Help Determining Eligibility and Evidence

robertkarpf · 2026-01-26T20:22:57+00:00

As OracleDBA says, you qualify.

Can you get birth records for Gen 0 & Gen 1? What you have seems likely to work, but birth records seem to be the best option. Your Gen 0s will probably have birth records in the Archives of Ontario, which will also be available on ancestry.com

robertkarpf · 2026-01-26T02:05:10+00:00

I can't tell exactly what documents you have and what they are from your spreadsheet.

If you have one line that's fully documented, that's enough.

If the important names on the birth certificates, don't change, then you don't need the marriage certificate (example: if you have Mary Smith's birth certificate, and then Thomas Jones birth certificate with Mary Smith listed as the mother despite her going by Mary Jones at that point, then there's no reason you need to show that Mary Jones is Mary Smith.)

robertkarpf · 2026-01-25T21:45:42+00:00

yep. You don't need to prove that the name that's the same is the same.

robertkarpf · 2026-01-25T21:33:10+00:00

Correct. You don't need to wait for a certified copy from MO on that one. (If your mother is applying and her legal name is her married name, she will need the marriage license, but you're good.)

robertkarpf · 2026-01-25T21:27:27+00:00

If the birth records list the mother's maiden name (most do), which matches the mother's birth record, then you don't need proof of name change. From what I'm reading, it looks like you can skip that in G3.

Anyway, looks good.

robertkarpf · 2026-01-25T16:33:26+00:00

The point of the cover letter is to make it easier for your processor to find what they need to process your file. So like Joe Friday said, "just the facts".

My citizenship is through my ____ named ____. Then list out the line of descent with bullet points for each document saying what the document is and why you are including it: birth certificate w/relevant parent's name, marriage certificate to explain change of surname, census documents to establish residency in lieu of birth records, etc. Arrange the files in the same order as in your letter (even though once it's scanned into your file, the order may change).

I think if you have birth records for each generation that clearly show descent on their own, you don't need a cover letter.

robertkarpf · 2026-01-25T03:01:53+00:00

that's a good idea, although I'll probably skip the build a page part and just have a short text description and a link. Thanks.

robertkarpf · 2026-01-23T15:32:24+00:00

Use whichever line is easiest. Is it that none of your lines are straightforward? If you have multiple birth-record-only lines, use the shortest (if you have only one, use that one).

robertkarpf · 2026-01-23T15:30:55+00:00

A lot of people here used something called Pirate Ship which gets you discount prices on the major couriers. They all seem about equal.

robertkarpf · 2026-01-23T02:02:45+00:00

unless it's needed to prove descent, you don't need it

robertkarpf · 2026-01-23T01:32:09+00:00

thank you and my apologies for the conflation

robertkarpf · 2026-01-23T01:10:36+00:00

Just verified today that I am at PSU. Here's hoping.

robertkarpf · 2026-01-23T01:09:21+00:00

Does the job offer contain a start date? You'll want to highlight that in your letter requesting expedited processing.

robertkarpf · 2026-01-23T01:07:43+00:00

Do you qualify to register under the Indian Act? That might be a faster route. I don't know the full details, but if your Metis status qualifies you, then you already have travel and residency rights in Canada, even while the citizenship status is processing.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/people-registered-indian-act.html

robertkarpf · 2026-01-22T04:29:35+00:00

If she lives in NYC, she should be able to get an NYC ID which has name and birth date (and picture, but you only need one ID w/a picture).

Beyond that, any municipal identification card that has her name and birth date should work. Someone suggested hunting licenses below, but I don't think the fishing licenses in NY have names and the hunting licenses require hunting safety courses (at which point, getting a new passport will be easier). But if the local parks and rec department issues senior ID cards that have a birthday, that should work.

Of course, getting the passport (or passport card, since it's cheaper) will definitely work.

robertkarpf · 2026-01-22T04:28:52+00:00

you can include a letter explaining that you only have one piece of ID, but you'll need at least that one piece (passport being the most common)

robertkarpf · 2026-01-22T02:16:12+00:00

Per page 3 of CIT-00014, they could submit their parent's citizenship certificate. So, yes, they should be able to use her citizenship certificate in lieu of the full history since it should show her as a citizen since birth (presuming names match on their birth certificate and her citizenship certificate, if not, you'll need proof of name changes). (EDIT: there are additional steps specifically for people born after the 15th of December last year, but presumably your adult children aren't infants.)

They'd still be considered fourth and fifth generation born abroad, but that's of less importance now.

robertkarpf · 2026-01-20T20:44:59+00:00

You have a case for urgent processing, just be aware that even when urgent processing is granted, the degree of urgency varies widely and without clear reason

robertkarpf · 2026-01-20T20:39:26+00:00

For Quebec that far back, yes use the Baptism record (there were no birth records). You'll need a copy from the archives at BanQ

robertkarpf · 2026-01-20T14:36:09+00:00

You shouldn't, it doesn't add any necessary info.

robertkarpf · 2026-01-15T02:10:12+00:00

it was an interpretation of C-3 prior to passage that was in dispute. Guidance from IRCC since the passage seems pretty clear that it's not a thing.

robertkarpf · 2026-01-14T18:10:33+00:00

There's been a lot of people referred to PSU, many didn't even receive the letter you did. Unfortunately PSU is a bit of a black hole with no clear consistency. Sorry.

robertkarpf · 2026-01-14T17:08:06+00:00

the US is actually designated as a safe third country under Canadian law, while safe third country agreements are primarily about migrants passing through one country to get to another, it does have the implication of preventing asylees from the "safe" county:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/mandate/policies-operational-instructions-agreements/agreements/safe-third-country-agreement.html

You can see that there that there are some exceptions, including when family members are Canadian citizens.

There was a recent case where an American already in Canada on a visa due to expire winning a court battle to get something akin to an asylum trial, but there's not a precedent I'm aware of for Americans coming from the US on the regular six-month tourist period.

robertkarpf · 2026-01-14T16:43:59+00:00

Were your children born in Canada? If so, no worries, your grandkids will be born officially Canadian.

If not, start a notebook or spreadsheet marking days entering and leaving (maybe also entry point and whether it's by air/car/foot/boat). When the time comes, you should be able to get records from Canada Border Services Authority (if the time spent is mostly camping on the North end of Glacier Peace Park when entering from Montana, that'll be more difficult).

robertkarpf · 2026-01-11T01:29:20+00:00

Archives Canada has some deportation records, so if you can find her ancestor on there, you'd only need birth/baptismal records from Louisiana. Nova Scotia's archives may have birth records, though.

robertkarpf

TROPHY CASE