Government of Canada Halts an Unspecified Number of Recently Issued Citizenship Certificates and Demands Their Return
The Canadian government has not commenced a permanent, large-scale withdrawal or complete revocation of citizenship; instead, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has abruptly halted a number of recently issued citizenship certificates. As of June 2026, the federal government has instructed an unspecified number of newly recognized citizens globally to promptly return their physical citizenship certificates. This order has led to considerable confusion, as individuals who recently acquired status under relaxed ancestral laws are unexpectedly discovering that their citizenship is frozen and under active examination. The situation arises from Bill C-3, a significant piece of legislation that came into effect on December 15, 2025. This law eliminated the long-standing "first-generation limit," allowing individuals born outside Canada to claim Canadian citizenship indefinitely, provided they can demonstrate a multi-generational lineage of direct...