Millions of Americans Could Claim Canadian Citizenship Under New Law — But Face $75 fee and 10-Month Wait
In a recent change to Canadian immigration law C-3 means that millions of more Americans may now qualify for duel-citizenship with Canada.
This change is now of particular interest to some Americans in the wake of President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
What is the Law and What Changed?
‘Previously, Canadian citizenship by descent could only be passed down to one generation, from a parent to a child. But the new law opened up citizenship to anyone born before that date who could prove they have a direct Canadian ancestor — a grandparent, great-grandparent or even more distant ancestor;’ according to MS Now.
‘Those born on or after Dec. 15 need to show that their Canadian parent lived in Canada for 1,095 days.’
Under the new law, descendants of Canadians are already considered citizens but must provide proof to obtain a certificate of citizenship. Hayer estimated that there are millions of Americans who are Canadian descendants.
Reactions From Americans
MS Now interviewed three people about the new change.
Michelle Cunha, of Bedford, Massachusetts, said she decided to move to Canada after reflecting on decades of political activism and deciding she had ‘nothing left to give.’
‘I put in my best effort for 30 years. I have done everything that I possibly can to make the United States what it promises the world to be, a place of freedom, a place of equality,’ Cunha said. ‘But clearly we’re not there and we’re not going to get there anytime soon.’
Troy Hicks, who had a great-grandfather born in Canada, said he was spurred by an international trip.
‘I recently went to Australia and you know, first words out of the first person I talked to in Australia was basically an expletive about Trump and the U.S.,’ said Hicks of Pahrump, Nevada. ‘It was just like, whoa, I walked off a 20-hour flight and literally the first words of somebody’s mouth to me were that. … So the idea of doing that with a Canadian passport just seemed easier, better, more palatable.’
Maureen Sullivan, of Naples, Florida, said she was motivated by the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, which hit home when her teenage nephew encountered federal officers near his high school in St. Paul. Sullivan, whose grandmother was Canadian, said she sees citizenship in Canada as an option in case things in the U.S. ‘really go south.’
The President Trump Effect
Americans have many reasons that they chose to go abroad from job opportunities to better work-life balance to cultural factors. However, Donald Trumps immigration crackdown that started at the beginning of his second term is a newer reason that some Americans have for going abroad.
‘The application fee is 75 Canadian dollars, or $55. Costs increase for those hiring an attorney or genealogist. Cunha estimated her total cost, using an attorney, will be about $6,500.’
According to CBS News, Nicholas Berning, an immigration attorney at Boundary Bay Law in Bellingham, Washington, said his practice is ‘pretty much flooded with this.’
‘We’ve kind of shifted a lot of other work away in order to push these cases through,’ he said.
Originally published on IBTimes UK
