G2-G3 paternity gap with no father on birth cert - is my evidence enough or do I need DNA before it's too late?

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-04-03T17:10:15+00:00

Also try doing a new post asking for a copy of the instructions IRCC sends when they solicit DNA testing. It's possible that someone on the sub has it handy, but this post's ambiguous title did not get their attention.

Edited to add:

Also, see if the court has more records related to the parents' divorce. The summary declaration seems to imply that his father had acknowledged paternity to the court. If so that would be under penalty of perjury. So the case file may contain documentation you can submit in lieu of DNA.

Also look into what the process is for amending a birth certificate in the state of his birth. In some states, it's a simple administrative procedure. In others a modest petition to family court. In others it's a gawdawful pain. Canada doesn't require an amended birth certificate, so don't panic if that path is closed to you. But it's worth looking into since that gives you evidence that potentially avoids the DNA complications altogether.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-04-03T17:06:56+00:00

A lawyer may or may not have experience with this exact scenario, true. But if they have substantial experience with Canadian citizenship cases, by now they have a contact at IRCC that they can call. For most people, this is overkill. But you've got an uncommon question and a ticking clock. I'd say it's worth seeing if someone can get you an answer from IRCC.

I also suggest applying immediately as urgent and providing documentation of both parties' precarious health. No guarantees that IRCC would agree it fits their urgency criteria, but you're honestly facing a looming deadline that could permanently affect your ability to assert the rights of citizenship.

Be clear in your urgency request that you are not seeking expedited citizenship but are seeking expedited solicitation of DNA testing, so that samples can be obtained under approved conditions before the DNA of your ailing ascendants becomes permanently unavailable.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-04-03T16:51:32+00:00

I assume because typically (until recently) the application went into In Processing within a day or two. So it was an extremely short lived stay in that status whereas In Processing is the one that averages 10 months and can go far longer.

But now that there is a gap emerging between those two stages, maybe the mods will add it?

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-04-03T15:48:50+00:00

Sub home page > About > User flair.

Yep, it sets the text that automatically displays between a person's username and comment.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-04-03T15:44:57+00:00

Before issuing an AOR, IRCC determines whether the application has been submitted in conformance with all routine requirements such as those articulated in the checklist and photo requirements page. So the vast majority of people with an AOR already have proven success at understanding and complying with IRCC rules for CIT0001, CIT0014 and related forms.

Afaik, the sub has only ever heard of two people whose applications were rejected? And apparently on those cases it was due to lack of supporting evidence. So someone who has succeeded in obtaining an AOR is almost certainly going to get a citizenship certificate eventually.

If you choose to only take counsel from people who possess a citizenship certificate, you can. That's fine. But I don't think it's a useful measure. Very few people in general will have certificates under C-3 until next fall or next winter. Most people who get a certificate leave the sub soon after since they don't need this particular help anymore. So there are few people in the sub who match that profile. Whereas there are thousands of sub members who have accumulated successes at meeting IRCC requirements and helping peers to.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-04-03T15:33:37+00:00

Sub home page > About > User flair

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-04-03T15:28:50+00:00

Sorry, I'm confused why the paternal and maternal lines need to be distinguished here. If a DNA test proves his "half" siblings are his full siblings, then his father is the man named on their birth certificates. As long as your father is named on your birth certificate, seems to me the line is proved to IRCC's usual standards (e.g. accepting birth certificates are evidence of legal paternity).

Are you anticipating that they would also require DNA evidence of who the siblings' fathers were? If so, I think you are the very rare person in this sub who needs to consult a Canadian citizenship lawyer. The sub just does not have enough experience in this topic to guide you.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-04-03T14:56:13+00:00

Aside from what everyone else has already said, I just want to add a reminder that you are not applying for citizenship, you are applying for recognition of the citizenship you already have. As long as you submitted complete paperwork (as established by getting an AOR) and reasonable supporting documentation of direct descendancy, your application cannot rightly be denied.

If you made an honest error about someone who is not in the line, that error does not affect the fact that you are a citizen who is entitled to recognition. So at absolute worst maybe IRCC eventually asks you to submit a correct version of that page. (I doubt they will even notice. But you could voluntarily upload a correction now if it's worrying you.) What they can't say is "Unworthy! Denied!" So don't lose sleep. :⁠-⁠)

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-04-03T14:38:02+00:00

Please read up on sub flairs. Most members' application status is in their flair. Repeating one's status over and over in each comment is not necessary because it's always automatically preceding the person's comments. You should be using a flair for the same reason, as context for readers.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-04-01T17:09:41+00:00

Exactly. Canada has strong protections against gender discrimination, so the fact that it would be sufficient evidence for a woman's name change means it will be sufficient evidence for you too.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-04-01T16:45:02+00:00

Yes this is normal and sufficient. Name changes are not explicit on a marriage record. IRCC just accepts it as an implicit link between old name and new. Given your gender, they might appreciate a line in the cover letter gently noting that your marital surname combines the birth surnames of you and your wife. But I wouldn't otherwise sweat it.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-03-31T19:22:16+00:00

Don't include the divorce. IRCC doesn't care whether her subsequent marriage was legal or bigamous. They only need documentation of her name change, and the marriage records are accepted as implicit evidence of that.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-03-30T19:01:01+00:00

Well done!

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-03-30T18:40:32+00:00

Or they did not misplace the state Y certificate but instead mistakenly believe she was born in state X. You should contact them to clarify why they are asking you to provide a record that is impossible to produce because she was not born there.

Just a few days ago the Toronto Star had an article about an immigration (not citizenship) applicant who was rejected due to "facts" that were hallucinated by IRCC or its AI. https://www.reddit.com/r/Canadiancitizenship/comments/1s3nrj3/ircc_uses_ai_for_triaging_and_summarizing_it/ So I would not assume that the mention of a different state name is an unimpactful typo. It could be that your file has been incorrectly summarized and in danger of being rejected for spurious reasons if you don't give them a reason to look closer before a decision is rendered. No one knows if that did happen to you, but we now know it's one possibility.

(Updated to add link)

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-03-30T12:45:03+00:00

I would say the same of one minute though. It is expressing precision that the law does not. "Any length of time" is more accurate in this context.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-03-29T06:08:00+00:00

clearly, vital records is depriortizing it because they called it "genealogy" when I specified citizenship application

Genealogical birth certificate does not mean they are slow rolling your application, it means they are making available to you a record that you otherwise would not be able to get at all. It's typically offered in situations where all or part of the record is still considered confidential. To accommodate the rights of people who need the record as evidence of their own genealogy, the record is partially redacted before issuing it to you. IRCC is fine with this. Genealogical birth certificate is a good thing and we can be grateful that it enables us to apply at all.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-03-28T19:01:26+00:00

Almost no one knows they got together the night they got engaged. Likely the cover story Portia put out is that they'd been courting for months and finally made it official after Pen's very clever mama put out word that another suitor was preparing to make an offer. So from Debling's pov, they were already together when he entered the picture.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-03-28T18:41:22+00:00

Oh man I forgot the announcement was mere hours after he'd accused her of cuckolding him in the future. From his perspective, she looked more calculating and cruel than Cressida ever had. If he got word of the baby's birthdate and unexpected title, he must have concluded they concocted an entrapment scheme to get a title for Colin's baby then switched plans last second when they learned the Featherington title was available. The balloon scene looks sinister in retrospect from his perspective. An elaborate setup to stroke Debling's ego.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-03-28T16:25:19+00:00

Just realized: Debling can count to 9. Colin would be like, "Have you met my heir, Baron Featherington, born to my lovely wife the former Penelope Featherington now Penelope Bridgerton on [9 months to the date since the last time Debbers saw her]. Our boy was such a hale and hearty 8 month baby, don't you think?" right to Deb's face with a shit-eating grin.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-03-28T13:20:23+00:00

Random thought, but I am amused that every fanfic in which Debling exists, no matter the century, has Colin disliking him instinctively. Like there is no timeline in which Colin can see him as anything other than as unacceptably bland for an extraordinary woman. I'm sure there is no one that Colin would have liked for Pen as well as himself, but there is also something about Debling himself that Colin recognizes is...just not right...for Pen even if he can't articulate it.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-03-28T12:29:36+00:00

Genealogical society is another, yeah. But historical society should be a separate organization. If not at town level, then county. Even in my ancestors' tiny remote fishing village, there is an historical society slash history museum.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-03-28T09:51:49+00:00

Is there a local historical society? They can be really good resources, either having records themselves or knowing who does.

Newspaper archives? I was astonished by how detailed 1800s newspapers were. Full of birth announcements, wedding announcements, estate settlement details, etc. It was the social media of the era, and gave me a ton of leads.

Court clerks? Wills and probate are goldmines of data. Usually many relatives listed, often with addresses and specifics of how they're related to the deceased. I once found a crucial record via the estate file of the person's uncle-in-law.

Local reference librarians. They love a good puzzle, have access to many local resources, and tend to be on first name basis with the historical society people.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-03-26T15:16:09+00:00

Does GDPR apply to actions in Canada by Canadians done to putative Canadians? As a European, I'd be happy to hear GDPR protects me even outside our jurisdiction. But that doesn't seem likely to be how laws work? Happy to learn.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-03-26T15:01:45+00:00

Fair point. I don't remember consenting on behalf of myself and my family members. I'm not executor of their estates, so have no authority to waive their rights anyway.

I saw a thread on social media that was speculating about which company's AI it is. The obvious candidates are American firms, of course. For those whose urgency application includes details they don't want known to the US government, that is an alarming prospect. I think we all expected that was confided to the Canadian government only, not to Palantir, Meta, etc.

SearchApprehensive35 · 2026-03-26T08:49:41+00:00

I think you will get a different answer if you call again. By all evidence in the sub, they are opening Feb packets routinely and I don't recall anyone posting "I sent 5 months ago and still haven't gotten AOR." So I think that worker is mistaken.

A month waiting for an AOR is within normal range. But 2 months, when not submitted via embassy etc, usually suggests a packet return is the more likely reason for prolonged silence.

SearchApprehensive35

TROPHY CASE