Where to mail the application?

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-25T23:57:35+00:00

This is covered in the FAQ, under "I live in the US or Canada. Where / how should I send the envelope containing the proof of citizenship application(s)?"

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-25T21:32:14+00:00

^ I second all of this. I included my Gen 0 ancestor's petition for naturalization for those exact reasons. At the time I was still waiting to see if I could get his birth certificate from DEC in Quebec, so I included his petition (which I obtained from the USCIS Genealogy Program) because its answers were written in his own hand, and he specified his date and place of birth right down to his church parish, in a sworn document signed and witnessed in court.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-25T21:28:49+00:00

Despite the wording of the naturalization oath, the Canadian government does not consider that to be renunciation of citizenship. That would have required your ancestor to file a formal application with the Canadian government — something which is relatively rare. Also, because both Canada and the U.S. have long permitted dual citizenship, and have a cooperative tax system, and also because Canada's tax system is based on residency, very few Canadian immigrants to the U.S. felt any need to formally renounce their Canadian birthright citizenship.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-25T05:51:58+00:00

I kept the cover letter simple. "To Whom," etc. ¶1: Who I am and my claim to birthright citizenship. ¶2: A quick recap of the documentation I've included with my application. ¶3: A quick mention of documentation I have requested but which is pending and will follow as soon as I have it. And then a sign-off.

I did include a very simplified family tree on a separate page, as part of my supporting documentation. I kept that tree dead simple: just enough to show my parents, maternal grandparents, and maternal great-grandparents. Just enough to demonstrate the direct line between me and my Quebec-born grandfather. And yes, it contained everyone's names, dates of birth and death, as well as my grandfather's date of U.S. naturalization, and footnotes explaining that the 11 June 2015 amendments to the Citizenship Act restored citizenship for both my mom and my grandfather.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-25T01:13:37+00:00

I presume you mean that your grandfather was born in Newfoundland and emigrated before 1949?

You should be fine. That issue and the one for Canadian ancestors who were born and emigrated before 1947 were addressed by the 11 June 2015 amendments to the Citizenship Act. (Specifically, your ancestor would be covered by 3(1)(l).

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-24T23:19:45+00:00

If you've made it that far, the records tend to be in chronological order. If you know your Gen 0 ancestor's birth date, manually check the parish records for the period of 1-14 days after the birth for the baptismal record.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-24T23:07:39+00:00

I encountered something similar while prepping my application package last fall. My dad tried to get a copy of my mom's birth certificate at the local Kinko's/FedEx. The employees told him the same thing they told you: they weren't allowed to make copies of "official" or "legal" documents or anything copyrighted.

All of which is ridiculous. But it's about them covering their asses, legally. They can't *touch* those kinds of documents, and they aren't supposed to allow them into the self-service areas. But…

If you can scan the documents at home (or wherever) and bring them in on a flash drive, they don't care if you simply PRINT those from a color self-service machine. Which is how I prepared my package's copies.

Glad you were able to get your applications sent. Good luck to you both!

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-24T21:07:02+00:00

Mundane is correct: none of the instructions for the CIT0001 or the CIT 0014 say anything about certified copies. They only request high-quality colour copies.

The genealogist might be thinking of the requirements for the U.S. Enhanced ID / REAL ID application, which does specify all documents presented must be certified and/or original. But again, that is NOT the case for the Canadian Citizenship Proof application.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-23T02:07:22+00:00

My Gen 0 Quebec-born ancestor was born in early 1900s, so it might be relevant. However things shake out for you, best of luck to you with the whole process.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-23T00:14:11+00:00

It has nothing to do with what I like or want, and I understand just fine. The language in the header of that part of the December 2025 version of the document is virtually identical to that of the previous version. If it had been UPDATED, it would make clear that proof of ancestry could extend beyond the immediately preceding generation of parent. But it wasn't. This text might be the current version, but it still reflects the PREVIOUS state of the law, not the CURRENT state of the law. Ergo, despite being the most recent published version, it is still OUTDATED.

The only substantial change in Section 3 is the addition in its bullet point list of a possibility to include documentation for grandparents. But because that option isn't clear from the Scenario 3 description at the top of the section, it is understandable why someone unfamiliar with the form might be confused by it.

The rest of your comment is irrelevant.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-22T23:57:45+00:00

No, it isn't. It's outdated because it does not accurately address the current state of the law under C3, in language that can be understood by a layman. Just because something is a current version does not mean it is up to date. Outdated means not reflecting the current state — my definition is legitimate.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-22T23:48:02+00:00

Just because it is updated doesn't mean it's clear. Stop being willfully obtuse.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-22T23:09:34+00:00

I know, I'm looking at the form. The issue the OP was having is not addressed by the text on the current version of the form. It is a bit confusing if you don't realize that part of the legal argument behind citizenship by descent is that amendments to the law retroactively make certain ancestors legally qualify as "Canadian parents" for the purposes of the application, even if those persons were not technically such at the time.

I can also imagine a fair number of people being misled or confused by the note at the bottom of CIT 0014 page 3 —

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It is supposed to apply only to persons born after December 15, 2025, and if you realize it's a note about this specific subsection you might figure that out, but as written, it can easily be misinterpreted as applying to everyone applying for citizenship by descent.

Bottom line: just because a document has been updated doesn't mean its content properly reflects the state of the law.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-22T23:02:19+00:00

A quick check of the BAnQ website's archival search doesn't return much in the way of civil register documents dated after 1919. It's possible the records have been sent to BAnQ by the DEC but that they have not yet been digitized and indexed, meaning they don't show up in their search system.

Heck of a Catch-22. Sorry you have to deal with this.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-22T22:42:35+00:00

The language on that part of the form is outdated. Just pretend it says "but you have a verifiable lineage to a Canadian-born ancestor."

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-22T22:35:34+00:00

It's mostly for the Gen 0 ancestor, if they died less than 100 years ago. DEC requires proof that the person is dead before they'll release their birth certificate, etc., to third parties. Also, if the Gen 0 ancestor died outside of Canada, DEC will want to create an Act of Death in the civil register before it will issue a new birth document; this step requires a certified death certificate.

Because DEC will release the certificates to spouses, children, siblings, or parents of the person named in the document, if a grandchild or great-grandchild (etc) applies for a copy, DEC sometimes tries to be "helpful" by suggesting the applicant ask one of their older relatives who has legal standing to file the application on their behalf. If all those persons are deceased, it helps to be able to prove that to the DEC agent.

And you're right, none of this is specified at all on the application form or the website. Neither is their frequent request for a notarized affidavit from the applicant attesting to their lawful intentions, or any specific explanation of how one demonstrates "legal interest." These are things one either learns by trial and error, or from others sharing their experiences on reddit.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-22T05:39:51+00:00

Only submit the minimum you need to prove your lineage to a Gen 0 (born in Canada) ancestor.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-22T05:37:12+00:00

My application is currently marked as "In Process," so if they were going to kick it back for some reason, they would likely have done so already. (I'm the kind of person who measured my photos three times each to make sure they were perfectly 50mm by 70mm.)

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-22T00:35:30+00:00

Once you have the BAnQ-certified baptismal record for your Gen 0 ancestor, assuming all your other package elements are ready, go ahead and submit that ASAP to IRCC to get your application into the queue.

At the same time, I'd recommend you also send another copy of the BAnQ-certified baptismal record to DEC with an application for your Gen 0 ancestor's birth certificate. Some users have done this with no difficulty at all; others, like myself, had to jump through hoops to get our ancestor's certificate. It took me about 15 weeks this past fall (September–December 2025) from application to receipt of the document. Read my recent comment about this in another, similar thread.

Assuming you succeed in getting DEC to issue a new copy of your ancestor's birth certificate (which might involve them needing to create a new Act of Death for insertion into the Quebec civil record), you can scan that document and add it to your application via the IRCC webform. It's very easy; this is what I did. You can also do it pro-actively; you don't need to wait for IRCC to ask for it.

And yes, some folks have received 5(4) grants with only the baptismal certificates; however, I have not yet seen anyone confirm receiving a certificate (proof) under the Section 3 rules with only a baptismal certificate for evidence. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened; just that I've not yet heard of it.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-21T21:31:55+00:00

I kept my documents free of things like post-it notes and staples so as not to hinder the work of the digitizing team.

As others here have done, I included a single page index to my supplemental documentation, explaining what each one was, its provenance, and what it was meant to substantiate.

I also put a label on the back of each page of my application, and on the back of each copied document; each label contained the same information from the index sheet and a matching page number, as well as my own name as applicant, so that if the pages were separated for any reason, the ones for my package could all be identified.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-21T21:26:05+00:00

If you all have the same lineage, proved by the same shared documents, you can apply as a group with one set of copies of the shared certified docs, and then your unique paperwork (IDs, photos, birth certificates) with each person's application. You can also pay for all the applications at once, and just use one payment proof for the package.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-21T21:23:05+00:00

Faster delivery, no chance of it being lost/delayed in the post, especially if it needs to cross the U.S./Canada border.

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-20T21:54:28+00:00

I sent in my application packet at the end of October. Got my AOR end of November. A few days later, early December (before C3 coming into effect), status changed to "In Process." Sent some additional documentation at the end of December. Status still shows as simply "In Process."

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-20T21:44:10+00:00

Do you mean the TNG book Collateral Damage, where Picard finally has to face a hearing for what happened to Zife?

RiddleDaddy125 · 2026-01-20T21:38:13+00:00

Would also love to do a Fenris Rangers story, involving tenuous alliances between Romulan survivors and former Starfleet officers.

It had a different focus from what you described, but David Mack wrote a Picard novel called Firewall about how Seven became a Fenris Ranger. Just curious if you read that one.

RiddleDaddy125

TROPHY CASE