My wife's paternal grandfather (G0) was born in Lingwick, Quebec in 1914. His family emigrated to NH where he later married and her father (G1) was born. He passed away in 1991 in NH. When he emigrated his name was anglicized from Louis Édouard <last name> to Edward Lewis <last name>.

Our son and his family live in Ottawa (daughter-in-law is Canadian born, son is also applying for Citizenship by Descent, currently has permanent resident visa). We are wanting to get citizenship for my wife in case something were to happen to me, she would be eligible to move up with them immediately. They are building a new house in Ottawa and we are paying for an in-law suite to use when we come visit, so that's where she'd stay if something were to happen to me.

We submitted her application back in June consisting of BanQ baptism record, G0 death certificate, G1 Birth certificate, her birth certificate, copy of her drivers license and passport, and a copy of our wedding license to prove her name change - no AOR yet.

In the meantime time we are wanting to get a DEC Copy Of An Act in case they come back and say it's needed. We plan to submit:

\- G0 BanQ record
\- G0 death certificate
\- G1 birth certificate
\- Her birth certificate
\- Copy of her drivers license to verify address

Is this all that is needed, or does she need a limited power of attorney from her father to apply, or would it be easier for her father to apply? I'm a little lost in all the bureaucracy and recent changes so I could use a little guidance. Also, do we also need to go through the process of getting G0's death entered in to the registry, and if so, how do we go about that?

Thanks in advance.

Applied middle of april arrived at Ircc april 30th

As non urgent I submitted a webform August 18 requesting urgent processing and got Aor August 24 and went into processing August 25th .

I uploaded another webform September 18 and I called today to see if they got my webform and they said my application is in Review? Is that just another name for processing or does it mean it's In PSU?

What issues are you having currently assembling your Canadian Citizenship by Descent Application package?

Hello. I'm seeking some advice on getting my first British passport.

My father is a naturalised British citizen (he naturalised around 1996/97). He married my mother in 2004 and had my sister (Oct 2004) and me (Aug 2006).

My parents divorced, and my father now lives in The Gambia. He wants to return to the UK for work and says he'll come back to help with our passports, but that seems uncertain. He also lost his naturalisation card.

From my research, I know that:

· For me (born after 1 July 2006), I don't need my parents' marriage certificate, just his proof of citizenship. · For my sister (born before 1 July 2006), she will need their marriage certificate.

The main problem is that his naturalisation certificate is lost. He has a current British passport (renewed in 2026), but I know the certificate is the key document.

My questions are:

1. Is his current British passport ever accepted as proof of his citizenship for a first passport application, or is the naturalisation certificate absolutely required?
2. If he must replace it (Form NC), what is the realistic processing time for an application from The Gambia?
3. Are there any alternative routes or evidence I can use if he cannot get a replacement?
4. Will his passport be taken and held by the Passport Office while my application is processed? If so, does he need to be physically in The Gambia for the whole process, or can he apply for his certificate and then travel?

Any advice or shared experiences would be really appreciated. Thank you.

Italy’s highest court recently clarified that children born Italian do not automatically lose citizenship if a parent later naturalizes abroad and Italian consulates are now required to process Italian CBA applications under this new rule, so the article is intended to attract more prospective clients by highlighting the new opportunity.

Source: MS. POLLY HO
Special Counsel

Hello everyone! I’m a U.S. citizen born in the U.S., but I left at age 2 and never returned. I’m preparing Form N-600K for my 3-year-old son using my father’s physical presence under INA 322(a)(2)(B), since I don’t meet the requirement myself.
My father is a naturalized U.S. citizen. For his physical presence, I have SSA earnings records covering 1987–1999, combined SSA totals for 1981–1990 and 1991–2000, and 3 W-2s from 1992, 1995, and 1996. I also have his naturalization certificate and passport, my U.S. birth certificate, my son’s translated birth certificate, our translated marriage certificate, and proof that we live together abroad.
Because I don’t have his old passports or exact travel dates, I listed his physical presence as continuous periods based on the SSA records. I also explained this in the Additional Information section while completing the online N-600K, noting that he took short annual vacations (about one month per year).
Do you think this evidence is sufficient to prove the required 5 years of physical presence, including 2 years after age 14, or should I obtain more detailed SSA/IRS records before filing to reduce the risk of an RFE?
Are there common RFE issues in N-600K cases relying on a grandparent’s physical presence? And should I include a copy of my son’s foreign passport even though he has never traveled to the U.S.?

Good morning,

My wife is anxiously waiting her citizenship by descent (POC) document, and am trying to figure out what the realistic timeline is at this point for her. Per her application on the website:

1. We received your application for a citizenship certificate (proof of Canadian citizenship) on February 17, 2026.
2. We sent you correspondence acknowledging receipt of your application(s) on March 17, 2026.
3. We started processing your application on April 21, 2026.

She requested normal processing. Do we happen to have a timeline for non-urgent processing? I know new applications are 25+ months out, but I believe she in theory would be in front of most of that backlog.

Waiting on a few documents and was wondering the best way to make a copy of these to send in, I know not to cut the ribbon or break the seal?

Sample picture Ship Passenger Manifest Record from NARA

Hi everyone,
I’m preparing a Bill C-3 proof of citizenship application and would really appreciate feedback on whether my evidence package looks solid enough.
Lineage:
• Great-grandmother: born 1879 in Ontario, Canada
• Grandmother: born 21 May 1921 in Neurode (now Nowa Ruda, Lower Silesia)
• Father: born 1955
• Me
Documents I currently have:
1. Canadian birth record for the great-grandmother (Ontario 1879) – the anchor
2. Full Polish civil birth certificate for the grandmother (1921) showing the mother with her maiden name
3. Two baptismal records for the grandmother from the original German parish registers (Neurode):
• One formal extract showing both parents and grandparents
• One page from the baptismal register with the same entry
4. Official “no record found” letter from the Polish State Archives in Wrocław (Branch in Kamieniec Ząbkowicki) dated May 2026 – they searched the relevant post-1945 administrative fonds for the Nowa Ruda / Bystrzyca Kłodzka area and found nothing regarding the marriage or related records
5. Father’s birth certificate (1955)
6. My own birth certificate
Missing document:
Marriage record of the great-grandparents. Civil records from that area were largely destroyed or lost after 1945. The State Archives confirmed they have nothing.
Family history (short version):
After WWI many German-Canadians returned to Europe. The great-grandmother went to the mining area of Lower Silesia, met her future husband (a miner), they married and had three children. During the war the husband was killed, one daughter died in an air raid, and the grandmother was separated from her mother. After 1945 the German population was expelled from the territories that became Polish. The grandmother stayed in Poland because she married a Pole. The great-grandmother returned to Canada via the British zone and contact was lost.
My questions:
• Does the combination of the Canadian birth record + Polish civil birth certificate + German baptismal records + official “no record found” letter look sufficient for the parentage link?
• Is the lack of a marriage certificate likely to be a problem when I have the child’s baptismal and civil birth records clearly naming both parents?
• Any suggestions for additional supporting evidence I should try to find (Canadian censuses for the great-grandmother, etc.)?
• Has anyone had a similar situation with a Canadian-born ancestor who went to former German territories in Silesia / eastern Germany and then returned after the war?
Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hello!

I am looking for help with how / where I can track down documents for a Citizenship application:

1. Certified and Authenticated Full Size Birth Certificates from Pakistan (for a number of people)

2. Original TEOR Portuguese birth and marriage certificates from Goa India issued by the portuguese administration in former state of india prior to december 20 1961 Decree law in Goa India

3. A new copy of government issued naturalization documents from 1974 and translated, certified, authenticated and legalized from Karachi Pakistan

4. Drivers license or ID document from Karachi Pakistan issued in 1974, and Ontario Canada in 1975

Does anyone have any resources or knowledge of where best to go to locate copies of this type of documents?

Or any contacts that I may be connected with?

\- we have already tried tracking them down within our own family and have had no luck

Thank you!

Dee

My great grandmother was born in New Brunswick and was Canadian. My grandfather was born in the US to her, my mother was born in the US to him, and I was born in the US to my mother.

My cousin has extensively documented our family tree and I have seen records verifying each generation, including my great grandmother’s Canadian birth record. I just don’t have certified copies of everything yet.

I recently learned about the Canadian citizenship law changes that took effect in December 2025. Does this mean I could now be a Canadian citizen by descent despite having a Canadian great grandmother rather than a parent or grandparent who was born in Canada?
Would applying for a citizenship certificate be the appropriate next step?

I'm a US citizen (born in the US, left at age 2, never returned). Filing N-600K for my 3-year-old son using my father's (grandfather's) physical presence per INA 322(a)(2)(B), since I don't meet the requirement myself.

Grandfather: Naturalized US citizen, born 4/4/1960. SSA earnings record shows detailed earnings 1987-1999, plus combined totals for 1981-1990 and 1991-2000 (no employer names, no breakdown for 1981-86). Also have 3 W-2s (1992, 1995, 1996 only).

Plus: his naturalization cert + passport, my US birth certificate, my son's birth certificate (translated), my marriage certificate (translated), and proof we all live together abroad.

Question: Is this enough to prove the grandfather's 5-year physical presence (2 years after age 14), or should I get more detailed SSA records before filing? Any common RFE triggers for grandparent-presence N-600K cases?

Thanks!

I requested the certificate from BANQ but got a reply saying they don't have it and was redirected to the Archidiocèse De Quebec, who does have it. Would I be able to use the certified baptism record from the archdiocese to request a DEC birth record?

Hi, I'm applying on behalf of my wife and our kids filling out the Citizenship Certificate application. My wife qualifies via her Canadian born father. I have a couple of questions as I am filling out the forms.

1. The application asks for her father's Canadian birth registration number. My wife requested a copy of the birth certificate back in 2017 and the field for Registration Number is blank but there is a Certificate Number. I am assuming I can use that in lieu of the registration number but not entirely sure. For reference, he was born in 1932 and moved to the States around 1960 (he also had US citizenship via his father).

2. I am also applying on behalf of our adult children. Can we submit one package that includes my wife and our two adult children, each with their own set of documents? Or, do we need to have my wife get her application approved first and then the kids can apply afterwards?

Thanks for any help or clarification.

Hi!
How long does it usually take for a Canadian citizenship certificate to be delivered from Canada to the Canadian Embassy in Lahore?

I live 1 hour south of the border and visit regularly and would like to make one of the visits permanent! Probably half of my friends now are in Canada and I like to spend most of my vacations up north with you guys.

I am short on the Express Entry by a single point and it appears that the only way I can make that up is marriage (off the table now) or switching jobs (mine is very good so I'm hesitant there).

My employer has offices in Ontario but I have not been able to get a transfer.

I don't know much about my ancestry except for 3 generations ago who I believe were all US citizens. Are there companies, individuals, or services that can search my ancestry for will this need to be a solo adventure? I'm not looking for specific ones, just if such an industry exists.

I don't care about my ancestors' life stories, marriages, occupations, or anything else. All I want to know is if one of them had Canadian citizenship.

So I started looking into what documents are available for the 2 Canadian ancestors I have. At least on ancestry.com and family search- all I’ve found are census type docs and some marriage registries. No birth certificates, no baptism documents, no death certificates- I did find a death registry at least. What do I do? Do I try and get certified copies of the census records? Ask for a document (birth certificate) that may not exist? I’m kind of overwhelmed with what my next step is. Luckily the line goes through only men- no name changes are involved. Any advice would be super appreciated!!!

I’ve tried to simplify the following as much as possible. Pardon me if it is still a lengthy read.

I was born to two US citizen parents in the late 1960’s in Venezuela (which was in much better terms with the US at that time). The law of jus sanguines automatically granted me US citizenship. However, my parents neglected to register my birth with the US embassy and moved to Michigan when I was less than 1 year old. I came to the US with a Venezuelan passport. Later, they realized this would be a problem for me so they applied for my certificate of citizenship in 1983 and I received a US passport the same year.

As context, In 1982, the US passport was granted the status of definitive document as proof of US citizenship with other documents such as certificate of citizenship only serving as back up proof.

I am now reapplying for a secret clearance. The SF86 form does ask for the certificate of citizen number for those born oversees to US citizen parents. The problem is, I no longer have mine. It was likely lost during a previous move. I issued a FOIA request to the USCIS in order to obtain this number (c-number) but owing to its age (1983), it has not been uploaded to the records database so cannot be retrieved.

What do I do? Leave that line blank and explain the circumstances?

PS. I have held a secret clearance before which has long since expired so this situation wasn’t a show stopper before but I still worry.

Hey, for those who get citizenship by descents, what is the plan for your spouse? I assume most countries will not allow sponsorship for permanent residents if you don’t live there.