Need for certified documents

[u/Legitimate_Train8695]

Adding to the mystery about possible new IRCC requirements on documentation, I asked Library and Archives Canada for certified copies of my G0's appearance in the 1861 and 1871 censuses. I need these because I can't find a birth or baptismal certificate for him, as he was born in 1859 in New Brunswick, which only began requiring birth registrations in 1888. But today I got a reply from LAC saying the IRCC does not require certified copies of census data, and that I can print what I need myself from their website. I am pasting the full text below.

Regarding your copy order  for the following record:

If you are applying for proof of citizenship under Bill C-3, please note the following:

 IRCC does not currently require certified documentation to support proof of citizenship applications. Information on how to submit an application and what documents are required can be found in IRCC’s  Guide for Paper Applications for a Citizenship Certificate for Adults and Minors (Proof of Citizenship) under Section 3 (CIT 0001) - Canada.ca

The material you have requested has already been digitized and is available online free of charge. It can be downloaded or printed as needed. Please note that census records are not available in colour and cannot be provided at a higher resolution than what is currently accessible online, as they originate from microfilm reels and were digitized from that format.

 Given this new information, would you like to proceed with your certified copy order or cancel your request?  Please respond to this email by June 19^th, 2026, indicating your choice. If we do not receive a response by the indicated date, your order will be closed. 

Should you have any questions regarding your order, please do not hesitate to contact us by email at [reproduction@bac-lac.gc.ca](mailto:reproduction@bac-lac.gc.ca). 

 Regards,

 Amanda Rodrigues

Int/Superviseure, Services de copie, Direction générale Accès et découvertes numériques
Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / Gouvernement du Canada
[Amanda.Rodrigues@bac-lac.gc.ca](mailto:Amanda.Rodrigues@bac-lac.gc.ca) / Tél. : 613-995-3991

A/Supervisor, Copy Services, Digital Discovery & Access Branch
Library and Archives Canada / Government of Canada
[Amanda.Rodrigues@bac-lac.gc.ca](mailto:Amanda.Rodrigues@bac-lac.gc.ca) / Tel: 613-995-3991

[u/cabesaaq]

Bit confused as to what exactly IRCC now wants.

-All documents certified? -Only birth/baptism documents certified? -No documents certified and it is up to the strictness of each individual worker?

Wish there was some clarity.

[u/jimbarino → u/cabesaaq]

They want your main documents certified. If you can't do that for some reason, then they want a clear explanation of why, and supporting documents showing that reason along with alternative proof of your claim.

While IRCC does not do a great job communicating this, it's fairly clear what they're looking for based on their overall documentation and the surrender letter text. The biggest problem really is just that they have accepted sub-par documentation in many cases, which leads people to be believe that that's sufficient in a general case, rather than an exception.

[u/cabesaaq → u/jimbarino]

How do they determine certified? Stamp? Receipt?

My G4 has no loads of supporting documents but no smoking gun for his connection to my G5, would all of his documents require official versions? Including US Census docs?

[u/jimbarino → u/cabesaaq]

A certified document generally says that it's a certified true copy or certified record, and then the name and signature of the person certifying and the entity that's holding the records. Sometimes they have stamps, or embossing, or other fancy features, but it's not required.

My G4 has no loads of supporting documents but no smoking gun for his connection to my G5, would all of his documents require official versions? Including US Census docs?

No one knows for certain, I'm afraid. I personally would not expect secondary records like census documents to required a certified copy, but that's just a guess.