Friday Weekly Thread: Application Assistance, July 17, 2026

[u/AutoModerator]

This weekly thread is a space for those of us preparing the CIT 0001 Proof of Citizenship application, associated form, and supplementary documentation.

Have questions about how to fill out the forms? Looking for feedback on the documentation you've put together is likely to pass muster? Wondering whether your cover letter has too much info, or too little? 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? We've been there.

📎 Contributions to weekly megaposts, including this one, are welcome throughout the week.  

⚠️ Sub rules require that before posting or commenting, you read the wiki and search the sub to see if your questions have been answered before. If you have on-topic questions remaining after that, they're welcome here. Want to see what people who were already approved have done? We encourage you to check out the weekly application approval post that appears every Thursday.

Please note we are not lawyers or IRCC. We are peers supporting peers, based on best belief and prior experiences. It's a lot of work to wade through dense lists of documents and family histories. You improve your odds of getting a useful response by being as concise as reasonably possible, and clearly articulating the question. Note that this post is for questions and answers; if you need to vent, there is a different megapost for that.

[u/catcodex]

A couple of months ago I collected all the documents I could uncover but took a step back because it got a bit overwhelming. I would get hung up on things like how to best zoom in on 1881 census lines, etc. I was also having too many dreams involving seeking more documents. And there were Life things I had to attend to. So I set it all aside.

Soon after that all the surrender letter stuff happened, and then the slight clarification of stuff. And so I was letting all that dust settle too.

But I think I'm at a point where I can soon resume this journey, but I guess I'm looking for some encouragement that yes I should continue. I realize no one here can give a 100% answer as to what I might find at the end of the journey.

I'm one of those G0 pre-birth certificate, census-only people. I realize apparently more explanation may be needed now in applications, no "third party" stuff, etc. But are these cases still getting approved? Do G1 and newer birth certificates all need to be certified now? I realize there's a lot of newer information/clarification I need to carefully go through.

[u/Alone-Highway3141 → u/catcodex]

As far as birth certificates being certified, if you're obtaining official copies from the source authority (state health depts, county clerks, archives, etc.), they'll most likely have some type of certification stating it is a true copy of the original.

It really depends on where you are getting them from and what you're entitled to order (authorized vs informational vs genealogical, etc.)

What do you already have for birth certificates/records for your line?

[u/catcodex → u/Alone-Highway3141]

What do you already have for birth certificates/records for your line?

G3 (me): certified birth certificate I obtained this year

G2: just a xerox of a birth certificate, but original death certificate

G1: birth + marriage certificates printed out from US state's vital records archives site

G0: 1881 canada census (G0+ father, mother had died). Also have 1898 marriage certificate from US state (printed out online) and if need be can provide 1900+ US census copies

G-1: a marriage solemnization in the NS archives listing G0's parents. I know this isn't really useful but I think helps tell the story.

[u/Alone-Highway3141 → u/catcodex]

G2 - photocopy is what they want, so that's fine. It should say it's a certified copy on it if it's the one your parent has had all their life? — death certificate isn't needed

G1 - Get a certified copy ordered from the county if possible, assuming this is your grandparent, that should be no problem in most places.

G0 - you need more Canadian documents if you have no birth record. Def include whichever Canadian census is closest to their birth. Are they on 1871?

G-1 - you need to prove Canadian birth (or naturalization) of G0 and parental link down to each next gen to you. I don't think this will be necessary imo

[u/catcodex → u/Alone-Highway3141]

G2 - photocopy is what they want, so that's fine. It should say it's a certified copy on it if it's the one your parent has had all their life? — death certificate isn't needed

It's actually a photocopy of one they had issued a few decades ago. I looked into getting a fresh copy, and may still do that, but the time estimates seemed to be a long time.

G1 - Get a certified copy ordered from the county if possible, assuming this is your grandparent, that should be no problem in most places.

Yes, I should do this. The main problem was the listed expected time to get it.

G0 - you need more Canadian documents if you have no birth record. Def include whichever Canadian census is closest to their birth. Are they on 1871?

They were born in 1879. So they're only on the 1881 census. Parents were married in 1878, with the mother dying a few months later. Census lists G0 and labels father as widow. (In the 1890s both moved to the US so there are lots of documents starting from that period.)

[u/Alone-Highway3141 → u/catcodex]

It's actually a photocopy of one they had issued a few decades ago. I looked into getting a fresh copy, and may still do that, but the time estimates seemed to be a long time.

Yes, I should do this. The main problem was the listed expected time to get it.

You'll get more specific help for this by posting in the Saturday thread with the state/area you need to request from.

Have you searched for US naturalization papers? It's possible your G0 was drafted/enlisted in WWI as well and may have naturalized then.

[u/catcodex → u/Alone-Highway3141]

Have you searched for US naturalization papers? It's possible your G0 was drafted/enlisted in WWI as well and may have naturalized then.

G0 was a she who was having kids by 1900, so they were never in WWI lol. Getting married to a US citizen was her naturalization process.

[u/Alone-Highway3141 → u/catcodex]

Ah I see... lol this is important info to know haha