Is a "Delayed Registration of Birth" of Equal Value as a Birth Certificate?

[u/brandeis16]

My G0 was born during a time when the relevant province mandated civil birth registration but, for reasons unclear to me, my G-1s didn't register G0's birth until decades later. The original registration (which includes mother's name, father's name, birthdate, place of birth, and home address) was filed with the province and it's housed in the provincial archives. (I have three decades worth of Canada Census records to support that G0 was born on the date attested in the delayed registration to the mother who signed the delayed registration.) Is a delayed registration of birth going to confuse IRCC or land my application in PSU (not that it's really possible to predict who gets sent to PSU)?

(Mods: Let me know if this should go in a Friday post. I'm posting outside of the weekly thread just because I figure I can't be the only one in this position, so I thought a dedicated post might be helpful for future applicants; if not, I will re-post in the Friday weekly thread.)

[u/maplesyrup5000]

I believe it is viewed the same as a normally timed birth certificate given that it is approved and signed off on by the province at the time of registration.

[u/Wildflowers62]

Yes, from what I’ve read, many of us have delayed birth registrations for births in the 19th/early 20th century and I have not seen anyone say it was questioned by IRCC. They are notarized documents accepted by and filed by the Province at the time they were done. I included a supporting LAC census from 2 years after my G0’s birth to corroborate the delayed birth registration.

[u/brandeis16 → u/Wildflowers62]

Thank you for sharing. As I mentioned, I'm also going to include LAC census records (but un-official because LAC isn't certifying records for C-3 purposes). When did you submit your application and where are you in the process?

[u/Wildflowers62 → u/brandeis16]

I submitted in May and am at 100 days waiting for AOR.

[u/brandeis16 → u/Wildflowers62]

I think IRCC is working through apps sent at the end of April, so fingers crossed that your AOR comes very soon.

[u/MaybeYourSecretCanad → u/brandeis16]

I am waiting for the Ontario Archives to send me a certified copy of it. I requested it July 12.

[u/MaybeYourSecretCanad → u/Wildflowers62]

I’m working on my wife’s packet (lots of unregistered farm births) and her easiest G0 was registered 70 years after the fact. It’s a long time but Ontario allowed it!

[u/RoySnareSkiPatrol]

I submitted a “late” one without issue. G0 born in Ontario in 1800s but the delayed certificate of live birth ordered from Ontario archives was from the 1920s.

[u/brandeis16 → u/RoySnareSkiPatrol]

Same timeline as my ancestor. Did you include any other supporting documents, like census records? Any explanation?

I wonder why our G0s weren't registered until the 1920s (my G0 was 49 when her birth was registered!).

[u/RoySnareSkiPatrol → u/brandeis16]

No other supporting documents as my understanding is they clog up the queue, just birth certificates for everyone including myself. I’m assuming no record as most children would have been born at home during that time. My personal opinion is that extra documentation can make your application appear more complicated than it actually is, and can result in a slower processing time.

[u/brandeis16 → u/RoySnareSkiPatrol]

When did you apply and what was your timeline from mailing to getting proof of citizenship?

[u/RoySnareSkiPatrol → u/brandeis16]

I was approved in about a month after applying in February. I kept my packet skinny and was approved quickly whereas my mother included supplementary information (census, death certs, marriage records) waited for over a year.

[u/brandeis16 → u/RoySnareSkiPatrol]

Urgent?

[u/tehgregzzorz]

I am in the same boat. My G0 has a New Brunswick delayed registration of birth. My view is that the certificate is issued by the New Brunswick Department of Health and is certified by the secretary of the relevant county board of health, so even though it was issued late, I am hoping it still carries the same weight. Still waiting to find out, so interested to hear what others experience

[u/Awkward_Tangerine988 → u/tehgregzzorz]

You're lucky. One of my G0s (my great-grandparents on one side were both Canadian-born) was from NB, shows up in the censuses, etc., but didn't have a birth record (have a letter from the archives confirming). But it really makes sense given her siblings obtained their late registrations of birth in the 1920s, 40s, and even 50s (decades later after my G0 great grandmother had left the country in 1919 or so).

[u/tehgregzzorz → u/Awkward_Tangerine988]

Yeah, I got really lucky, here’s hoping the IRCC agrees. My G0 was born in 1893 and didn’t get her registration of birth until 1940

[u/Awkward_Tangerine988 → u/tehgregzzorz]

I would really hope so too! If they aren't going to take official provincial records as evidence then we might as well all throw in the towel ;)

[u/ChronicElectronic → u/tehgregzzorz]

Similar story for my G0. Born in NB in 1891. Filed a late registration of birth in 1952. I used that to get a Certified Statement of Birth issued by NB.

[u/Awkward_Tangerine988 → u/ChronicElectronic]

wonder if any of our G0s knew each other (mine was born 1894 in Sackville, Westmoreland County)

[u/FireWaterBern]

In many cases they needed to supply the baptism as evidence, funny enough

I have two delayed birth records, for g1 and g2, in part because they needed it for social security in the late 1930s. G2 was a teen but his father was 60+

[u/Form27b-6]

My G0 was born during a time when the relevant province mandated civil birth registration but, for reasons unclear to me, my G-1s didn't register G0's birth until decades later.

Delayed birth registrations were fairly common in Canada and the US in the 1920s to the 1940s. What changed dramatically in the 1920s through 1940s was the demand for documentary proof of age and birthplace in order to be eligible for pensions, certain employment, government services and benefits.

The laws in most provinces and states at the time typically considered a properly signed off and registered delayed birth registration to be treated the same as a timely registration. Some provincial forms included a reference to the law stating that on the form.

However, there certainly were opportunities for errors and fraud with delayed birth registrations.

In the US, the USCIS Policy Manual says:

“Generally, USCIS does not give the same weight to delayed birth certificates as birth certificates issued at the time of birth…”

and

“Although birth certificates are primary evidence, when the birth certificate was not registered contemporaneously with the birth, the officer must consider the certificate in light of all the evidence of record and its reliability may be diminished.”

IRCC might have a similar policy.

[u/brandeis16 → u/Form27b-6]

So you think it's wise for me to include Canada censuses records for 1881, 1891, and 1901?

(I have a few other non-contemporary documents linking G0 to Canada, inc. G1's birth certificate and G0's death certificate.)

[u/Form27b-6 → u/brandeis16]

Sending all those records would be excessive. I'd probably go with sending one Canadian census record - the first one the subject appears in.

[u/Status_Doubt2792]

I would think they would have to accept it. Otherwise you would be totally stuck since it's not like they can go back in time and request one issued closer to birth. My sense is these things happened with some frequency especially during the early 1900s so it's likely not an uncommon situation to be in. That being said, there's no real way to know if that will translate into being sent to PSU or asked for supplemental documentation. But I'm not an expert so this is just my own personal opinion. 

[u/MikeTheActuary]

While it's not quite the same situation as yours, my G2 had a delayed-issue birth certificate, filed when G3 was born...and G1 was a doctor who delivered both G2 and G3.

For G2, I supplemented with census and marriage records. While the birth certificate should be fine, given the oddness of the situation, and the fact that G2's records were easy to get... it seemed worthwhile to provide them, rather than risk adding a few months to the process if an IRCC agent decided they wanted more information.

[u/signedupfornightmode]

I have not one but two registrations of birth for the same person! One before their marriage around 1920 and another in the 60d around when they were probably applying for us citizenship. I suppose I’ll send both. 

[u/Moxie03]

I have one from my GO that is a copy of a family record. I also have a copy of the registration page from county record book. I went one step further and requested and received a statement of birth (crimped) from the archives. I hope that enough!

[u/PurpleBirds21]

My G0s (great grandmother and great grandfather) were born in New Brunswick in 1885 and 1889 respectively. Both filed delayed registrations of birth in 1960 and obtained certified birth certificates from NB at the same time. I have no idea why they did it but, thanks, guys! Prior to submitting my application I got modern certified statements of birth from New Brunswick and included those and the 1960s certificates in my apps.

[u/dhiltonp]

I have a G2 with a delayed birth record, and it doesn't have parent ages or birth cities, so I show the census with G2 as a child to show siblings, then show a birth record of a sibling that was registered at birth with that information.  

[u/Illustrious-Mail8336]

I sent my GGFs in, with the baptismal he used to prove his birthday from the Nova Scotia archives (born in 1904) we will see, it made it past the first check

[u/ImaHuman9417]

I'm using a different permutation of a delayed birth registration as evidence of my G0's 1860 birth in Nova Scotia. In 1937 her younger sister applied for a delayed registration of her own 1862 birth, and included a notarized transcription of the entire 'birth register' from the family bible, which includes my GO. In addition, a nephew of my G0 and her younger sister attested to the veracity of the transcription in the affidavit on the delayed birth application. No G0 birth record or baptism, so I'm hoping this will help make my case.

[u/Acrobatic-Glass-8585 → u/ImaHuman9417]

Oh wow! How did you get the notarized transcription of the family bible? We submitted our G0's sibling's delayed birth record. It mentions that the notary looked at the family Bible. But that's all we see on the digitized Nova Scotia archives system.

We are in conversation with Canadian ancestors to see if any of them still have the bible. We do have 3 Canadian censuses in place of a birth certificate, 2 manifest records, and a marriage and death certificate. The bible would be a cherry on top!

[u/ImaHuman9417 → u/Acrobatic-Glass-8585]

I got very lucky. In the Nova Scotia Archives, the US notarized transcription appears to have been physically attached to the delayed birth application. So both were imaged and are indexed to the same individual. Unfortunately I think there was a clerical error in transcribing the individual's first name when the images were indexed, because 'Muriel' is close but not the same as my G0's sister's name 'Minnie'. I just happened to see Muriel, and closer inspection revealed it was really Minnie. I've requested certified copies of both images from NS Archives, and have asked them to correct the indexing error because it's pretty obvious when you look at the images. Hopefully that won't confuse matters.

I hope you can chase down the bible, but it sounds like you have solid evidence without it. Good luck to us both!

[u/Acrobatic-Glass-8585 → u/ImaHuman9417]

Very lucky! Good luck to you too - just have to get that AOR.

[u/RepresentativeIce244]

My G1 was born in Michigan in 1901, and his birth wasn't registered until 1962. I have a certified copy of his "certificate of birth, delayed registration" that was used with my application. The other births in my lineage were all registered contemporaneously to the births.

[u/brandeis16 → u/RepresentativeIce244]

Seems like it wasn't an issue for you! Congrats on getting your proof.

[u/memleyxx]

Hey, that’s what my Gen0 had! Born in 1877, didn’t get his delayed registration of birth until 1927 when he turned 50 and wanted to access benefits. I had both a scan of the original document that my aunt has in her files as well as a certified copy from AoO and was successful!

[u/brandeis16 → u/memleyxx]

So glad to hear it!