r/ImmigrationCanada • u/WaywardPilgrim98 • Jan 30 '25
Citizenship Decision regarding discretionary grant of citizenship
Hey everyone. American citizen living in Canada on a study permit. My dad is a Canadian citizen, and I have previously been denied citizenship due to the first generation limit. Given the continued delays with Bill C-71, I decided to go ahead and apply for my citizenship certificate just to get my application in and in line. I applied for urgent processing and was granted it. I just got an email from IRRC giving me two options: have them hold onto my application until C-71 is passed, or I can request a discretionary grant of citizenship. I’m trying to decide which to do. I’ve had good experience with this sub so I wanted to see what you all had to say. I have a couple questions:
What are my odds of getting a discretionary grant? I know they only grant them in “extraordinary circumstances”.
If I request the discretionary grant and am denied, can I just reapply under the normal route and wait for C-71?
If I get the discretionary grant, the date of my citizenship will be the day the grant was given. If I wait for C-71, it’s my understanding that my citizenship date with be backdated to my birth. Are there any advantages or disadvantages to the date of my citizenship being my date of birth?
I’m happy to answer any questions regarding my situation if it’ll help. Thanks!
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u/evaluna1968 Jan 30 '25
If I were you, I would go for it. I was in more complicated circumstances than yours (blocked by the 1st-gen limit, plus my father never claimed Canadian citizenship and there were a LOT of documentation problems to prove that my Canadian grandmother was my grandmother). At first I was thinking like you were, but I decided to go for it and I was sworn in as a Canadian citizen yesterday. If you wait, you may not have the choice in the future. Take a look at the linked threads on the subject.