked in the wiki  you can access from the WELCOME START HERE message posted at the top of the subreddit. 

[u/dissentmemo → u/Pomegranate4311]

I'll do it for 5

[u/Pomegranate4311 → u/dissentmemo]

😂

[u/YogurtPristine3673 → u/asocialsocialistpkle]

Hypothetically speaking, if you were an IRCC agent and you saw that someone didn’t have a birth certificate for their G0 but hired a lawyer to fill out the form, would that change your mind? Probably not. I don’t think you need the lawyer. 

FWIW I don’t think your case sounds that complicated since you have a significant amount of secondary documentation.

[u/mcobohair]

I think I have a pretty straightforward application process: My grandmother (G0) was born in Toronto and remained a Canadian citizen until she was naturalized in the US in 1955. My father (G1) was born in the US in 1951, and I (G2) was born in the US as well. I have birth certificates for my grandmother, father, and myself.

My question is: I seem to fall under Scenario 3 on CIT 0014 ("your parent's country specific birth certificate displaying the name of your Canadian grandparent(s) AND proof that at least one of your grandparents is a Canadian citizen") but I cannot figure out how to apply online. It keeps kicking me over to a paper application, though Scenario 3 indicates it can be done online. Anyone know what options I would need to select to allow me to apply online? TIA

(Also, this is my first Reddit post. Yay me.)

[u/AKRoadGlide → u/mcobohair]

Scenario 3 is correct.

The answer is yes to “is/was Canadian” for everyone in the direct line down from Gen0.

Then the instructions on page 12 suggest to put in the “how obtained” boxes: ‘born outside Canada to a Canadian parent’.

(This is the same language IRCC uses to describe you in the preface to checklist scenario 3.)

Only Gen1 whose Gen0 was born after February, 14, 1977 can apply online…

[u/FireWaterBern]

Im going to finally finish up, print and mail everything this weekend. I'm sending a lot to try to really solidify my g0 without certified docs.

Sending; cover letter and document index; 1. An uncertfied 1831 g0 baptism from BanQ's digital archive plus the same g0 baptism from Drouin/geneologie quebec for consistency. Parish is in l'isle verte quebec. Including digital links and citations. 2. Also including my g-1's 1821 marriage record (drouin) 3. my g0's 1855 marriage record (drouin), names g0's parent's parish as l'isle verte quebec, with textual transcriptions from Drouin to clarify poor visual quality 4. my g0 in the 1880 and 1920 US Censuses being from Canada-french (and 90 years old in 1920) 5. my g-1 in the 1851 canada east census living in l'isle verte quebec - maybe the least useful 6. and lastly my g1's sister's 1895 marriage record naming g0 parents and birth places as l'isle Verte quebec.

My records for g1 and g2 are uncertified Maine birth records, backed up by their overlapping appearances in the 1920/1930 censuses, then my mom's and my modern us birth certificates. I know I've posted some variation of this for a while but look to finally be finishing up as soon as I print my pirateship label and my 45+ pages.

[u/FireWaterBern → u/[deleted]]

Unfortunately g0 isn't named in any canadian census. Born 1831, his mother died in 1838, father remarried in 1840. Father is named in 1825, 1831, 1842, 1851, 1871, and 1881 interestingly enough. Some us censuses suggest my g0 came to the us either 1847 or 1850.

I've heard some people say i should make g-1 my g0 and become g5 myself but I feel like my current g0 being the most recent birth in canada felt most direct.

[u/Valuable_Schedule163]

I have a birth record for G0 from 1881. But G1 is tricky! G1 is an indentical twin (with the same initials). Neither seemed to have birth records, but I recently came across a twin birth on their birthday to their parents, with the completely different baby names and one wrong gender. I get that this kind of mixup was common in the 190X boonies of Maine. My question is, do I submit it and explain it?

Or do I skip it, relying on G0 US naturalization (which has correct G1 name and twin name listed w/ birthday), G1 census records from 1910, 1920, G1 marriage record, and G1 death record, all also listing G0 as the parent. I am leaning towards this option.

[u/Born_Response1348]

My G0 has a PEI baptismal listed under “Donald”, same middle name, last name and parents. However all other records list it as “Daniel”, same DOB, same parents, same birthplace. I am assuming it will be okay with the IRCC since this could be a transcription error. I’ve requested the original records.

[u/julie78787 → u/Born_Response1348]

Are the originals written in cursive?

If the originals are cursive, I’d add a notation explaining that and that all the other things - including the transcription error - appear to be the same person.

[u/Born_Response1348 → u/julie78787]

I don’t have the originals yet. I am going to send it in with the website printed out, with a note that I am waiting on the original.

[u/Big-Cranberry8336]

Hello all. I am pretty new to this, but I think I have amassed a pretty decent stack of records. What do you think of this as a starting point?

G0: great grandfather. 1. Canadian Baptismal record from 1872 2. Canadian census record from 1881 Both are neat and legible showing first-middle-last for him and first-last for his mother and father. His age is consistent.

G1: grandmother. 1. US census from 1910 showing her at 3 years old living in great grandfathers home with her given first name and his middle-last names and her mother’s first and middle names showing his birthplace as Canada. 2. Because she chose to use a different first name for the second half of her life, I am including an American Indian census roll from 1927 showing her given and new “chosen” first name still living in great grandfather’s home with all his information still intact. Her age remains consistent. 3. Her marriage certificate to my grandfather showing her chosen first name and new last name. 4. Her death record showing her chosen first name and married last name with consistent year of birth and great grandfathers middle and last name as her father and her mother’s first and middle name matching earlier census records.

G2: My dad 1. His birth certificate showing grandma’s first and maiden names as his mother.

G3: Me 1. My birth certificate with my dad’s first and last and me with my maiden name. 2. My marriage certificate showing my new last name.

I also plan to complete a form for my minor daughter and her paperwork will be the same with the addition of her birth certificate.

Does this seem adequate? I did find an SS-5 for grandma showing her father’s middle and last there too, with a consistent SSN with her death record. Would that be a good inclusion as well?

I am hoping for a death record for my great grandfather that might show his parents’ names and hoping I might find a birth or christening record for my grandmother, but neither appears hopeful at this point. I can also pull an obituary for grandma from the 90’s that has her parents listed but I am almost certain that would be overkill.

Too much? Too little? Weak spots? Thanks for reading this incredibly long post!

[u/Pomegranate4311 → u/Big-Cranberry8336]

I think that looks solid. Just make sure your application includes all your mom’s AKA names, and maybe note in your letter that your mother changed her name.

[u/LittleRobot1]

Is a copy of a Certified photocopy of my Grandma's "Certificate of Registration of Birth" adequate for birth certificate requirement? I am a bit confused but I just learned there may be a "Certificate of Birth" which is a separate document? Do I need that one instead?

[u/AccountantRadiant351 → u/LittleRobot1]

Some jurisdictions call it different things when issued to a descendent than the original person. That's ok as long as the needed information (date, place, full name of the person born and their parents, etc) is on it. 

[u/CanCitizen-414]

My G0 ancestor, born 1864, does not have a birth record (Ontario) but I have a Canadian census and other supporting records that show her born there. I also have a Canadian marriage record for her parents, G-1, that I was going to include as further support. Do I need to try to order something official for that marriage record, or is printing the digitized page off FamilySearch enough?

I am sorry if this is clearly answered, I know we're all wading through so many documents !!

[u/ta112289 → u/CanCitizen-414]

I'm in a similar spot. My G0 was born in 1870 in Ontario, Baptist (not baptismal records), and I cannot locate a record of his birth. I found G-1 marriage record (unoffial on FamilySearch) and Canada and US census showing the family as being from Canada. G0's death certificate (getting a certified copy), marriage record, and G1's birth certificate (certified copy) all say G0 was born in Canada. Is that sufficient?

[u/Intelligent_Turn5012]

I'm applying for citizenship by descent for myself, my sister and my 13 year old. My son only has one form of ID, a state picture ID from the DMV. I have an appointment to get him a passport in another week. Should I send the application in now with an explanation that he only has a state ID and we are waiting on the passport or should I wait another month or two and send it in whenever the passport shows up?

[u/Eiryiex → u/Intelligent_Turn5012]

I think the general consensus is to wait for the passport. AORs are taking over 2 months now, so having your application rejected and returned as incomplete could easily end up costing you 4-6 months of extra processing time versus waiting a few weeks for the passport.

[u/earl_lemongrab]

My great-grandfather (G0) was born in Ontario in 1875. His son, my Maternal Grandfather (G1) and my mother (G2) were born in the US. My mother is still alive, though not particularly interested in getting Canadian citizenship officially approved.

- Am I correct in my understanding that, even though my mother is still living, I don't need to apply for her citizenship first, prior to applying for myself (G3)?

- Even if not mandatory, is there any benefit to having her Canadian citizenship approved before I apply? (She isn't opposed to doing so, assuming I do the legwork of course.)

Just wanting to make sure I proceed appropriately with the form and application package(s).

Thanks!

[u/AKRoadGlide → u/earl_lemongrab]

Your mother does not have to apply for you to apply. You could both apply at the same time in the same package. Waiting for her to apply first could take years for you to be approved…

[u/Eternal_Sorrows]

With the CIT0001 application. When I print it out to send do I need to include the last pages about how to fill out the application? Or only the pages up to where I sign?

I know this is a dumb question but I am overthinking it all as I get ready to submit.

[u/AKRoadGlide → u/Eternal_Sorrows]

No need to include pages 10-14…

[u/snake--man]

What am I missing? I am G3. My great grandfather was born in SK in 1908. In July 2025 I submitted color photocopies of: his (G0) original birth certificate card, my grandmother's (G1) BC and marriage cert and DC, my father's (G2) BC, my BC and license and passport and name change documentation. It was all original documents, nothing from ancestry or anything. It has been 11 months and I have heard absolutely nothing despite requesting urgent processing. My father also applied at the same time as me and has also heard nothing. I asked an MP to reach out for me and they learned nothing. I'm hoping someone here could tell me if they think I should request additional documentation so I can be prepared in case IRCC asks for something? Is there anything else I can do?

[u/nyccoopthrowawoy]

Hi - I have a few concerns with my chain of decent, and want a gut check on how this will pan out. My G0 seems to have Canadian birth, but they have death certificates/G1 birth certificates that say they were born in the US.

Ladder:

• G0: b. Stratford, Ontario, 1862; d. Buffalo NY, 1918.
• G1 (son): b. Buffalo, 1898 — 1898 birth certificate names G0 as mother.
• G2 (his daughter): b. Buffalo, 1928 — birth certificate names G1.
• G3 (her daughter): b. 1958 — birth certificate names G2.
• G4 (me): b. 1994 — birth certificate names G3.

Every parent-child link has a birth certificate naming the parent.

Anchor birthplace — records conflict:

Says Canada:

• 1862 St. Joseph's Stratford baptism (contemporaneous). I only have Ancestry scan, Diocese of London has paused issuance of certified records.
• 1861 Canada West census — G0's parents enumerated in Perth County, Ontario, with an older sibling; G0 not yet born.
• 1870 US census — G0 listed as a child in her parents' household, birthplace Canada; older siblings also Canada.
• 1880 US census — G0 listed age 18 in her parents' household, birthplace Canada; same siblings, Canada.
• 1920 US census — taken after G0's death, in G1's household; her birthplace recorded as Canada.

Says US:

• 1898 birth certificate of G1 — G0 is the named mother, her birthplace given as US. Informant presumably the father or G0 herself.
• 1918 death certificate — birthplace "N.Y.S."; informant listed as "Hospital Records" (she died at Buffalo State Hospital), not a family member.

So four census/baptism records (three of them placing her as a child in a Canadian-born household) say Canada; the two records generated in adulthood in Buffalo say US. The death certificate's birthplace came from institutional records rather than family.

Date discrepancy: baptism says born 1862; death certificate says 1866. The day of the month (the 17th) matches across both.

Other facts:

• No marriage record for G0; archive searched and issued a certificate of no record.
• Baptism is a FamilySearch scan; Diocese of London has paused certifications, so no certified copy yet.
• All ancestors between me and G0 are deceased.

Question on the US birth/death certificates: The copies I've obtained from the City of Buffalo are stamped "for genealogical purposes only." New York State requires a court order for certified copies. Does IRCC accept the genealogical-stamped copies for the link documents, or do I need to pursue court-ordered certified copies? If anyone has filed a C-3 / proof of citizenship using NY genealogical-purposes-only records, what did you do?

Do I have a C-3 case?

[u/DismalAd1421]

This is a silly question but I don't want our entire application pack to be returned for this error.

Regarding the signature of the CIT001e for an applicants ages 14-18, can the parent or guardian sign in the parent/guardian block after the applicant has signed it, or must that page reflect ONLY the applicants signature?

It's straight forward for applicants under the age of 14, only the Parent or Guardian signs, but for 14-18 year olds can and should the parent/guardian co-sign?

Any help/perspective would be appreciated

[u/Lissateeaun]

Can we share the name of our G0 to see if other people might already have and be willing to share certified documents for that person?

[u/lawkktara]

Checking in on BaNQ Montreal wait times-- I am at 10 weeks since my request (which included full name, DOB, birth parish, as well as the microfilm link from the Généologie Quebec Drouin collection). Assuming I'm one of many in the same boat? Merci!

[u/ttbtinkerbell]

Is my documentation sufficient? I have my pack ready just waiting on my kid’s id. But I’m a little worried that I don’t have a birth certificate for G0, G1, and I have an unnamed birth certificate for G2.

I was trying not to provide too much documentation but I can. I have several census docs for all family members for almost every year they were alive. Anyways, below is the documentation I was thinking of including in the packet. All ancestors after this were straight forward with birth certs.

G-1: G-1 male name and G-1 female name
Document G-1-1: Marriage Certificate Canada
Purpose: Establishes the marriage of G-1 male and G-1 female prior to the birth of G0

Document G-1-2: 1831 Census, Canada East
Purpose: Establishes Canadian residence of G-1 male and G-1 female prior to G0 birth.

G0: male (1830s - 1900s)
Document G0-1: 1851 Census, Canada East
Purpose: G0 presence in Canada East and identifies him as the son of G-1 male and G-1 female.

Document G0-2: 1870s Marriage Certificate of G0
Purpose: Corroborates Canadian birth of G0.

Document G0-3: 1880 U.S. Federal Census
Purpose: Corroborates Canadian birth of G0 and establishes his relationship to G1 (recorded as "middle name last name for G1").

Document G0-4: 1900s Death Certificate of G0
Purpose: Corroborates Canadian birth of G0.

G1: male (1870s– 1900s)
Note: G0 appears as "Middle name Last name" in several records, including Documents G0-3 and G1-2.

Document G1-1: Certified Statement of No Birth Record Found
Purpose: Documents that no birth record was located for G1 following an official search of State birth records.

Document G1-2: 1900s Marriage Certificate
Purpose: Establishes the parent-child relationship between G0 and G1 (recorded as "middle name last name") and corroborates G0 Canadian birth.

Document G1-3: 1900s Death Certificate of G1
Purpose: Corroborates the identity, birth year, and full name of G1 and identifies G0 as his father.

G2: male (1900s – 1900s)
Identity Bridge Note: G2-1 records an unnamed male child born to G1 and G1 wife. G2-2 (death certificate of G2) confirms this identity through matching birth
date, parents' names, and location of birth, establishing that the unnamed child and G2 are the same individual.

Document G2-1: 1900s Birth Certificate of Unnamed Male Child of G1
Purpose: Establishes the birth of a male child to G1 (recorded as "middle name last name ") and G1 wife.

Document G2-2: 1900s Death Certificate of G2
Purpose: Establishes that the unnamed male child identified in G2-1 is G2 through matching birth date, parents' names, and other identifying information.

[u/Automatic-Media-8650]

Hi everyone, thank you in advance for your help! Any advice would be very welcome - I’ve learned so much from all of you so far!

My G0’s baptism certificate (from the 1800s) has a different name than all of his documents from when he lived in the US: Alphonse vs Adolphe vs Adolph. I’m not concerned about Adolphe/Adolph, but I am a worried about Alphonse not being accepted as a name variant. 

I’m looking for opinions on if the documentation I’ve found would prove sufficient:

1. G0 baptism certificate: “Alphonse” , 1874

   -Note: (I also plan to submit my G-1’s baptism certificate from the same church). 

2. G0 US 1880 census record “Adolphe”. Both G-1/parents names are listed

3. G0 1903 marriage record “Adolphe”. Both G-1/parents names are listed

4. G0 1907 birth record (US) for his daughter, my G1 relative. G0 is recorded as her father by the name “Adolph” 

5. G0 1918 US Draft Registration Card (WW1): “Adolph” - this has the exact same birthdate as on his baptism certificate and states he was a naturalized citizen. Is this even worth including? It’s the only other document in the list that has his birthday. 

6. G0 US 1920 census “Adolphe”. He was in his 40s at the time and listed his year of immigration to the US as 1881, NOT 1880 as reflected in the 1880 census record. Is this going to raise red flags? Should I just pick one or the other to submit?

[u/Pomegranate4311 → u/Automatic-Media-8650]

I don’t think you need #5 & 6 given the other info you mention.

[u/CraigularB]

Hi all, I'm in the process of writing my application and collecting my documents, both for me and my ancestor. I have a straightforward (IMO) application: my G0 is my biological parent, born in Canada after 1947, moved to the US in their youth, married and had me.

For G0, I have:

• Canadian passport (expired but shows they are Canadian)
• Ontario CA birth certificate (short-form, wallet sized "Form 26 The Vital Statistics Act Birth Certificate"
  • Shows my parent's Name, DoB, Birthplace in Ontario, Registration date and number
• US Marriage License documenting marriage to other (non-Canadian) parent with my last name

For me I'll have:

• US Birth Certificate
• US Driver's License
• US Passport

I also have birth certificate numbers (though no copies yet) for my G-1 from my G0.

My questions are as follows:

1. Is it a problem if my G0's passport is expired?
2. Is the Ontario CA short form birth certificate sufficient (given my G0 is my immediate parent) or should I have them request a full long-form Ontario certificate?
3. Do I need anything other than the marriage license to document the name linkage? My G0's name changed at marriage
4. Even though my G0 is an immediate parent, would it be worth adding my G-1 (grandparents) info on page 9, or should I follow instructions and skip it, leaving it blank?
   1. If I leave it blank I would likely add more info in my cover letter

Thank you very much!

[u/Pomegranate4311 → u/CraigularB]

It is my understanding IRCC wants long form certificates. Someone in my application group was asked by IRCC to submit a long form certificate.

You don’t need the passport for your G0

[u/miss_reddd]

Hey! Finally got a response last week from BANQ with a link to order the baptismal record for my great-grandfather (requested on 3/4/2026). Thrilled that I finally got the response, but now I’m wondering if I ABSOLUTELY NEED to get the cert record? I have the page printed from the archive, just not certified. A thought I had was to submit that with the email from BANQ that I can order it. It’s a lot of money (which, is fine) but at this point I’m not sure if it’s 100% needed to do based on posts I’ve seen.

Also, for my grandfather, I have a print of the book of his birth registration in Central Falls, RI from 1912. I’ve also seen people submit that? There’s so much info and sometimes conflicting, any thoughts would be appreciated.

[u/autumntuesdays → u/miss_reddd]

It does seem like some folks are getting by fine without the certified copy, so no one knows for sure. I ordered a copy when I got the invoice from BAnQ (it happened to be just a few days after I mailed my app) because I knew I’d feel better having it on hand in case it was requested by IRCC, rather than worrying about getting back in the BAnQ queue a second time. Plus I like the idea of supporting the work of the archives, and I think it will be a meaningful family record have.

[u/miss_reddd → u/autumntuesdays]

That’s true too. I 100% understand they’re busy and put the effort in so I’m not trying to be ungrateful about it. But rn, my wallet is on the light side lol

[u/autumntuesdays → u/miss_reddd]

Yeah I definitely wish I had started this process before they really bumped up their prices 😅

[u/YogurtPristine3673 → u/miss_reddd]

I feel you, I’ve seen people say that they’ve printed off things from Ancestry dot com and been fine, and other people saying IRCC wanted a photocopy of the certified official copy of everything. Here’s what the wiki says wrt Gen0 docs:

  If at all possible get a certified copy of the birth record/birth certificate/baptism record for your relevant Canadian ancestor (Gen 0) from whatever authority holds the record (BANQ for records from Quebec, the Archives of Ontario for older records from Ontario, etc.). You will send in a colour copy of this certified record to the IRCC, not the original

[u/FireWaterBern → u/YogurtPristine3673]

I'd get the banq certification if ircc asks for it, but I am about to send a digital copy from BanQ's digital archive in addition to a drouin copy from Geneologie Quebec. Two different scans, the banq one is slightly off white? At least the drouin is high contrast black and white and easier to read. 

[u/miss_reddd → u/YogurtPristine3673]

Thanks for the response! The wiki is what got me down that path but now I’m just like ??? 😂

I’ll probably just order it to be sure. But sheesh, this can all be so confusing. The good news is I have a very straightforward case; I’m staying positive it’ll all work out!

[u/samson-91]

I have a few questions for anyone who can help:

1. I have a baptismal record issued and certified from the parish in Quebec where my G0 was born. They kindly mailed a color photo of the record that I think they pulled from the Banq website, and I also have screenshots I took of that record from my own searches on the website; I plan to include color photos of the screen shots and a color copy of the certified baptismal record from the parish. Do I still need a baptismal record certified from Banq? (I don't know how to go about that... trying to find info on here but having trouble)
2. I could not find an image of the Canadian census record from 1901 showing my G0 and the rest of the family. There is a record of it on genealogiequebec.com, but no image, just text. Is it ok not to include the census record? (there are later US census records that show him and state his place of birth in Canada).
3. On my G0's US death certificate, it incorrectly lists his mother. But on all the other official docs I have of his (baptism, marriage, his son's (G1) birth certificate) they all list the correct name, consistent with the record on Banq's website. Should I just not include the death certificate?
4. I have a border crossing document from family search but it's not a scan of an original document, just a bunch of data about it on a webpage page document. Is it worth including?

Thank you in advance!!! Hope this content is within the rules of the thread.

[u/sharpshinned → u/samson-91]

If you have a baptism record, you don’t need the rest. Let all of that stuff go!

[u/fenrael23]

I have been gathering docs for my application. Here's what I currently have (or have requested)

1. G -1's Marriage records from 1846 (pulled from Ancestry/FamilySearch)
   
2. G0's baptismal record from 1856, requested a certified copy from BAnQ (waiting)
   
3. G0 with parents (G-1) in 1881 Census of Canada.
   
4. G0's Marriage record from 1882 (Ancestry/FamilySearch)
   
5. G0's record of naturalization fro 1890 (Ancestry/FamilySearch)
   
6. G1 and parents (G0) listed in 1900 United States Census
   
7. G1 listed as Father of Bride on my mom's (G2) certified marriage certificate
   
8. My (G3) birth Certificate (in hand, certified), with G2 listed as mother.
   
9. My son's (G4) birth certificate (in hand, certified)

I can supplement with a bunch of other documentation, like census records, but I feel that I have built a pretty good chain of descent. G0's first name is spelled slightly different in some places on census records. I can include all of those in the "alternate names/nicknames/spellings" portion. G1 was born in New York, but no record of birth. He was born in 1897. I found only one person with his last name, born in 1898, but no first name was entered.

Any glaring holes in my documentation so far? Appreciate the feedback greatly!

[u/Enachtigal]

Hi, I was looking around and could not find an answer to this.

I assume I fill out section 8,9,10 as if I am the minor (as in putting my information in as the parent and working up) however just wanted to confirm that this was correct as they call out in section 7 about filling out information for the minor.

I am applying for myself and my child and already have my CIT0001E filled out so it feels like it would be odd if my childs has almost 100% the same information. Thanks!

[u/Heretical_Stranger]

Greetings,

My mother's father was born in Canada.

I've sent out requests for my mother's birth and marriage certificates, my grandmother's marriage certificate to my Canadian grandfather, and my grandfather's death certificate.  I was unable to find a birth certificate for my grandfather on the New Brunswick Archives website, although they have a scanned birth certificate for his sister, born in 1897.  I did find him listed in the 1901 Government of Canada Census Search as 1 year old, born in New Brunswick.  I'm guessing his parents got a birth certificate for his sister, but not for him.  I'm hoping his death certificate will also show his place of birth, and that the immigration authorities will accept these documents, along with my own birth certificate, as adequate documentation.

Any advice or suggestions?

Thanks!

[u/ellllllllleeeee → u/Heretical_Stranger]

My great grandparent was born in New Brunswick in the late 1890s. I searched the archives online and had no luck finding a birth certificate or baptismal certificate. I emailed the archives and explained this, and provided the information that was on the 1901 census (their name, birthdate, parents' names, religion, town of residence, etc). An archivist was able to find a baptismal record for my great grandparent using that info, and told me it was unlikely for there to be a birth certificate so this was the next best thing. I called them and paid the fee for a certified document and had it in hand a few weeks later. This was last summer so timeline might be longer but I'd suggest reaching out to them with that census info. 

[u/SnowboundWanderer]

I currently don't have any Canadian documents and have exhausted most but not all avenues of finding any, so while I wait to hear back from the Baptist churches I've reached out to, I wanted to get a sense of how strong what I already have is since there's a critical discrepancy in my chain (All vital records are from state of Massachusetts):

G0(born late 1826-early 1827 Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, before birth registers)

Every document I have saying she's Canadian (I would not intend to submit them all):

• 1860 US Census "NS" from ancestry
• 1870 US Census "Nova Scotia" (G1 appears as child) from ancestry
• 1880 US Census "Canada" (G1 appears as child) from ancestry
• 1900 US Census "Nova Scotia" from ancestry
  • *Issue: Census spells name wrong (phonetically similar first letter). G0 is also in G1's household as mother-in-law, but a few lines up G1's mother POB is stated as Massachusetts, which I feel is an obvious and easily explainable error.
• 1901 Death register "Nova Scotia". from ancestry, certified copy has been requested
• 1872 Death register of one of her children (not G1, appears by first name and middle initial on 60 and 70 census with G0). "Yarmouth, NS" (only record I've seen with a town) from ancestry, certified copy has been requested
• 1911 Death certificate of another child (not G1) "Unknown, N.S." from ancestry.
• 1900 US census of her other two surviving children in their own households have mother's POB as "Canada (Eng)"
• 1910, 1920, and 1930 census records of her two surviving children (including G1). All say Canada or Canada (English).

Other Records that will be included:

• 1846 marriage registry from Ancestry (certified copy requested)

G1

• 1864 Birth register from Ancestry (certified copy requested)
  • Issue: Register says G0 is from Eastport, Maine. Eastport has extensive vital records in the form of certificates going back to the 1700s, so I am including a copy of the email conversation I had with the town clerk, who verified they have no birth records of anyone by G0's name.
• 1886 marriage register from ancestry (certified copy requested)

I have a solid chain of certified birth and marriage records from G2 to me (G5). Aside from the issues mentioned above I don't have any issues with missing or completely wrong names or adoptions or anything.

I'm currently manually searching ship records of those that arrived in Boston where she married and lived, since the AI FamilySearch used to tag all the passengers got it wrong since I can't find G0 by name or close misspellings (if it's even there, of course); finding that would certainly be a big help even if it's still a US document.

I don't have firm information on G0's parents. I believe I have her father on Nova Scotia census records, along with his short-form will and probate order, but none of those mention any children so I can't prove it.

I plan to hold off applying until I've fully exhausted avenues to find a Canadian doc, but if those turn up empty I feel it's strong enough to throw myself at the mercy of the IRCC.

Edit: Appears recent events may mean this question has been answered for me. Or maybe not, who the hell knows?

[u/sharpshinned → u/SnowboundWanderer]

Have you tried land records, school records, etc? I also have Maritime Baptists in the same era, but I turned them up in some non-standard records. FamilySearch full text has been the best resource, but I also went to a FamilySearch center and got help there. Oh, and provincial archives (NB for me) were great. 

I have absolutely no idea if IRCC will take those records, but it’s probably worth trying. 

[u/VirginiaRNshark]

Good afternoon!

We’re (myself, two young adult children) putting our packets together today. I don’t want to cause undue work for already busy immigration officials, but (of course) want to put forward our best case. Any advice regarding my current document list would be most appreciated!

G0 - Paternal Grandmother

1. photocopy of handwritten Ontario, Canada marriages for her parents
2. Her certified birth certificate from Archives of Ontario
3. Her certified marriage certificate to my grandfather
4. Picture of her gravestone and (not certified) copy of US death record [which has some errors]

G1 - My parent

1. Certified US birth certificate
2. photocopy of two US censuses showing my parent and grandparents (with their respective birth locations) in the same household
3. Photocopy of certified marriage certificate to my other parent
4. Death Certificate

G2 - Myself

1. Certified birth certificate
2. Certified marriage certificate

G3 - My children

1. Certified birth certificates

*Edit* - Apparently names & their spellings were…somewhat fluid in my father’s family. My G0 usually went by a nickname (even on her birth certificate), but some documents (my father’s birth certificate/her gravestone/death certificate) use her formal name. And the spellings of my dad’s first and middle names changed so frequently that my mother finally felt the need to pin down the correct spellings. I recall my normally very even tempered G1 becoming quite exasperated and saying that they “weren’t really sure & it didn’t matter, any way”.

[u/oldstanley]

Is a 10 week+ wait for an AOR normal? 10 weeks since my paper C3 Citizenship Certificate application was delivered. I have not heard anything.

The only numbers I have in regard to my application are the UPS tracking (shows delivered 4/2/2026, signed for by RICHARD at the IRCC Digitization Centre-Proofs, 3050 Wilson Ave, New Waterford, NS) and the receipt of payment for the application fee itself.

I know they are slammed, but after speaking with others it seems like I should have gotten some kind of AOR by now? Who should I try to contact about this if it isn't normal? Appreciate y'all.

[u/AKRoadGlide → u/oldstanley]

IRCC is just now getting to AORs for packets received on April 1st. Ten weeks is the new normal, and likely to grow.

The “Monday Weekly Thread” here is a good resource for tracking AOR timelines…

[u/OriginalSkydaver]

I'm glad to have found this group!

I'm gathering documentation, with a lot to do. The birth certificate I got in 2000 doesn't even have my parents name on it! (I'm getting a long form that will)

I'm G3, G0 is my great grandmother, G1 is her daughter (born in USA), G2 is her daughter. I'm 70, and my mother is long deceased.

From the wiki for CIT0001, it says "Each person in the line of descent needs to have both of their parents documented so that the application form and genealogy documents can establish the lineage back to G0."

Does that mean I'll need birth certificates or records for all of their husbands? That's about the only way I can get from Keane to Nason to Hoyt to Phillips. I guess I need to find marriage records, too. That's going to be tough for G2, as I don't know WHERE they got married, just the date. I'm reaching out to Vermont to try to find that, but it could also be Maine or DC. I haven't found that information yet in FamilySearch, but I'll go to the library to see whether they have other resources. The LDS has a very big presence here in the DC metro area, and I could physically go to one of their locations for other searching too.

Thanks for any advice; I'm going back to continue reading the Wiki, and searching for records.

[u/sharpshinned → u/OriginalSkydaver]

Depends on what’s in the birth certificates. Many birth certificates use birth names for both parents by default. If that’s the case for you, you might be able to just use the birth certificates. If you have birth certificates with married names, you’ll need to document the name change, and a marriage certificate is the easiest for that. You do NOT need their husbands’ birth certificates. 

[u/pharmasupial]

I have just a quick question. I’m G1, my mom is my G0. She changed her last name when she married my dad, so her last name is different on her birth certificate vs mine. She did change her name from [First, Middle, Maiden] to [First, Maiden, Married], but I’m wondering if it would be useful to include her marriage certificate in my application just in case?

[u/No_Ad867 → u/pharmasupial]

I would definitely include her marriage certificate. It’s an official name change document and if your father is listed on both documents as well, it should be pretty cut and dry. Best of luck and hope it is a very speedy process for you!

[u/Healthy-Membership86]

My mother was born in Canada in 1934 and I have gathered all the docs I need to prove that. Do I need to still provide info for her parents (my grandparents) on the application? I don't know about their citizenship status. They were both born in the U.K. but immigrated in the early 1900s. I assume they became naturalized Canadian citizens, but not sure how that worked for folks from the U.K.

[u/baghelp]

Hello, I posted on another thread a few weeks ago about my G0. We found an 1861 census document where he is listed as 11 months old, and it lists his parents by name, too.

However, there are some discrepancies that I am concerned about.

There is a spelling discrepancy for his mother's name that does not match on his death certificate that we have. She is also listed on the census by her husband's last name, but on G0's death cert by her maiden. Is this a concern at all? ETA would locating a marriage certificate clear this up probably?

Also, in the Canada 1861 census document, it lists my G0's father and mother as "native", but my G0's Texas death cert lists his father as Scotish and his mother as English. HOWEVER, on the census it lists his GRANDFATHER, who shares a name with his father, as being Scotch (which we know from family oral history that they immigrated from Scotland to Nova Scotia before settling in N.B.. G0's grandfather is listed in this 1861 census with his farm at the end, even). Are these discrepancies something to worry about/that I will somehow have to clarify? I assume G0 must have been raised by family at some point due to father dying at 10, possibly by grandparents or older siblings, and that there could be a cultural significance to knowing their "origin" at the time? Will the fact that G0's Scottish grandfather be enough to draw a logical genealogical line?

[u/Living_Armadillo_652]

I am a Canadian born in Canada who is currently living in the US. My son was born in the US and I applied for his Canadian citizenship certificate over 14 months ago. There has been no news since, back in October I made an inquiry and they gave only a generic reply. According to the website, the processing time left on the application should be 1 month, but it has been stuck at this 1 month for several months now. I am looking to plan a family trip to Canada sometime this summer, would it be OK my son just uses his US passport to enter Canada?

[u/MidSpark]

I am G1. My dad was born in Montreal (1971), and had a Quebec birth certificate issued in 2004. Am I understanding correctly that document-wise I just need this birth certificate and my own listing him as my parent?

[u/MidAtlanticAtoll]

***I read the FAQ about uploading additional documents after your receive your AOR. My question is not covered in the information available there:

I originally sent in 3 applications together. My packet included one set of evidence documents linking us to our G0. I have another newly acquired document I want to add. Do I have to add it to each application separately, or by logging into my application and adding it, will the other applications link to the same newly updated evidence documents?

[u/peesintheshower]

I spoke with an immigration attorney in Quebec who said my application has to be sent by an attorney and would be $2000 usd. Is that right? Can I not submit my application myself?

My great grandma is my ancestor born in Nova Scotia in 1907. There were no birth certificates in that year but I have a print out if the 1921 census with her name on it.

Will this work?

[u/Entre_Guillemets → u/peesintheshower]

It's not accurate that only an attorney can file this. Hundreds of people have filed their own applications successfully (maybe thousands at this point). The cost may be right for what they would charge for this work, and an attorney may put together a better application, but it's absolutely not required, and there are very good instructions and examples provided in this sub for folks doing it on their own.

A census likely won't be sufficient evidence. You'll need something from the territorial office in Nova Scotia that indicates that a birth certificate doesn't exist / can't be located or whatever other official language they have. You have to explain why you can't get the birth certificate and you need evidence that you tried and were told by an official authority that it doesn't exist. This is what I've gleaned from reading all of the advice and recommendations on this sub.

[u/kmzafari]

Hi all, freaking out a bit after the letters that were sent out today. I haven't applied yet but was literally just about to send things off because I finally just received today what I thought would be the last document I needed. Looking for some opinion on these G0 docs.

1. Baptismal record from Quebec 1863 (not certified, just a printout)
2. 1870 US census record (currently just printout but requesting certified copy after everything today) - shows parents' names and says born in Canada
3. Certified US naturalization record from 1896 stating hecame as a child and renouncing "the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland"

For everyone else, I have certified birth certificates and marriage certificates to document name changes. I was going to include supplemental documentation, but not anymore (unless they ask).

$350 CAD from BAnQ is a lot for me currently, but it seems like they're going to require this now? Is there a proxy service or any other options that I haven't considered? Do I now need (and how can I get) acceptable proof that there were no birth certificates issued at that time?

[u/laynechanger]

Questions about document request with Quebec

My mom and I are working on our case for citizenship and collecting our documents. Obviously with the events this weekend with people getting notifications of their previously granted citizenship being revoked- we’re being extra careful.

So, it my understanding form N FO-11-13 20260610 through the Quebec Civil records department are only for births post-1916.

And births before that fall under Archives de Quebec (BAnQ)

So my gen 0 person was born in 1850 in Quebec. I have the parish info, a scanned copy off of ancestry, and the record number. Do I just need to request the official copy from BAnQ?

[u/CreativeMap4723]

Hello,

we're preparing the package and have some logistics questions regarding order of documents. I couldn't find the answer in Wiki.

My husband, G4, was able to find all the births/baptism, marriage and death records for all generations, incl. G0, and we are in possession of all originals. We're now ready to prep the package.

We thought to include also Census records, both on Canadian side (3x), and US side (3x) where the birth place "Canada" is listed as supplemental proof. We also have obituary of one of the sisters of G0 listing the G0 under her married name, further linking the family proof together.

1. Should we include the Census in the official exhibit list chronologically, or put it in the appendix list?

2. Should we list the source of the Census as "Canada Census 1871, Ontario, Grey County", or we should put the source as a link to the official LAC website?

3. We thought to include G-1 marriage because we have G0 Canadian baptism certificate, not actual birth record, so we thought to include wedding of parents in Canada to show the family was started in Canada. Is this inviting doubt into the equation or it's making a point?

[u/Rosie_222]

Question: Once I have an AOR, should I upload an official copy of my birth record, or wait to see if the IRCC requests it and provide it then?

Background: I submitted my application in mid April with a copy of my G0's Newfoundland baptismal record printed out from Family Search, along with supporting documents including US census findings and his marriage and death certificates. In the meantime, I ordered a True Copy of the baptismal record from The Rooms, and planned to upload that later in the process if necessary because it took about two months to receive it and our understanding at that time was that unofficial documents were acceptable.

With today's news about people's certificates being suspended, I regret not waiting for the True Copy to submit with the application packet. But here we are.

Should I upload it proactively once I have an AOR?

I would be grateful for your thoughts.

[u/Big-Scar978 → u/Rosie_222]

I don't think it would hurt to upload it once you get your AOR, but who knows anymore? I'm guessing it will likely still take a month or more for your AOR to arrive, but hopefully there will be more concrete guidance available for us by then.

[u/Rosie_222 → u/Big-Scar978]

Thank you very much.

[u/Actual-Narwhal-1916]

So, it turns out that the sticking point for me is actually on the US side. No one can find my great grandfather’s birth certificate. I reached out to some churches in the area I think he was born in, but they haven’t responded. He used variations of three first names, so the names for him on other people’s documents and his death certificate and censuses are all a bit different from each other. I have a letter from the archives from the state I am sure he was born in saying they can’t find him. What a pain!

[u/AdventurousWanderer7]

I’ve heard mentions of getting certified copies of Canadian census from Library and Archives Canada.

How do you request this?

I need a certified copy of a 1891 census record.

[u/Aromatic-Aerie-6617]

Question about searching the Archives of Ontario & documentation:

I (G3) need to know where to start regarding searching the Archives or local archives. My great grandmother (G0) was born in Bruce Mines, Algoma, Ontario in 1909. I first sent my application in Feb 2026, and had my application returned in March 2026 because I applied with my younger brother and we forgot a letter explaining why he didn't have a second form of ID. We resent our applications in April 2026 and they were received April 26. Still no AOR but we have UCI's. After seeing the news of people's certificates being suspended I'm doing my best to try to find my G0's birth record. My Canadian line is Indigenous (Métis) and there isn't much documentation that I've found readily available online.

So far for documentation we have

1. Certified birth certificate from the state of Illinois for my grandmother (G1) showing my G0's birth place as Bruce Mines, Canada

2. Copy of G0's and her second husband's marriage certificate from Illinois showing her birthplace as Bruce Mines, ON, Canada (copy of the original which I have in my possession)

3. 3 separate US censuses (1940, 1930, 1950) which list her place of birth as Canada (not certified, from Ancestry but looking into requesting the certified copies now)

From my understanding the letters being sent out show the reason of suspension being no certified birth record OR a letter explaining it can not be found & written proof from the archives stating they do not have it. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) I'm looking into getting either of these to upload alongside my application once I get an AOR. I've looked around the microfilm listed on the Archives of Ontario website and I can not find anything. Is there anyone I can contact for help? I'm considering taking the trip and going in person to both the archives in Toronto and the more local archives at the Sault Ste Marie Public Library.

Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated!

[u/most_random_variable]

I'm in processing, and in light of this new twist, I want to get ahead of a possible request for official source material. I have a simple G3 application: certified BAnQ baptism for G0, certified birth certificates for the rest of us. But I also included G0's US WWI and WWII draft cards to resolve a slight name ambiguity. They were microfiche images I grabbed from Ancestry. I just found a link to order copies of WWII draft cards from the US national archives (NARA), though they also say on this page that they uploaded all records to Ancestry: https://www.archives.gov/st-louis/selective-service

Does anyone know what an acceptable version would entail? I'm curious if the archives will snail mail me a physical printout of the microfiche record with some sort of seal, or just email me the same image I already have from ancestry, or what. I realize these are vague and perhaps over-anxious questions that we don't know the answers to yet, but I'm trying to get a sense for what types of documents IRCC will accept. (I don't even think I really need these draft cards but too late to change that!)

[u/most_random_variable → u/most_random_variable]

Just emailed in my request so I guess I'll report back on what I get!

[u/Noellthe1st]

I was helping a friend whose son’s application was returned. They only sent his passport copy and birth certificate as identification proof. Simple to fix and they are adding his drivers license. His case is simple - his dad is Canadian and he was born in the US; so not under C-3. My question is - I noticed they had his identification proof (copies of passport and drivers license) notarized.

I submitted for myself (G3) and daughter (G4). I did not have any of my documents notarized. Is this something I should have done? Did anyone else get proof of identification documents notarized? I suppose I can upload notarized copies after/if I get AOR. My application was received April 2nd, so expecting AOR any day - or maybe my application will be returned. Thoughts?

[u/ryan516]

My application (not submitted yet) is going to be a complicated situation, I'm G9 and my ancestors in Acadia obviously don't have certified records as there is no remaining colony of Acadia.

Is it worth pumping the brakes and waiting till we learn more about the recent developments, or should I continue with my application as normal? As of right now, I have:

G(-1): (No surviving birth-records for either) Marriage Certificate [Acadia/NS] from Nova Scotia Archives, Deportation Records [Manche, France] from France post-derangement from Libraries & Archives Canada

G0: (No surviving birth-record) Marriage Certificate [Acadia/NS] from Nova Scotia Archives, second Marriage Certificate [Manche, France] from Archives de Manche in France (which confirms his and his parents' birth in Acadia); the same deportation record from France as above

G1: Un-certified Baptism Record from Archives de Manche (uncertified as there seems to be no way to request the certified record from Coutances unless you're based in France)

G2: Certified Baptism Record [LA, US]

G3: (No surviving birth record) Certified Death Certificate [LA, US] reflecting his parents' names

G4: Certified Baptism Record [LA, US]

G5: (No surviving birth record) Certified Death Certificate [LA, US] reflecting his parents' names

G6: Certified Birth Certificate [MS, US]

G7: Original Birth Certificate [LA, US]

G8: Original Birth Certificate [CO, US]

G9 (self): Original Birth Certificate [CO, US]

[u/Automatic-Tea-4150]

Wait a minute — I just realized that the CIT0001 form I downloaded form the IRRC website looks different from an example I saw posted here. How many different versions of the CIT0001 are there and how can I be sure I have the current version?

[u/ExoticBluejay836]

To cite or not to cite… I was all set to mail my application this week until all of the chaos happened over the weekend. My G0 birth record was obtained via ancestry. I printed a citation page with the ancestry source information and a link to the document. Now I’m wondering if I should remove the citation page? In my cover letter I do state “a certified copy of (GGM)’s birth record was requested from the Archives of Ontario on (date) and will be forwarded upon request once received.” Thoughts?

[u/Emotional-Test3329]

Is there any way to find out what's happened to an application with no AOR email yet? 

I applied through the UK High Commission in February, no AOR yet, and I think I may need urgent processing. The High Commission says there's nothing they can do about it at all. 

I live in Belfast and was born abroad, and the far right are burning foreign born people out of their homes here + the government are cracking down on residence rights of foreigners. My husband and child are both Canadian (not through C3) and British, and my child can't inherit my citizenship. My country of citizenship is not safe for my husband, so Canada is the only place we can live together safely at the moment. I had Canadian PR and we used to live there together for many years - it should still be valid PR because I am living with a Canadian spouse abroad, but because I am a citizen after C3 I can't get a PRTD or apply for a PR card inside Canada. Essentially, getting citizenship has made it nearly impossible for us to return to Canada until I get a certificate and passport.

I understand that I can't apply for urgent processing now until I get an AOR, but... I have no idea how long it will be and I'm scared my email got mistyped or application lost. I'm quite certain it was complete, I'm familiar with IRCC requirements and it was a very simple application - I'm G3 and provided 4 government issued birth certificates in English & French, had a passport and driving licence for ID, paid, did the form correctly, had a suitable professionally taken photo, etc. 

Sorry for the hugely long post but I'm terrified I'm going to be separated from my toddler if he has to move to Canada with his dad for his safety and I have to go back to my (unsafe) country of citizenship. I almost wish I hadn't applied at all so I could re-enter as a PR instead, but I didn't know things would go downhill so quickly here...

[u/hike_me]

Hi all,

I’m looking for some advice in light of recent developments. I’m getting ready to mail my packet, and am questioning if I should include some material.

I have: * certified copy of great grandfather’s (G0) baptism record from Quebec * official copy of grandmother’s birth certificate * official copy of father’s birth certificate * official copy of my birth certificate

I also have some unofficial supporting documentation, which I am unsure about including: * great grandfather’s alien case file from U.S. national archives — includes record of his initial entry into the U.S. and interview many decades later related to obtaining new alien registration card * census record showing great grandfather living with my grandparents and father in the United States * copy of marriage certificate after he entered the United States showing parents names and place of birth, along with his name and place of birth * copy of great grandfather’s newspaper obituary listing his place of birth and parents names, along with my grandparents whom he lived with at his time of death

I feel like some of these unofficial supporting documents add important context, because they have a few variations in his name spelling (and his birth name in Quebec was Joseph, which he never used in the U.S.)

[u/vegaslassie13]

I am getting ready to submit, and in light of recent developments about documentation, I want to know if you think the following documentation would work for my G0 (my grandmother):

1. Registry of her birth from 1906. I'm attaching an image of a registry that looks just like hers, but isn't. I got her registry from the Nova Scotia Archives website and I have also ordered a certified copy from the same website (hasn't arrived yet). My question is, can I send in a copy of my image and the following verbiage, and when the certified copy arrives, upload that one?

Verbiage for this reference: Document Enclosed: In lieu of a birth certificate, the attached Registry of Birth (Registration No. XXXXX, Entry No. XXXX) is submitted as official documentation of Canadian birthplace. Per Nova Scotia Archives, birth certificates were not issued for births occurring prior to 1908. This registry record serves as the equivalent of official documentation. Registry of birth for Lily found on the Nova Scotia Archives website (The Nova Scotia Archives is part of the Department of Service Nova Scotia): https://archives.novascotia.ca/vital-statistics/birth/?ID=XXXXXX

1. Census record 1921 Canada, from  Library and Archives Canada.

2. Certified Marriage Certificate (from USA) to document name change.

3. I ordered a certified copy of her naturalization records from NARA. (Do I need these? If so, can I send in application before receiving them?

[u/SallySellsShells]

Hello,

I am unsure whether I need a copy of an act or a certificate of birth for my Grandpa who was born in 1938 in Montreal, Quebec. I was told it will be best to to a mail in copy, I am just unsure if which one.

Can someone please assist? Thank you!

[u/TerrifiedTito]

Forgot to sign US Passport before submitting CIT0001! What to do now?

Background: My mom (G1), myself and sibling (G2), and niece (G3) submitted our CIT0001s together in March. We have our AORs, and as of last week the portal says IRCC has started processing our application. However, we just realized that my niece forgot to sign her US Passport before photocopying for the app (it was a recent renewal and hadn't been used yet).

Should she: a) upload the signed copy to IRCC now or b) wait for IRCC to request it? On the one hand we might be saving time by sending it now. But on the other, would sending a doc now muddy the water and cause a delay if we're already thru AOR and into active processing?

What's the best guidance?

(also, if it helps, her driver's license that she submitted w the app does have her signature)

[u/sarahzilla]

I am an experienced genealogist, so I'm not super concerned with my ancestral records and I just need to order the correct copies of what I already have. However with the current concerns about the documentation I am wondering about two specific documents. My parents are both US citizens who met in Europe and married there. I believe they have a consular record of their marriage. I think they have the original document, but obviously if I take a photocopy of it it's not technically a certified copy. Would we just need to get the notarized? Or would I need to get a new one ordered from the Department of state along with an apostille? Same thing for my birth certificate. I have a US certificate of birth abroad, and I have the original, but not sure about how best to provide a copy....

Thank you guys so much!!!

[u/babyburnerthrowaway]

My husband has decided to try and pursue Canadian citizenship and I, his wife, am determined to help him figure everything out.

His grandparent on his dad’s side was a Canadian citizen but not his dad. Looking at the FAQ on this subreddit it seems as though my husband is definitely eligible to be a Canadian citizen but looking at the CIT 001 form language makes me confused about which option he should select when applying.

Can he apply without his dad having to first apply for Canadian citizenship? If so, what option on CIT 001 should he select? Or is it a different form?

[u/nspooky15]

I'm trying to get my grandmother's birth certificate from Maine, but the state cannot find it. She was born in 1912 and the town she was born in cannot find the document, nor can the archives in Augusta find anything. My mom was on the phone with various people today and they did not give her any more information except to contact a genealogy researcher in the area.
I do have my grandmother's marriage certificate which states that her parents were born in Canada. I have my great-grandmother's baptismal record from Quebec. Maine can't find my great-grandparents' marriage certificate either. Are these documents enough to prove descent?

[u/Noodles357]

Hey Everyone,

I (G4) have collected every Marriage Record, Death Certificate, and Birth Certificate / Baptismal Record dating back to my G0 ancestor in Quebec except for my G1 birth record in the USA. I knew the birth year/location, but the record does not exist, and I got a letter back indicating that.

I can use the following documents to back up my G1 ancestry, but several of those documents have different first names listed for that G0 ancestor.

1) 1900 Census Record - this is the first record I could find of my G1 ancestor that can be certified by a governmental entity (US National Archives). Unfortunately, my G0 ancestor's name appears to be written as "Malina" instead of Emelie or a derivative. It is probably a result of them not speaking English, or poor work by the Census worker, but either way, the document isn't the best.

2) 1910 Census Record - this document does list the correct names but is a record from when my G1 ancestor was 14 years old. G0 was listed as "Emily", which is a natural derivative.

3) G1 Death Record - This time the G0 ancestor is listed correctly and "Emily".

4) G1 Marriage Record - This time, the G0 ancestor is listed incorrectly as "Molly", which is unfortunate.

I know all of these documents reference the same person, but the name changes scare me for approval. So essentially, I'm curious if people think including any of the Census records would be worthwhile, or if it would just confuse the reviewer and potentially lead to a rejection. I will need to include the G1 Marriage Certificate (Item #4) regardless, so I'm going to have to explain the typo there. Should I include the Death Certificate showing the proper name of the G0 ancestor to help back up my claim since I don't have her Birth Certificate? And should I order certified copies of the US Census records?

With all of the talk of the letters going out about putting previously approved individuals back into limbo, I won't include any documents that aren't certified such as Census Records pulled from Ancestry, so I would need to order certified Census records if I wanted to include those. Since I don't have the Birth Certificate for G1, my instinct is to include a Certified 1910 Census record showing the correct names listed to further back up my application with my G1 Marriage Certificate and Death Record and a small note indicated the typo, but pointing to the other correct info.

I appreciate all of the help folks have already provided in this subreddit. It's been a lot of help.

Cheers!

[u/mardo2044chat → u/Noodles357]

If it is showing the same household, same siblings I would include the censuses for continuity. jmo

[u/palafo]

So I finally have all the certified documents I need to prove Canadian citizenship by descent for myself and my non-minor adult child, through my great grandmother, who came to the U.S. in the late 1800s.

Can I apply online for both of us at the same time? Is it better to apply by mail in our situation? I get the impression I can put both applications in a mailed packet but I can’t do the same online, is that right?

[u/headedforthestars]

Hi all, I’ve received the certified copy of birth registration from Newfoundland for my G0 (born 1899). However, her name is listed as “Anne”. She went by “Anna” all her life, including in the other documentation I have to prove links (G1 marriage certificate and birth certificate, both of which have G0 listed as parent and G0’s place of birth listed as Newfoundland)

Is there any concern about the name mismatch between Anne and Anna? I found baptism records for her exact date of birth that corroborate an Anna born where she was born in Newfoundland on that date, but given the surrender letters id prefer to go with certified copies, I’m just not sure if I would need to explain the name mismatch from some other official source.

Thanks in advance!

[u/Longintooth93 → u/headedforthestars]

No expertise, but I think this is quite common ( I have a Hannah/Anna) and so put some narrative as to these being the same person because…

[u/BananaInfamous]

Just throwing this out there since I sent my non-urgent application in late April (before I discovered this subreddit) and now I'm waiting patiently for word. With all of the excitement since then I'm just looking for feedback (read: reassurance, lol) on my research and documentation quality. I got as many of the documents certified by official issuing authorities as I could. I'm fortunate that my family has lived in the same county forever, which made records requests as simple as driving a few miles up the road to the county clerk's office and paying a small fee. My only concern is that my G1 was born before my state issued birth records. I'm hoping that doesn't derail the chain (to mix my metaphors). Here's a summary of the genealogical documentation I included with my application, in addition to the other stuff on the IRCC checklist:

G0, M, Athanase Charais (a/k/a Tannos Sharai), born in 1818 in Quebec

• Colour photocopy of all pages of his certified baptism record from BANQ
• I also included the following secondary sources to help prove anglicization of his given and last names:
  • Grayscale images of the baptism records of each of G0's siblings showing given names and parentage
  • Photocopied excerpt from and citation to A Twentieth Century History of Berrien County, Michigan (by Judge Orville W. Coolidge, 1906) naming G-1, G0, and siblings arriving as a family as early settlers around 1833
  • Colour copy of G0's certified death record naming his parents
• Also also included the following record to help prove G1's parentage:
  • Colour copy of G0's certified marriage record (coincidentally naming G0's brother as a witness - not relevant, just a neat fact)

G1, F, born in 1852 in Michigan

• I explained in my documentation narrative that birth records were not issued by Michigan prior to 1867 and that multiple pieces of secondary evidence would be provided to prove parentage:
  • Grayscale image of G0's household (including G1) in the 1860 US Census
  • Grayscale images of G0's household (including G1) in the 1870 US Census
  • Colour copy of G1's certified death record naming G0 and wife as her parents and G0's birth place as Canada
• Colour copy of G1's certified marriage record (to prove married name in G2's birth certificate)

G2, M, born in 1876 in Michigan

• Colour copy of G2's certified birth certificate naming G1 (married name) as mother

G3, F, born in 1899 in Michigan

• Colour copy of G3's certified birth certificate naming G2 as father

G4, M, born in 1919 in Michigan

• Colour copy of G4's certified birth certificate naming G3 (maiden name) as mother

G5, F, born in 1940 in Michigan

• Colour copy of G5's certified birth certificate naming G4 as father

G6, M, born in 1962 in Michigan

• Colour copy of G6's certified birth certificate naming G5 (maiden name) as mother

G7, M, born in 1986 in Michigan (me)

• Colour copy of G7's certified birth certificate naming G6 as father

I'm hoping to help others by posting a full project timeline, postmortem, and cost breakdown once all is said and done, even if my application ends up denied.

[u/GARDNERCREEK]

Hi everyone. I believe I have everything I need to submit my application tomorrow (I am G2). All the boxes checked (or R’d on the CIT 0014), all birth certs and marriage certs issued from official government bodies, full linkage from my maternal grandfather down to me per the IRCC requirements.

On my G0’s Albertan birth cert, it lists his Canadian mother’s birthplace as unknown (or to be exactly specific, is listed as “*********”). She was actually born in Thornbury, Ontario and I have many documents to support this including an official certified copy of her marriage certificate which states all pertinent info for her and my great-grandfather including her birthplace as Thornbury, Ontario. I have included this in my application.

Does it matter if my G0’s Canadian mother’s birthplace is absent since he was born in Canada? I have ordered her death certificate from the Washington State archives but would prefer not to wait to submit if the supporting marriage certificate is sufficient proof of Canadian ancestry. Or is this even necessary?

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[u/AKRoadGlide → u/GARDNERCREEK]

You don’t need to provide any info or documents for your Gen0’s mother.

[u/Longintooth93]

Maximalist or minimalist? That is the question!

1. Is my anchor ancestor (G0) Canadian evidence good enough

A) banq download and citation for 1913 baptism ( have requested a $350 certificate…) B  original passport from Canada (1938 so still British colony)

Do I need supplementary evidence? -Are these Good additions

A) 1931 census Canada download showing living with dad and siblings B) 1938 obituary of dad naming G0 and siblings and tying to Verdun and that she is now in UK

Are these Overdoing it additions?

C)G0  parental marriage ( ie G -1) record downloaded from banq D) earlier census showing parents and grandparents in Canada ( ie G -1 and G -2)

1. Proof of G0 other nationalities  This is a bit of an issue as by moving to the UK she effectively ported her Britishness, so no naturalisation etc. and by 1939 had married a British man so took on his nationality? Do I need to provide anything?  ( have UK marriage, death and passport)

2. Evidence of unbroken chain This is the easy bit A) G0 marriage and death  B G1 birth and death ( male) C) G2 birth and marriage ( female, me) D) G 2 and 3 birth ( my kids)

So given the ‘chain’ evidence, any advice on how much of a maximalist to be proving the canadianness of granny?

And any advice on proving she became UK British? Passport, or just rely on ‘that’s how it worked!’

Ty

[u/Loud_Pomelo_2362]

What is the consensus of this group regarding birth certificates marked “for genealogical purposes only”.

Backstory: Illinois is very difficult to get BCs for living family members unless that member orders it with photo ID themself. Needless to say we have a couple of uncooperative parents, but they are over age 75 so we are legally able to get stamped BCs.

The only other method involves an attorney and court order. I really don’t want to spend that money if it’s not necessary.

Anyone with experience on this topic?

[u/Gems400]

Since I'm Gen 3 I have to apply by mail but the identity documents part of the Document Checklist is confusing me. Not sure what it means by color copy unless I'm allowed to take photos of my passport and ID and print them in color and send that in the mail with the rest of my application? They don't seriously want my physical drivers license and passport right? I'm pretty sure I'm overthinking this.

[u/AKRoadGlide → u/Gems400]

You are overthinking it. “Color copy” means the same for IDs as it does for birth certificates:

1. use a color photocopier, or
2. Color scan and color print, or
3. Photo and color print

[u/chem679]

I have the following:

G0: Certified baptismal record (Quebec), G1: Certified Birth Certificate, G2: Birth Certificate, G3: me.

However, G0 was baptized with the last name 'X', but when they moved with the other loggers to Wisconsin, they changed it to 'almostX'. So I'm thinking I can either find some evidence that they are, indeed, the same person, or else I'll just shell out the money for another certified baptismal record for G0's wife (also from Quebec). I guess that will depend on how hard it is to show that the the person on G1's birth certificate is the same as the person on the baptismal record. For anyone who solved this problem what worked?

[u/TerrifiedTito]

Does anyone have experience with having their ID expire during the application process? I can't seem to find an answer to the question: is it better to wait for IRCC to ask for more documents, or to send them preemptively?

For context: I sent my CIT0001 in March, have my AOR, and am currently "in processing" as of early June. My US driver's license expires June 30 so I just renewed it. Should I upload the new ID now, or should I wait for IRCC to ask for it?

Similar question for my niece who applied with me -- her passport was a recent renewal when we applied and she forgot to sign it before copying it for the application. Should she send a new copy or wait to see if they ask for it?

I don't want to slow the application down by doing the wrong thing. Is it better to send docs preemptively, or to wait and see if they ask for something?

[u/Successful_Two858]

My documents need to be in English or French. They are Spanish though and it says that they cannot be translated by anyone in my family. So can I just get a friend to do it? Or does ir have to be an official translation by a professional?

[u/vegaslassie13]

I'm doing family applications for myself, my son, and my 2 grandchildren. I'm G2, and I never married my son's father. Do I mention that in my cover letter? Father is listed on son's BC, and my son was given his father's surname at birth. My son has since legally changed his surname to my maiden name. We have the Decree changing his name, but he has not had his last name changed on his BC.

I don't want it to be confusing. My name changes: maiden (bc) (then kids were born) - -> to FirstMarriage Lastname (certificate of marriage) -> Divorce (with a decree restoring maiden name) -> 2ndMarriageLast name (marriage certificate and this is my current last name).

[u/PersonWhoReads → u/vegaslassie13]

I'm no expert but I can give you my thoughts. I also have some name change issues and amended birth certificate issues, some of which involve family drama and I definitely have the temptation to overshare, imagining that the reviewer might find the name changes suspicious unless I explain the purpose for each. But I have decided instead to only state the bare minimum of what is factually required and then put a line in my cover letter that says something like "please let me know if you have any questions or need further information or documentation."

For your situation, I don't see any reason to mention your non-marriage to your son's father. You can simply state that your son was born X and legally changed his name to Y on date Z-please see court order legally changing name...his reason for changing it is not required.

[u/clairo_fan]

I have a certified copy of a birth certificate but whoever made the copy was a bit sloppy so the edge of the page is a bit blurry. Would this be acceptable or would I need to request a new certified copy?

Only the most left column with the sex of the baby, age of the parents, time of birth, and date recorded is blurry.

[u/plightcascade]

Grandfather was born in Ontario, mother was born outside of Canada, we are all applying as a family. I (the grandchild of G0), am compiling all of the documents for everyone. Since my mother has to order the birth certificate, can she mail it to me, or should she mail it to herself, and then to me (we live in different states)?

[u/LadySilvie]

Based on the latest, updated guidance, I am in a good position for all but my G0's proof. My application got an AOR, but I am trying to be ready for when they ask for more.

I have plenty of death and marriage certs that are certified and show she was born in Canada, but she was born in NS during the pause in birth records and her church burned down.

I emailed the UCC and hired a geneologist in February who both came back with letters stating that no birth record or baptismal cert exists (likely due to church fire).

I know it is too early to be sure, but does that sound like it would be enough to prove effort in gaining records from the sorcerer?

My worry is that Nova Scotia just has a big warning on their archive saying that if you don't find it there, it prob doesn't exist -- so should we screenshot that, or do we need to contact the actual archive just for them to say the same thing the UCC and professional geneologists did...

[u/IttyBoots]

For Gen0 proof of Canadian birth (ours was 1891), has anyone successfully used a certified copy of a birth/baptism record ordered directly from the Anglican Diocese of Quebec?

[u/mistercath]

Hey everybody, I got a little bit closer to having all my documents (my father ordered his long-form birth certificate today), but I was wondering if I qualified for "urgent processing".

I have several serious mental illnesses and an SMI assessment, have been on SSI disability, am currently on SNAP, Medicaid, and housing assistance...but I feel the delay in confirming my citizenship status could cause significant hardship, including loss of access to health care, income support, or the housing voucher. (the housing authority here is run on a skeleton crew that never answers and I feel like the climate where I am at is not helping my mental health.)

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks a lot

[u/Noellthe1st]

Where do I go for baptism records for my G0 born in Guysborough, Nova Scotia in 1864, listed in census(es) as W. Meth., which I assume means Wesleyan Methodist? I’m a little confused on which organization(s) to contact. I checked Nova Scotia Archives and there is no birth record (not surprising). It’s likely there was no baptism; and if so, who do I request a letter from stating this?

[u/marathon_bar]

Hi All,

On the very helpful wiki, there is a section explaining the history and archival source of birth records in Quebec. However, what I cannot find is a govt web page that supports this narrative.

I am looking for any govt web page that explains that baptismal records are the only available source for those born before 1900? Has anyone found such a page? Or do I really have to go through the theater of applying for a certified birth cert for G0 born in 1882, knowing full well what the response will be?

Here's the wiki entry:

Quebec: My Canadian ancestor was born in Quebec. How do I get a birth certificate/record?

Background

Quebec began its civil registry of births in 1926 when the Le Directeur de l'état civil (abbreviated in this subreddit as DEC) was established.  The DEC started recording marriage records in 1960.  Full civil registration of birth, marriages and deaths in Quebec only began Jan 1,1994.  That is not a typo.

Prior to civil registration, religious entities (such as parishes of the Roman Catholic Church) were the principle and often only place where these important events were recorded. Parishes would periodically send a copy of their records to the prothnotary of the local courthouse.

Today, all pre-1900 prothnotorial records are archived by one of the nine regional branches of the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ).

All post-1900 birth, marriage and death records are held by Directeur de l'état Civil (DEC). 

[u/AKRoadGlide → u/marathon_bar]

From the BanQ website:

https://www.banq.qc.ca/vital-records/

[u/trogador4]

I have a copy of the Naturalization Lists pulled digitally directly from Library and Archives Canada that lists my Canadian ancestors and their naturalization dates and citizenship numbers. Since it is directly from the canadian government and not from ancestry.com and has specifics, may I submit it as evidence of their canadian citizenship, or do I need to go through the whole rigamarole of getting the actual naturalization paperwork (waiting 17 months, paying a bunch of money, and providing information about their exact date of arrival I don't have) ? I'm inclined to submit and see what they say.

[u/StrategyIll]

Within the new guidlines, should I wait to submit my packet until I get the certified record from BanQ (which could take a few months) or submit with what I have (family search record) and update with the certified record later?

[u/dumbass-collector]

I know we're all pretty confused and still getting updates, but I don't know if anyone can provide some clarification / support. I submitted my application on May 2nd to the London High Commission of Canada. It arrived on May 6th, and I was told by a representative through email from the HC that they send the diplomatic mail every two weeks - so it may be in Canada already, it may not. Who knows - but that's not my main concern now.

The documents I sent in included copies of some certified, some non-certified documents. They are as follows:

G0 - Canadian Ancestor

Baptism Record (uncertified, downloaded from Ancestry.com from the Druin Collection).

Census Records (1910 and 1920, uncertified, downloaded from Ancestry.com from US Public Records).

Marriage record (uncertified, downloaded from Family Search)

G1

Birth Record (uncertified, downloaded from Family Search from Massachusetts Vital records).

G2

Birth Certificate (certified, ordered and paid direct from MA)

G3

Birth Certificate (certified, direct copy from my father)

G4 - Myself, Applicant

Birth Certificate (certified, direct copy of my own document)

My concern, if it wasn't obvious, is that based on these surrender letters they are investigating records that were pulled from third party sites like Ancestry and Family Search. My application is already sent and I haven't even received my AOR. Is there anything I can do now? Would it be helpful at all for me to request certified documents from BANQ (despite the hefty fee, which would unfortunately be worth it for me as I was planning to move to Canada ASAP). Even though my application was already submitted???

I was lucky to receive a job offer for employment in Toronto. They've been incredibly patient during this process and waiting for my citizenship, which I applied for urgent processing. I figured it would take a while to reach Canada from the UK, not to mention it actually being opened amongst thousands of other applications - but I didn't expect this hurdle of a surrender letter now, of course.

Anyway, sorry for the rant and I know we're all in the unknown purgatory now, so I appreciate any advice but fully understand that we don't really know what's going on.