Canadian Citizenship Letters Cause Confusion Worldwide
The Canadian government recently sent letters to individuals worldwide who obtained citizenship, asking them to return their certificates. This has led to widespread confusion on social media platforms. Reports on Reddit and local media suggest these letters were sent to individuals whose citizenship certificates were issued in 2026, following the passage of Bill C-3 in December 2025. Bill C-3 removed the first-generation limit that prevented many from applying for citizenship.
Losing Canadian citizenship could classify someone as a foreign national. This may lead to their removal from Canada and a 10-year ban on reapplying for any status, according to legal advice on lawyerinfo.ca.
IRCC Reviews Citizenship Certificates
The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) acknowledged awareness that a small number of people who obtained citizenship through Bill C-3 received notifications about their citizenship being under review. The IRCC explained that the review aims to determine if the certificates were correctly issued based on legal evidence. This process is crucial to ensuring validity and fairness while allowing affected individuals to provide additional documentation if necessary.
If the review confirms entitlement, the certificate will be returned. The IRCC is reviewing files diligently to ensure fair and lawful assessments. They clarified that the situation pertains to individual case processing and not directly linked to recent legislative changes.
Understanding Bill C-3
Bill C-3, enacted in 2025, changed the Citizenship Act’s transfer requirements for those born abroad. It took effect on December 15, 2025, after a court decision identified constitutional flaws in the previous law. The significant change was removing the first-generation limit, enabling Canadians born outside the country to pass citizenship to their children, even when born abroad. This change required a substantial connection, such as spending at least three years in Canada before the child’s birth or adoption.
Bill C-3 offered citizenship opportunities to many previously denied, especially Canadians living abroad. The IRCC stressed that to protect Canadian citizenship value, Bill C-3 established fair guidelines for citizenship by descent. Applicants must demonstrate clear Canadian connections; ancestry alone does not guarantee citizenship.
Who Is Affected?
From April 2025 to March 2026, Canada granted 285,500 new citizenships. This suggests thousands may be impacted, specifically those whose citizenship was processed post-Bill C-3.
Details of the Citizenship Letter
Excerpts of the letter shared on Reddit, purportedly from Peggy Sun, Registrar of Canadian Citizenship, state a legislative provision permits demanding certificate surrender if reasonable grounds suspect entitlement issues. The letter explains documentation issues:
- Documents not from original course authorities like civil registries or government bodies.
- Absence of source documents requires a written explanation and proof of effort to acquire them.
Recipients were informed that without necessary documentation, certificate surrender is mandatory, and their status is now under review. A chance to provide further evidence is given. Should entitlement be confirmed, the certificate will return.
Reddit Discussion: Gathering Information
Reddit users actively discussed the situation, sharing experiences and insights. A ‘megathread’ was created for collective information gathering. Affected users were encouraged to share details concerning their application approval status, urgent processing requests, generation, difficulties obtaining key documents, and submitted documents.
One user emphasized staying calm and supporting each other. Volunteers offered to conduct cybersecurity checks to verify letter authenticity from IRCC. Many users indicated receiving citizenship certificates in 2026 and requested urgent processing, with letters dated June 13.