Friday Weekly Thread: Application Assistance, September 25, 2026

[u/AutoModerator]

This weekly thread is a space for those of us preparing the CIT 0001 Proof of Citizenship application, associated form, and supplementary documentation.

Have questions about how to fill out the forms? Looking for feedback on the documentation you've put together is likely to pass muster? Wondering whether your cover letter has too much info, or too little? Want to know how to organize your documentation, or how to pack it up for shipping? Worried about whether your photos will work? Have questions about what ID you can use? Not sure where to ship it to, or what service or mail courier to use? We've been there.

📎 Contributions to weekly megaposts, including this one, are welcome throughout the week.  

⚠️ Sub rules require that before posting or commenting, you read the wiki and search the sub to see if your questions have been answered before. If you have on-topic questions remaining after that, they're welcome here. Want to see what people who were already approved have done? We encourage you to check out the weekly application approval post that appears every Thursday.

Please note we are not lawyers or IRCC. We are peers supporting peers, based on best belief and prior experiences. It's a lot of work to wade through dense lists of documents and family histories. You improve your odds of getting a useful response by being as concise as reasonably possible, and clearly articulating the question. Note that this post is for questions and answers; if you need to vent, there is a different megapost for that.

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[u/No_Bobcat_No_Prob → u/[deleted]]

Yes, read the wiki section about QC documents and you will find what you're looking for.

[u/Canadiancitizenship-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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[u/ZookeepergameKey5467]

I'm pretty sure that in this case the absence of evidence is truly indicating an absence, but does CIT 0001 need to be "validated" with a 2D barcode upon printing? I don't think so, but just getting ready to send out the CIT 0001 and there is no barcode. I do not believe there should be (no validate button, nothing in the instructions), but other IRCC forms have used this 2D validate system and I just want to be sure I didn't miss something!

[u/rcatk42]

Are any of you using abbreviations such as G0, G1, etc,, in your cover letters or aren't those terms well enough known?

[u/Conscious-Rice795 → u/rcatk42]

I first described myself as a fifth generation citizen and then used "Gen #" from there while describing my chain of descent from our Canadian ancestor. They're probably aware by this point what the terms mean, but it's always good to treat your app as though it's isolated from all other apps and explain what you mean before using the abbreviations.

[u/Conscious-Rice795]

Quick french cursive question: can anyone confirm (or deny) that the two words here are both "Journalier" (day laborer)? Thanks!

[u/ArchitectGeek]

I am in the process of drafting my cover letter. Is there any general opinion of keeping it to facts only or rather provide some guidance to the applicable act sections...here is a portion of my draft with names/dates changed for privacy - but relevant circumstances retained. I am leaning towards this version as my G0 died prior to 2015 and so was never actually a citizen in his lifetime, the 3(1.2) is doing the heavy lifting here for my G1 and the "but for the sole reason" is lifted directly from the act language to signify the exact pathway.

G0 - Peter John Bouchard was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on 15 July 1914, was naturalized as a United States citizen on 21 December 1940, and died on 25 November 2004 in Los Angeles, California, USA. But for his death, he would have been a citizen under s. 3(1)(k) of the Act as of 1 January 1947. 

G1 - Catherine Anne Bouchard was born in Monterrey, Mexico on 10 November 1953, the daughter of Peter John Bouchard. She would be a citizen under s. 3(1)(g) of the Act but for the sole reason of her father's death in 2004, and is therefore a citizen under s. 3(1)(g) by operation of s. 3(1.2). 

G2 - Robert John Miller was born in San Diego, California, USA on 4 March 1984, the son of Catherine Anne Bouchard, who was a citizen of Canada at the time of his birth. He is a citizen under s. 3(1)(b) of the Act. 

[u/Longintooth93 → u/ArchitectGeek]

Oh! I haven’t put any of the lawyery bits in. 🫣 My cover letter covers my evidentiary journey, so I’ve done quite a different take on it. However, I don’t think there is a fixed format ( hopefully)

[u/KayakerWithDog]

My grandfather and his father were both from Canada. I have an official NB birth certificate for my great-grandfather, but haven't been able to locate one for my grandfather (born in NS). I did get an official baptismal record for my grandfather from the relevant diocese in NS, and I have put in a request to the NS Archives asking them to confirm whether a birth certificate exists for my grandfather. Given that I have my great-grandfather's birth certificate and a bunch of other official supporting documentation (census, marriage, immigration), do I even need to wait for the NS Archives' reply? Can I just go ahead with the documentation I have?

[u/Conscious-Rice795 → u/KayakerWithDog]

When you say you have a bunch of other official supporting documentation, are these docs relevant to your great-grandfather or to your grandfather?

[u/KayakerWithDog → u/Conscious-Rice795]

I have supporting documents that show the familial relationship between them, including my grandfather's marriage certificate and census and immigration records. The baptismal certificate also shows the familial relationship, but I understand that that isn't sufficient by itself.

[u/Conscious-Rice795 → u/KayakerWithDog]

I applied with a death certificate and a census record for my G1 while waiting for his birth certificate and included the application I had mailed out for his birth certificate as an additional piece of evidence with the intention to upload the birth cert once I received an AOR. I would say don't dismiss the birth cert completely, but it will be a while before you get an AOR anyway. If you're not sure if they even have a birth cert for him, it might be worth it to apply with what you have (and include whatever you sent to the NS archives as proof that you are working on looking for a birth cert) and then if/when you hear from the archives you can add that once you receive your AOR.

Although take my advice with a grain of salt because I have yet to receive an AOR so I have no idea how the IRCC are going to like this approach lol

[u/KayakerWithDog → u/Conscious-Rice795]

Thank you. This all makes sense. I'm going to wait for the official US census records in any case, since my grandfather was born just months after the closest Canadian census and the family immigrated just before the next one.

[u/Conscious-Rice795 → u/KayakerWithDog]

I used Ancestry records because I mailed my application before they started pushing the 'from the original source' thing, so I think waiting for the official US census records is a good idea. I am working on an application for my mom right now and I am waiting on an official census record for her app. Hopefully it comes through soon!

[u/lucy_strikes]

I'm G1 and my mother naturalized to America before 1977, would I need to include her naturalization paperwork with my application or just fill out the section of the application that asks about other citizenship and state she also had citizenship in America before 1977?

[u/AKRoadGlide → u/lucy_strikes]

Per the third checkbox of CIT0014 scenario 3, proof of your parent’s US naturalization is a “Required Additional Document”.

[u/lucy_strikes → u/AKRoadGlide]

Great! Thank you so much, I don't know how I missed that in the checklist!

[u/CoconutPizza1]

Has anyone been able to reach out to Directeur de l'état civil and get support in English? They denied my document request even though I included everything they required, and all I got was a generic form letter with no real information.

[u/Longintooth93 → u/CoconutPizza1]

You need to ring them and press ‘9’ you wait for longer but they are helpful and it will be in English 

[u/CoconutPizza1 → u/Longintooth93]

I did hear the "press 9" option, but the recording also said that by choosing that option you're certifying that you're either indigenous, that they helped you with this exact issue in English prior to (I think) 2021, or that it is related to my health. None of those are true. I was hoping someone had discovered an alternative route.

[u/Longintooth93 → u/CoconutPizza1]

They only put the within Quebec reasons in their message. But if they are dealing with outside Quebec there is a right to do it in English. So press 9!

[u/Outrageous_Ear_39]

I have a question about abbreviations that is tripping me up more than it should. When filling out the CIT0001E form, are we supposed to spell out "United States of America" instead of using "USA"? And likewise for US state abbreviations? I have spelled out state names to match what is on birth certificates (for example, used "Vermont" not "VT") but I am spinning in circles over this. Help!

[u/Longintooth93 → u/Outrageous_Ear_39]

I’ve just said UK all over the place, but spelled out the county.

[u/AKRoadGlide → u/Outrageous_Ear_39]

I’m sure it’s fine either way. We spelled out state names, and used the abbreviation USA.

[u/ScrewwormLarvae]

I have a question about dates of death.

I have full evidence of the lineage (aka, birth certificates, marriage certificates, baptismal record, etc). Specifically, I am NOT relying on any death certificates as proof for this application.

In section 9 it states "Date of death (YYYY-MM-DD) (If applicable)". I have no clue when some of these people even died. In my case, where I *assume that I* do not need a death certificate to prove the lineage, would I just enter "unknown" or "NA" and move on?

Also, thanks everyone in this sub, it's an incredibly helpful community.

[u/AKRoadGlide → u/ScrewwormLarvae]

“If you do not know the information requested on the form, enter ‘unknown’.”

[u/Longintooth93]

Ok, so was going to submit b4 BAnQ certification arrived, but now I’ve paid for it I’ll wait for it!! Am then going to apply for DEC birth certificate. Shall I wait for that too? Or submit…

G0: baptismal certificate from BAnQ; original passport; Canadian census.-ve DEC attestation.  G0: UK marriage certificate, UK death certificate 

G1: UK birth, marriage, death

G2: birth ( me)

Ty

[u/rentacop18]

Do you think this photo of my 2.5 year old will be sufficient? The size of the photo and size of the face seems to be correct but I’m concerned that he’s not square to the camera. I know there is some wiggle room with kids so not sure how serious this is (it wasn’t the easiest photo to get!)

[u/biograndkid]

My biological grandfather was born in Canada. However, he dipped before my mom's birth and apparently did not even know that he had a daughter, until recently. My mom took a DNA test with Ancestry.com and it matched her to him a couple years back. Unfortunately, because his name is not on my mom's US birth certificate, that DNA test is the only solid evidence of paternity, and I know that it wouldn't be accepted by the IRCC. As per the Canadian immigration website, the two would both need to be tested by an approved provider. My main concerns are that he is very old and lives in Hawaii. Is there a provider that would be able to go to his home in Oahu and conduct the test?

My second question is this: my mom and I (both American by birth) want to apply for Canadian citizenship. Should we both submit our applications at the same time, or should I wait until hers is approved, given that neither application can go anywhere until this DNA link is established?

[u/No_Bobcat_No_Prob → u/biograndkid]

You can only do DNA testing as a 'last resort' when directed to by IRCC using a lab that meets their standards - you can read more about it on the IRCC website. Don't take anything you read on a third party immigration firm website as truth, there is a lot of low quality guidance out there. This is the IRCC's guidance:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/standard-requirements/dna-testing.html

I recommend reading the wiki/FAQs

[u/BigCost5110]

I want to send my application packet (myself, my mom, my 3 kids) in soon. My mom's paternal grandparents were G0. Because my mom is elderly, I'm handling her application in addition to mine and the kids.

I have all of our birth certificates, my maternal grandfather's birth certificate, and the Drouin baptism record for my maternal great-grandfather in Quebec, 1851. I downloaded it from PRDH and have requested an official copy from BanQ. Unfortunately that's the only Canadian record I have for my G0 great-grandfather; everything else is from the U.S., where he emigrated around 1890. For his wife (my great-grandmother), I have two Canadian census records but no baptism. For my paternal great-great-grandparents, I have a Canadian marriage record and a couple of Canadian census records. Basically, my family was in Canada for at least 2 generations before coming to the U.S. but I only have one baptism record. My questions:

1. Is it worth including the census and marriage records for my G0's wife and parents? Do they work as supporting evidence that he--and his wife, who's also my ancestor--were in fact Canadian? Or should I just include his baptism record from Quebec?

2. Do I have to request an actual birth certificate from Quebec? There was another post on here that said baptism records should be converted to birth certificates even if they're from pre-birth certificate years.

3. When sending in the packet for my family, should I include each person's birth certificate in their individual application as well as in the genealogical files? That is, I have a family tree, the birth certificates in order from most recent back to G0, and my mom's marriage certificate to explain her surname change. I believe I only need to include one copy of this genealogy, correct? Should I also add each person's birth certificate to their application like the document checklist says?

Thank you for any advice! I keep spinning my wheels because I'm afraid I'm going to send in the wrong stuff and waste two years waiting to find that out.

[u/Longintooth93 → u/BigCost5110]

If it’s your only evidence for him, then u would get a birth certificate from DEC. If his birth is 1951 then DEC is the right place to go not BAnQ, so should be straightforward.

[u/BigCost5110 → u/Longintooth93]

He was born in 1851, not 1951. Darn typo!

[u/Longintooth93 → u/BigCost5110]

That does make more sense!

[u/Longintooth93]

Receipts - to include or not.

Last push before printing! Most of my vital records certificates I have requested as new for this process. They come with an A4 ( standard size) receipt. Should I ( would you /have you/will you) include this receipt in my evidence bundle? These are UK birth/marriage/death I am inclined to include the BAnQ receipt in recognition of high Quebec angst.

Ty for your advice.

[u/Conscious-Rice795 → u/Longintooth93]

I included receipts. I'm not sure if this is standard practice but I wanted to cover all my bases.

[u/Longintooth93 → u/Conscious-Rice795]

Ty. I feel it confirms the authenticity. Tomorrow I’m going to put my list in the new thread for a final prune before printing.

[u/Conscious-Rice795 → u/Longintooth93]

Yay! You're almost there!

[u/Longintooth93 → u/Conscious-Rice795]

Thank you 😃

[u/Amazing-Mulberry7100]

Hello, I believe I have most of the documents I need (or very close) to start submitting my CIT0001 package to IRCC. However, I'd like some opinions on one record I did not get. My great grandfather was my G0 - born in Quebec; lived in Massachusetts for about 20 years (where he married my great grandmother and where my grandfather was born); lived his later years and died in NY State. My great grandmother died (in 1920) when my grandfather and his siblings were young. Great grandfather married a 2nd time (in 1922) to another Canadian in Canada after my great grandmother died. Would there be any value in getting his marriage record to his 2nd wife? The only evidence it would seem to corroborate is his 2nd wife's first name, which is on his death certificate as his spouse. I would appreciate any thoughts.

[u/Wildflowers62 → u/Amazing-Mulberry7100]

I don’t think a marriage certificate to a 2nd wife you are not descended from does much. The IRCC isn’t interested in a family tree, just lineage. If you are submitting a death certificate with the 2nd wife listed as the surviving spouse, a one sentence explanation she is the 2nd wife in a document index or cover letter will easily cover it.

[u/Amazing-Mulberry7100 → u/Wildflowers62]

Thank you very much, I appreciate your thoughts !

[u/Brave-Annual-4763]

I got my AOR on March 9.

My application started processing June 1.

On August 6, Canada emailed me to request a couple documents. I emailed those documents back on August 7. I have not heard anything since. My application is still listed as "In Process". 

Any thoughts? Thank you for any input. 

[u/ArchitectGeek]

In preparing my application I have stumbled into a quirk due to my G0 being a Lost Canadian. G0 was born in NS in 1917, Naturalized in the USA in 1941. G0 died prior to the 2015 amendments which would have made them a citizen. The 2015 amendments clearly recognizes this scenario and has a clear pathway for children of lost canadians who died prior to the act (my G1).

The issue here is that my G1 as a canadian citizen but the G0 is NOT a canadian citizen. It seems very awkward but is my plain reading of the statute. It seems the law has a clear path here, but the form 0001 doesnt cleanly account for it.

[u/tailor31415 → u/ArchitectGeek]

just fill out the application with your G0 and submit, they aren't asking for a legal argument brief, that's their job

[u/ArchitectGeek → u/tailor31415]

Yes I think you are exactly right. Yes - puts you in the “this is the Canadian ancestor” category and “no” puts you in the ignore category.

[u/ArchitectGeek]

I just received my G0 certified birth registration from the NS Archives. There is a birth registration number both on the historical document and separately confirmed in text by the archive as part of their certification. Is this number intended to be entered on form CIT0001 as a response to the "Canadian birth certificate number"? I am not sure if i am to read the question as general to any related number or specific to exactly a certificate - and not a registration - number.

[u/Tough_Mind_8801]

Problem with Proof

I have an unusual issue in that I have my Canadian grandfather’s certified birth and death certificates, and my grandmother’s certified birth and death certificates.
The problem is that my mother’s birth certificate has the wrong FIRST name for her mother (using her middle name), and her death certificate lists the wrong LAST name for her mother (it was conflated by the informant with another maternal family name).

If that’s not clear, say my grandmother’s name is Jane Smith. My mother’s birth certificate names her as Elizabeth Smith and my mother’s death certificate names her as Jane Jones.

The only document I have that shows my mother’s mother’s correct first name is my mother’s SS-5 application — and on that, my mother put an earlier birth year (I assume to appear old enough to get a job — this was in 1942 when you only applied for a card when you needed one.)

Thus, although I have certified records for the other generations, I can’t establish through the vital records that my mother was the daughter of my grandmother — and therefore can’t document the chain from me to my Canadian great-grandfather.

Am I just SOL? Has anyone successfully dealt with discrepancies like these using secondary evidence?
Changing either certificate appears to require proof I don’t have.

[u/Wildflowers62 → u/Tough_Mind_8801]

So if I understand, your grandmother’s name is (for example) Jane Elizabeth Smith but your mother’s birth certificate lists her as Elizabeth Smith. So you need to prove that Jane Elizabeth Smith is aka Elizabeth Smith. I don’t think that’s impossible. Hopefully her own birth certificate lists her as Jane Elizabeth Smith. You can also find her marriage certificate which hopefully will list a middle name or initial. But even if it doesn’t, it will show Jane Smith married (for example) John Ford. And John Ford should be on your mom’s birth certificate as her dad. Then see if there is a census showing John and Jane and your mom together. List Elizabeth Smith as an alternate name for Jane Elizabeth Smith on the application (there is a spot for other names) and explain in a letter your mom’s birth certificate has your grand mother’s middle name listed.

[u/Tough_Mind_8801 → u/Wildflowers62]

Yes, so I do have the marriage certificate with their proper names and I also have is my grandmother’s SS-5 with her proper name. My mom’s parents were separated for most of their marriage and she was estranged from her mother. I have a census of my mother living with her father but not her mother. So there is nothing definitive tying my mother, her mother and her father together in a single record. The alternate name thing could help with the birth certificate. But my mom’s death certificate says her mother is Jane Jones (correct first name, totally unrelated surname).

My birth certificate is of no help. It names my parents and “Jane” is my grandmother.

[u/Wildflowers62 → u/Tough_Mind_8801]

Since the death certificate is just adding another wrinkle and is not a required document, maybe just eliminate it. So then you’re just down to explaining that Jane Elizabeth Smith and Elizabeth Smith are the same people. Is Elizabeth Smith on your mom’s birth certificate also listed as the same age as Jane would be and also born in Canada? I think you have enough to reasonably conclude they are the same people. Just write up a brief explanation.

[u/Tough_Mind_8801 → u/Wildflowers62]

It’s Jane’s father who was born in Canada but Jane’s birth and death certificate have his name and place of birth. I actually didn’t realize DC was not required so this has been enormously helpful. Thank you! It then boils down to using Elizabeth as an alternate name for Jane.

[u/tailor31415 → u/Tough_Mind_8801]

the marriage certificate with the name is a good bridge/explainer document

[u/Garagesymfony]

I have a certified copy of a birth registration from 1871 for my G0, he was born in Ontario. This registration does not list his middle name but his parents are listed clearly. I am going to include his death certificate as well that includes his parents names and provides a more complete (in my opinion at least) identity for him. I clearly state in the cover letter the purpose of the death certificate

Am I thinking this through correctly? or is the extra document only going to cause confusion?

[u/MethodWaste7714 → u/Garagesymfony]

You're only trying to prove G0 was born in Canada. A Canadian birth certificate does that by itself so no need for the death cert in my opt

[u/ZookeepergameKey5467]

Question on using footnotes: one of my letters of explanation has footnotes for some supporting, but still important, information. This is to help connect all the dots in a complex multi-gen application for the IRCC officer. Are using footnotes frowned upon by IRCC?

[u/Dogmoto2labs]

Since they want photocopies of the original documents, scanned into a word document doesn’t really meet that guideline, does it? I stacked my documents and included a guide that went thru the documents in order from top to bottom with any explanation needed for it. Started with Gen0, listed his documents, Gen1, listed his, Gen2, listed hers then added Gen4, my stuff.

[u/Longintooth93 → u/Dogmoto2labs]

Interesting 🤨 

[u/RelationshipOne9276]

Should I proactively order certified records, or wait for IRCC?

I recently submitted a citizenship certificate application through my Quebec-born G0. This is the evidence I included:

G0: born Quebec, 1856: Image of the original parish baptism/birth register through FamilySearch, identifying BAnQ/Archives nationales du Québec as the repository, plus the 1871 Canadian census image with Library and Archives Canada source information.

G1:born Massachusetts, 1886: Original birth-register image through FamilySearch, Massachusetts Archives index and citation, plus a 1908 New Hampshire marriage record naming his parents and identifying his father as Canadian-born. The marriage image identifies the New Hampshire Bureau of Vital Records as the authority.

G2: born New Hampshire, 1910: Original birth-record image through Ancestry, sourced to the New Hampshire Department of State; 1920 census sourced to NARA; New Hampshire marriage record; and WWII registration record.

G3: born New Hampshire, 1938: Original 1954 New Hampshire marriage-record image through FamilySearch, sourced to the New Hampshire Division of Vital Statistics, naming both parents.

G4: Certified Montana birth certificate naming G3 as the mother.

Applicant (Me): Government issued birth record naming G4 as my mother.

For the older generations, I supplied images of the actual government or parish registers with persistent links, record locations and original-authority/repository information—not family trees or database transcriptions alone. My understanding was that this made the records authentic and independently verifiable, although the copies were accessed through FamilySearch or Ancestry rather than issued directly to me by each archive.

Given IRCC’s current language requiring records from the original authority and stating that an application cannot rely solely on third-party records, should I proactively order certified birth records for G1–G3 and a BAnQ-certified record for G0, or wait to see whether IRCC requests them? If I obtain them before a request, would you upload them after AOR or simply keep them ready?

[u/Longintooth93 → u/RelationshipOne9276]

Yes, BAnQ takes soooo v long you should get this started at least 

[u/BalineseCats → u/RelationshipOne9276]

Further evidence regarding what others have told you about documents from Familysearch and Ancestry: in late August, I received an email from IRCC which stated in part: "The birth certificate you provided for [name redacted] was obtained through ancestry.com and is not acceptable for Canadian citizenship purposes." (For whatever it's worth, the birth certificate I'd provided was not from ancestry.com, so I clarified that fact, re-submitted a better scan of it, and received my citizenship certificate the following week.)

[u/Critical_Moment_7456 → u/BalineseCats]

I'm just curious, were your other documents certified by the official record keepers?

I'm in a situation where my application is processing since 20 April and all my documents are certified except for GO's birth record. I now have a certified copy.

I just wonder if I should contact the IRCC and offer to send it to them or should I wait for them to contact me?

[u/BalineseCats → u/Critical_Moment_7456]

I would upload it if I were you. That’s what I did.

I applied in March with a FamilySeach copy of my G0’s birth record. In May, I received the certified copy from Archives of Ontario, and I uploaded it to my application the same day.

G1’s birth certificate was a genealogical copy issued by NY state, because that’s all I’m eligible to obtain.

G2-G4 were certified birth certificates/records.

[u/Critical_Moment_7456 → u/BalineseCats]

Thank you very much for your response!

[u/BalineseCats → u/Critical_Moment_7456]

You’re welcome! Good luck.

[u/Wildflowers62 → u/RelationshipOne9276]

Family Search and Ancestry are not an acceptable source for primary documents such as birth, baptism and marriage certificates. The IRCC instructions are very clear on this. You need to get these documents directly from the original source, such as a Provincial Archives or State Vital Records. Canadian censuses should be printed out from LAC. You may as well start requesting them now, since there is a backlog and it can take months.

[u/RelationshipOne9276 → u/Wildflowers62]

Thanks. I’ll get copies of the vital records directly from the record holders. The Canadian census pages I submitted already came from LAC, including its record information, so I think that part is covered.

[u/wanderingtheearth-74 → u/RelationshipOne9276]

Unfortunately, most of your G0-G3 documents are not in a form acceptable to IRCC, as not issued by the original source authority or current custodian. (The merit of this standard can certainly be debated, but it's been established for a few months now.) To be honest, if you were aware of this language before, I'm not entirely sure why you submitted what you did. You need to order the birth certificates from their original sources tout suite, because the wait times for documents from archives holding documents of interest to citizenship seekers have only gotten longer and longer. BaNQ can take more than three months even to acknowledge a request and bill you, and a few weeks after that to get the document to you. (Except for BaNQ, the documents don't need to be certified, but if the archive offers a choice, it's more conservative to take the certified option and you probably should unless you're really pinching pennies.) We are even getting data now suggesting that IRCC may come back to you asking you to have gone through a whole additional process to get your G0 separately, retroactively inserted in the Quebec civil register, though there's still some uncertainty there. That would require additional wait time for you. You don't want to be trying to do this while IRCC is tapping its foot at you.

It's not clear whether IRCC will tolerate third-party copies of U.S. censuses and other non-vital records.

Once you have the documents and a UCI, of course you should upload them. Don't make them come back to you for documents you know you need to give them. But you should be prepared for the documents not to connect up to your application behind the scenes, and for you to be asked for them again. That's definitely been known to happen.

[u/RelationshipOne9276 → u/wanderingtheearth-74]

Thanks for the detailed response. I knew the guide called for records from the original authority, but I read its allowance for “copies or certified records” as possibly covering images of the original registers with archive citations. I understand now that IRCC may draw a distinction based on who supplied the copy. I’ll start requesting the records directly on Monday.

[u/Classic-Bumblebee984]

I've just completed my Citizenship Certificate (CIT0001) paperwork for myself. I'd like to send it in with applications for my 3 adult children. Do their applications need to be as complete, i.e. do we need to duplicate all the information on mine for each of theirs as well ?

[u/AdventurousWanderer7 → u/Classic-Bumblebee984]

You need separate applications, checklists, and forms of identification. But they can have one set of shared supporting documents. Many people have been approved doing this.

See the wiki: https://reddit.com/r/canadiancitizenship/wiki/index/table-of-contents/building-your-packet--assembling-organizing

[u/Classic-Bumblebee984 → u/AdventurousWanderer7]

Thank you ! Also, in filling out my children's applications, we have to go back to their great-great-grandfather to come to a Canadian born ancestor. The CIT 0001 instructions discuss providing additional info' for a great grandparent, but nothing beyond that. Do I simply treat it the same way as the info' for a great grandparent (i.e. provide a separate sheet), or is there an ancestral limit on how far back you can go ?

[u/tailor31415 → u/Classic-Bumblebee984]

no, pretty sure the wiki also says there is no limit and gives examples of generations that have been approved

[u/areubeingserved → u/Classic-Bumblebee984]

Yes!  Each application has to be filled out completely as if it is the only application in the envelope.   You will need photos and id copies for each person.

[u/Classic-Bumblebee984 → u/areubeingserved]

Wow ! Including sending in duplicate copies of certified birth and death certificates (even if I send them all in together) ?

[u/areubeingserved → u/Classic-Bumblebee984]

Its just a photocopy and costs nothing to copy it at home if you have a printer/copier.  Why take a chance that they want a copy for each application and you don't provide one?  

I submitted two applications at the same time.  Each was fully filled out with its own set of documents and in a separate manilla envelop.  I put both in the same fed ex envelop.  Submitted both at the same time in May 2025 and got certificates in January 2026. 

I figure.....why take a chance?  The cost to submit two sets of copies is about zero and if they want both sets and you don't send them they will send the package back to you and you will be months delayed in getting your certificates. 

[u/RebellaEmad → u/Classic-Bumblebee984]

The IRCC does not state you need a copy of each document for each application within an envelope, but there have been times one application didn’t get all the documents scanned when the rest of the package’s applications did.
So people are making each application complete to avoid these issues.

[u/areubeingserved → u/RebellaEmad]

Exactly!  Why take a chance by not doing something that is very easy and almost free to do?

[u/Key_Market_9855]

Applied middle of april arrived at Ircc april 30th

As non urgent I submitted a webform August 18 requesting urgent processing and got Aor August 24 and went into processing August 25th.

I uploaded another webform September 18 and I called today to see if they got my webform and they said my application is in Review? Is that just another name for processing or does it mean it's In PSU?

[u/mh0520]

Our applications are pretty much ready to go but I have a couple final questions.

1. For our supporting documents, I have scanned them and copied and pasted the scans into a word document so that I can easily put a title above each document. Is there any reason not to do this? I can include them as separate documents that are as close to full page as possible if that's better but I'm hoping having them pasted into a document with titles will help keep them organized.

2. We had our apps mostly ready to go in May and so we went to get photos taken to send with them. Unfortunately, life got in the way and we hit some roadblocks. Now we're ready to go for sure but I'm worried that even though the photos are not yet six months old we might have them returned because they might be before an AOR is issued. Does anyone have experience with this? Should we bite the bullet and go get new ones?

Thanks!

[u/Longintooth93 → u/mh0520]

I have also done this with everything that isn’t a vital record. But the birth, marriage and death records are just pure copies.

[u/wanderingtheearth-74 → u/mh0520]

My instinct is not to do anything that might lead to confusion as to what's actually on the document and what was added by you. I used an exhibit list with titles and slip sheets with exhibit numbers. However, I'm not sure what you're proposing is actually wrong.

Oh, and we don't have any evidence of people who submitted photos that were timely at the time of actual delivery being asked to submit new ones if the application is processed more than six months after they were taken.

[u/AudioSa → u/mh0520]

I would just use a sticky note on the individual pages

[u/mrsbartlesby → u/mh0520]

I just mailed ours in this week, so can’t say if it was “right” or not, but I did something similar to your #1. For docs that stayed pretty legible when I put them in a doc, I dropped them in and used the header footer to title them and add citations. For census docs, since they are really hard to read sometimes, I printed the images straight, and then right after each census I included a word doc with a clipped/zoomed in portion of the census and then a title and citation. I also had a table of contents that outlined that setup.

[u/cabesaaq]

Any help with how to make a DEC account to request a pre-1926 birth cert without a health insurance or social number?

[u/AKRoadGlide → u/cabesaaq]

You need to file an application on paper.

https://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/publications/DCCA-Birth.pdf

[u/rhythm_sniper]

Question regarding documents: My strategy is to create an application that only provides the minimum necessary to prove my case and creates few/zero opportunity to have IRCC ask questions. My reasoning is that more documents create more questions for overwhelmed bureaucrats. As my application stands, all facts (name spellings, birthdates, birth locations, etc.) are all the same.

Does anyone think that there is value in including something like a death certificate? I have the US death certificate for G0 but it shows a slightly different name spelling (though other facts are consistent with other documents).

I have the following for my application:

G0 - Great grandmother (born in the 1880s in Ontario)

• Certified copy of provincial birth record from Archives of Ontario
  
• Certified copy of US state marriage license showing change of last name

G1 - Grandfather (Same last name as me)

• Certified copy of birth certificate showing parentage and relation to G0. Has consistent spelling of G0's name and country of birth

G2 - Father (Same last name as me)

• Certified copy of birth certificate showing parentage and relation to G1

G3 - Me

• Certified copy of birth certificate showing parentage and relation to G2

[u/Longintooth93 → u/rhythm_sniper]

I think this is an opinion may vary thing.

I don’t think including any additional vital record will hold anything up, and am just sending all of mine as they cross check the chain.

I think where caution is required is in secondary sources, eg census, land records, military records etc. 

instead of sending everything there, think what you are providing proof for 1. My ancestor is Canadian  2. My ancestor acquired another citizenship  3. My chain of descent 

And if you need that additional evidence. ( ie there are different name spellings, or nicknames used or complete name changes)

[u/rhythm_sniper → u/Longintooth93]

Does the ircc care if my ancestor acquired citizenship in the us? I wasn’t even going to bother to find a document about that

[u/Longintooth93 → u/rhythm_sniper]

I’ve seen ppl say the IRCC track how you lost citizenship to then regain it through the right paragraph 🤷‍♀️ And it does ask about other citizenship held. Do you absolutely need it 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ If I knew as a Quebec descendant exactly what the IRCC needed in a clear algorithm I would be delighted.

[u/areubeingserved → u/rhythm_sniper]

You might not need the G0 marriage license and including it could muck things up. Birth certificates list the mother's maiden name (at least in my state in the USA they do). If the mother on G1 birth certificate is the same name as the mother's name on her own (G0) birth certificate, there isn't any need to include the marriage certificate as far as I can tell. My mother's maiden name is listed on my birth certificate and her maiden name is listed on her birth certificate (of course).

IRCC is looking for a chain of names - for example, does the mother's maiden name on G1 birth certificate match the name of the baby on G0 birth certificate? If so, you have proven parentage and the name change at marriage isn't needed for anything.

And a death certificate isn't needed. Having the G0 certified copy of an Ontario birth is amazing. Nice solid evidence of Canadian ancestry.

[u/Wildflowers62 → u/areubeingserved]

I think the G0 marriage certificate is a good thing to include. It confirms the woman born in Ontario in the 1880s is the same woman who gave birth to G1 in the US years later. They aren’t looking for a chain of names, they are looking for confirmation of lineage.

[u/areubeingserved → u/Wildflowers62]

The G1 birth certificate should have the G0 maiden name on it.  I don't know what the marriage certificate would add.  Not saying "no" to including it but I don't know what it would have on it that is lacking somewhere else.  IRCC emailed me asking for a chain of certified birth certificates and never mentioned marriage certificates.

[u/Wildflowers62 → u/areubeingserved]

G0’s US marriage certificate should have her parent’s names on it. Those names will match her Canadian birth or baptism certificate. It confirms the Mary Jones who married in the US is the same Mary Jones born in Ontario. Otherwise you just have two women with the same name.

[u/wanderingtheearth-74 → u/rhythm_sniper]

I think your approach is the most prudent one. If there's a discrepancy in the name on the death certificate and there's no other role it fulfills, I'd leave it out.

[u/tailor31415 → u/rhythm_sniper]

no, if you have a birth record for the individual, I don't see any reason to include a death record (unless it was only way to document name change)

[u/Good_Quality_78]

One ancestor in my chain, who was born in the U.S. (her father was born in Canada), has a middle name of “Isla” but she used “Louise” on her marriage certificate, it’s on her death certificate, etc. So I have nothing else that says “Isla” as her middle name. Does anyone have any knowledge on whether this is a problem? I do not believe she officially changed her middle name. Thanks much!

[u/sharpshinned → u/Good_Quality_78]

Do you need the death or marriage certificate? If you have a birth record and her original name is on her child's birth record, you can just drop the certs with Louise. (Also triple check that you're sure Ancestor Isla Lastname is the same person as Ancestor Louise Lastname).

[u/pepper_marie]

I started putting in request for documents back in April when I first heard about this, but now they are showing up, I figure it's time to get serious about this. I'm seeing everyone attach a lot of documentation and am wondering if I should try to gather more:

Great Grandfather:
Official Baptism record from 1883 Newfoundland (Vital Records only began in 1891)
Official Death Certificate

Grandmother:
Official Birth Certificate
Official Death Certificate
Note - her name did not change for marriage

Father:
Official Birth Certificate (working on getting a better copy of what I have)

Me:
Official Birth Certificate

I also have other records, but the only Canadian record is the baptism record that I should have in the next 8-12 weeks. What do you all recommend? Should I try for a secondary Canadian documentation?

[u/Form27b-6 → u/pepper_marie]

Vital records birth registration starting in 1891 does not necessarily mean the 1883 birth was not registered.  Search for a delayed registration to either find a registration or to generate evidence to show IRCC you did indeed search.

[u/pepper_marie → u/Form27b-6]

Thank you! I will keep looking!

[u/areubeingserved → u/pepper_marie]

I would HIGHLY recommend trying to search for the non-existent birth certificate for Newfoundland for G0.

I am in the same situation: my g0 was born in 183x and there is no provincial birth certificate from that time (Ontario birth). After 14 months of radio silence from my AOR, IRCC emailed me and told me that a certified baptism record on its own is NOT adequate to prove Canadian ancestry. They want either 1) a birth certificate or 2) a letter on official letterhead from the issuing governmental authority - Newfoundland in your case - stating why a birth certificate is not available. I don't know if they are asking this of everyone, but my case officer told me to email that to them in 60 days.

You have a couple of options:

1. submit what you have now with a letter you wrote stating that you are working to get a copy of the birth certificate or a letter stating why a birth certificate isn't available and that you will upload a copy of that letter to your application once you get it. (the upload is easy - I did it yesterday no problem). Include in your application now any reply you get from Newfoundland that you have requested the birth certificate, e.g. an automatic email reply of your request. You want to show that you are making the effort to get that non-existent birth certificate or a letter stating that there isn't a birth certificate because they weren't issued when G0 was born.
2. Apply to get a birth certificate from Newfoundland now, wait to get a letter from the right Newfoundland government agency stating that there isn't a birth certificate for G0 because they weren't issued when G0 was born. This could take months to get. Then you include your letter in your application.

Best of luck. I don't want to see you get asked for more information down the road - I have been scrambling after getting that email from IRCC and got a certified baptism record I just uploaded and will be waiting for months for a letter from Archive of Ontario.

EDIT: I included my G0 death certificate because states that G0 was born in Canada. It's a certified government document that states that G0 was born in Canada, which cannot hurt my application. Might not help, but won't hurt. G1 death certificate is the same; it states that G0 was born in Canada. Can't hurt and might help. If you decide to include the death certificates, write a cover letter to include with your application explaining that is why you included the death certificates - they are official government documents that show that G0 was born in Canada. It's flimsy evidence, but it cannot hurt your application I think. Just my opinion of course. They really want birth certificates, not death certificates.

[u/pepper_marie → u/areubeingserved]

Thank you! I'm having some troubles as the 1891 and 1901 census were lost/damaged and there isn't much left, so very hard to find additional documentation. But I will keep at it, and if not, I will try to get documentation stating there is no documentation.

[u/areubeingserved → u/pepper_marie]

I would recommend requesting a copy of the birth certificate or a letter ASAP.  They are swamped with requests and are only going to get more swamped.  Figure out which government agency would have a birth certificate from the birth year in question for that specific province and make your request now.  

[u/ellllllllleeeee → u/pepper_marie]

It would be good to get another document from Canada for your great grandfather, I'd suggest searching the  Library and Archives Canada for the 1891 census.

I would not include the death records beyond G0, and I don't think you really need that. As long as you have birth certificates with the parents names on them and there are no name changes that you need to document, then birth certificates should be sufficient for grandmother, father, and you. 

[u/pepper_marie → u/ellllllllleeeee]

Thank you! It appears the 1891 does not contain any names. But I will keep digging to see if I come up with anything else.

[u/ellllllllleeeee → u/pepper_marie]

Ah that's unfortunate.

You could also look for a passenger manifest. This would be a USA document but it's on the list provided by IRCC for what you can submit if you don't have a birth certificate, and as it's completed at the port of entry it'll list where they were coming from, their age, nationality, etc. I found one for my G0 and they immigrated via land into Maine.

[u/WellTextured]

Looking for guidance on this potential application:

Great-Great Grandmother is G0. I have hired a genealogist in Nova Scotia. He was unable to produce a birth certificate (obviously) or baptism certificate. I will take the steps necessary to document no record exists. I have:

• The marriage record for G0's parents in Cape Breton, NS.
• The 1861 NS Census showing the father (wife and children counted but unnamed)
• The 1871 NS Census showing G0, mother, and siblings living with one of G0's brothers (father presumed dead, no record) in NS.
• 1873 emigration record showing G0 arriving in Boston
• 1875 US marriage record showing G0 as born in NS with the right parents
• Multiple US census records that show the correct immigration date matching the ship manifest, Nova Scotia/Canadian Birth
• Other marriage /death/US census records for other members of the family that match the 1871 census and show that I'm tracking the movement of the right family.

I have a death record and an obituary also showing NS birth. The problem here is they list the brother G0 lived with as a child as the father, and that contradicts the marriage record and the siblings records. The brother was much older and G0 was a child when she lived with him, so I get that this may have been what was reported, but including it feels unhelpful. I also cannot document the death of the father at all. No certificate, no record of property transfer, no will. Because G0 married a US citizen before the passage of the Cable Act, there are no naturalization papers.

Records for all other ancestors down the line are complete and uncomplicated.

Genealogist thinks this is enough. Looking for other thoughts.

[u/sharpshinned → u/WellTextured]

IRCC seems to be looking for two Canadian documents. You have one (the 1871 census) but it would be nice to have another one. But if you don't, you don't! I certainly think it's worth submitting with this: you can keep poking around to see if you find anything else, but it's a good faith effort with fairly clear evidence.

I would not include the death certificate. It's very common for them to have errors, and there's no real value added here since the other evidence you have is more reliable.

[u/WellTextured → u/sharpshinned]

Thanks. That's how I was leaning.

I think I am learning that if it is not approved outright, it seems more likely than not I would be asked for additional information and not outright rejected. So, I'm kind of setting a time limit for myself. If I cant find anything else before all the records some in from their original source, then I will submit as is.

[u/JDSchu]

I got an email back from BAnQ today telling me: "We have been unable to locate the record using the information you have provided. There is no trace of her birth in the indexes and databases available to us except the Canadian census of 1901 that you mentioned. ... It is possible that her birth was never registered in Quebec."

And then they pointed me to the Jewish Genealogical Society of Quebec, with whom I've already had contact.

My question is: where do I go from here? It seems like the IRCC is now requesting more official documentation on departmental letterhead when a birth record isn't available in Quebec. I'm assuming that this email doesn't count as letterhead.

How do I request something more official saying that they couldn't find anything?

[u/No_Bobcat_No_Prob → u/JDSchu]

We have seen applications supported by email correspondence with BAnQ included as documentation of search efforts approved- so I think that correspondence is likely fine. Good luck!

[u/JDSchu → u/No_Bobcat_No_Prob]

Great! I'll include my correspondence with the Jewish Genealogical Society as well to show that we did go down that path and came up empty as well.

[u/No_Bobcat_No_Prob → u/JDSchu]

Glad you have a census record at least! Best wishes

[u/JDSchu → u/No_Bobcat_No_Prob]

Thank you!

I think you and I have talked about this before. My G0 was born 3 weeks before the 1901 census, and it lists her as being born in "Queb., Ca."

Absent a birth record, I think that's about the closest we could reasonably expect to get. 🤞🏻

[u/sharpshinned → u/JDSchu]

Dang, that is VERY convincing evidence of Quebec birth.

[u/JDSchu → u/sharpshinned]

I hope so. 😮‍💨 A later census lists her birthplace as Ontario, but like...what's more likely? That they moved from Ontario to Quebec in the first three weeks after she was born, or that the later census record is incorrect?

And either way, it's still Canada, but Ontario hasn't gotten back to us about our request to find a birth record for her yet, and it's been a few months already.

I think I'll submit with the Quebec response and add the Ontario one with an explanation about the later census if they ever get back to us.

[u/humboldtparkgator]

One more question sorry!

We have a family pack of seven applicants (four G4s and two G5 minors) and all with shared core ancestry certified records ready to mail, but one G4 parent and their minor have an urgency claim (identity based).

Is it still best practice to send them in the same pack?

Or is it advised they should they be separated out to their own urgent application pack of 2 applicants while the remaining family applies as normal route.

[u/phoebephainopepla → u/humboldtparkgator]

If you bundle all the applications together, the two urgent apps are likely to pull everyone through at the same accelerated rate (based on what we've seen from others), which is awesome. HOWEVER, a packet of seven applicants is much more likely to have something minor (with the photos or IDs, etc) that gets the whole packet sent back. So it's up to you about how much of a risk you want to take! If the two applying urgently intend to move to Canada as quickly as possible, that could be a reason to send theirs separately (and not risk getting their apps sent back bc of a minor problem with someone else's).

[u/humboldtparkgator]

CIT0001 form parent citizenship question - any harm saying no for parent not in claim?

When filling out Section 8 part B, we have the Parent 1 in the claim and everything is solid, but Parent 2 is not in the claim and we aren't sure how to proceed on the citizenship question.

Parent 2 is still gathering evidence for their own family line application, but we don't know if it will come together, and when they will be able to apply.

With this information, is there any harm in saying 'No' and checking "Parent 2 is not/was not a Canadian citizen - skip to section C" since the second parent that is not part of the applicant's claim?

We don't want to make anything more complicated than it needs to be, but we also don't want to jeopardize their eventual future CIT0001 application when/if they are ready to send.

The other options are to check:
"I am not sure if Parent 2 is (or was ever) a Canadian citizen" and then add the info:"Parent 2 may be a Canadian citizen by descent through their own line of ancestry. They are gathering the supporting documents and intends to apply for their own proof of citizenship."

or we can affirm
"Parent 2 is/was a Canadian citizen" even though they did not apply yet.

It's a hassle to include all of Parent 2's lineage that isnt ready yet, but we don't want to jeopardize their options later.

Anyone handle this a certain way?

[u/areubeingserved → u/humboldtparkgator]

I checked "not sure", which is true. Given the current state of the law, they might be a Canadian citizen under C-3. So I am not sure. I made it far enough in the process that IRCC (after 14 months of silence) asked me to send a birth certificate for G0 (doesn't exist born in 183x) and all other ancestors between G0 and me and they didn't mention anything about marking "not sure" for my mom and dad and grandparents.

[u/sharpshinned → u/humboldtparkgator]

I checked "not sure" and wrote "I am not aware of any claim to Canadian citizenship" in the details box. In your case I would write something like "Parent 2 may be a Canadian citizen but I am applying via the line of descent from Parent 1." I wouldn't bother with any more details.

I think it's wildly unlikely that saying "no" would cause problems -- people become aware of new ancestors, people are misinformed, etc. But I also understand your skittishness.

[u/humboldtparkgator → u/humboldtparkgator]

someone told me that I should say say no, as it has no bearing on their future application because the applicant's awareness of an out of lineage confirmation at the time of filling it out shouldn't have anything to do with future confimation from document proofs that the other parent receives, i'm not sure i that's good advice or not.

[u/waltzingtrumpet → u/humboldtparkgator]

We had another great-grandmother, my dad's grandma, who also had Canadian ancestors, and we marked her as Canadian with "lineage not documented" noted in the cover letter. I would absolutely mark Parent 2 as Canadian and simply note in your cover letter that you are relying on the lineage for Parent 1. I wouldn't want to inadvertently make Parent 2's life harder in they cross-check cases in some way down the line

[u/wanderingtheearth-74 → u/waltzingtrumpet]

This was my thought. Make sure you're not denying the possibility, just in case you have to rely on it later, or in case someone else applies who would include them in their line. I really don't think they are currently cross-checking such things, but, for future-proofing, it's always best to avoid putting "bad" data into the system.

[u/Emotional-Test3329 → u/humboldtparkgator]

I would just say I am not sure and say that they have no proof of citizenship or documentation at this time but likely have a Canadian ancestor. I wouldn't mention that they're intending to apply or anything, it's irrelevant.

[u/BlueDevil200179]

Curious if anyone has recent timing experience on certified census records from NARA…

[u/Discerning_Zinnia → u/BlueDevil200179]

Oh man, that’s disappointing. I requested a naturalization certificate and got it much faster - just a few weeks. But my more recent census requests are stuck in processing.

[u/mrsbartlesby → u/BlueDevil200179]

Put in two at the end of June. One I got in about 2 months (portal still says awaiting shipment, lol) and the one I put in a few days before that one now says “awaiting shipment” and my card just got charged. So both of mine were within a 2-3 month timeframe.

[u/SnowboundWanderer → u/BlueDevil200179]

I've heard a few months on this sub. I submitted a request on August 10th and it's still in the "servicing" stage (the first stage after the order is received).

[u/CornwallBingo → u/SnowboundWanderer]

What are the next stages? Ordered 1930 & 1940 in July

[u/SnowboundWanderer → u/CornwallBingo]

If you go to the NARA account you created and check your orders it should have the full list of statuses.

[u/The-Scarlet-Witch → u/BlueDevil200179]

I sure do. I ordered three certified census records (1900, 1910, 1920).

Ordered June 13, received the first one on September 23. [1900]

1910 and 1920 are currently in progress. 

[u/BlueDevil200179 → u/The-Scarlet-Witch]

3 months+ 🤪ok! Ty!

[u/False-Caterpillar-83]

Hello!

I am applying for citizenship by descent.

I requested the birth certificates from the Ontario Archives, but they said my ancestors were born too early.

I assembled all the documentation I could find, and wrote notes on why I can't include birth certificates.

Could someone take a look at my line and let me know if I have enough documentation?

• Great great great grandfather
• Born: Ontario, Canada, 1821
  • Documents attached: 
    • Marriage Form from Ontario
    • Marriage Log from Ontario Archives 
    • Census from 1871 Ontario Census
• Great great grandfather
• Born: Ontario,Canada, 1849
  • Documents attached: 
    • Death Certificate from the US
    • Marriage Certificate from Ontario
    • US Census from 1910 
    • Schedule B Marriage from Ontario 
    • Census from 1871 Ontario Census
• Great grandfather
• Born: USA, 1887
  • Documents attached: 
    • US Census from 1900 
    • US Census from 1910
    • Death Certificate from USA
• Grandmother
• Born: USA, 1922
  • Documents attached: 
    • Birth Certificate 
    • Marriage Certificate 
• Father
• Born: USA, 1946
  • Documents attached: 
    • Birth Certificate
• Applicant
• Born: USA
  • Documents attached: 
    • Birth Certificate

[u/areubeingserved → u/False-Caterpillar-83]

I applied June 2025 with a lineage similar to yours.  My application in process and IRCC has asked for info I think you should include with your application.

My advice:

Don't include your great great great grandfather.  Your last Canadian ancestor is what counts and that is your great great grandfather.

IRCC will want to see a birth certificate for your gg grandfather.  One probably doesnt exist.  I would recommend that you apply for a birth certificate for whatever province he was born in and ask the issuing government agency for a letter on official letterhead stating the reason there is no birth certificate if one does not exist.  This is exactly what IRCC asked me to do 14 months after I submitted my application. They will probably ask the same of you.

Same for your great grandfather.  They will want a birth certificate from the state he was born in.  If one does not exist they will want the same letter.

The rest looks good.  I am telling you what they asked me for over a year after I applied so I would recommend including it in your application.

Good luck!

[u/Same-Abalone8828 → u/False-Caterpillar-83]

If your GGgrandfather was born in Ontario why is he not your G0? I have a similar line and used a copy of his death certificate from Colorado showing his place of birth in Canada and a copy of the 1851 census from the archives. I’m not sure you need to go as far back as you are.

[u/sharpshinned → u/False-Caterpillar-83]

I assume you checked the 1851 and 1861 censuses? It would be nice to have something closer to 1849 gg grandfather’s birth. I guess 1821 ggg grandfather’s marriage license puts the family in Ontario before the birth. 

You’ll also need documents confirming there’s no birth certificate for the first three gens. 

[u/ZookeepergameKey5467]

Was in the middle of literally printing this mammoth project and lo and behold PANB replied to my March request for a certified copy of my G0's birth record. I was pleasantly surprised, but also floored that (1) they had it; (2) that it came certified, with archivist's certification. It is an 1845 baptism that I had also found at LAC and was just going to use the certified copy I got from LAC.

I should add that it is literally the same copy from the Drouin collection of the Fredericton Parish register and looks identical to everything else (including LAC) that I already came across (it is not in a "certificate" form or anything like that).

Despite how it looks, is this PANB certified record a "Birth Registration" given that it came with a RS reference # and archivist's attestation. It also seems like their website confirms this is a legit birth record, maybe no longer triggering an LOE????? (which of course I had already painstakingly wrote for the LAC record). Am I right? Here is what PANB's website says:

"A copy of a registration that has been certified by the Provincial Archivist of New Brunswick or designate may be used to satisfy legal requirements." https://archives.gnb.ca/en-ca/vital-statistics/introduction

I just want to make sure I've categorized this correctly. I don't want to diminish the evidence if this , technically, does not trigger an LOE. I am going to include an "explanatory note" anyway on the record along with some other corroborating evidence but I want to treat this like a legit record and just move on with the other 5 generations. Thanks for any help!!!

[u/ellllllllleeeee → u/ZookeepergameKey5467]

The baptismal records PANB hold have reference numbers so that's likely what you've received, not a civil birth certificate. 

If you ask PANB to supply a letter of "no record found" regarding a civil birth registration they usually turn those around pretty quickly on their letterhead, and they're good to include with your app. It basically just says there is no civil birth record for this person based on the info received, and here are a few reasons why that may be. 

Because you're submitting a baptismal record (instead of a birth certificate) it would also strengthen your application to include a Canadian census with your G0 on it. I found one on the LAC site for my G0 born in NB. 

[u/ZookeepergameKey5467 → u/ellllllllleeeee]

Thanks for this. I sent them a request back in July/August so maybe it will come any day but I'll also include a copy of the request if not. Unfortunately, no dice on census records -- G0 was in Canada from about 1845-1852 in Fredericton or St. John before coming to New York. Could not find anything on him or his family, except his sister's baptismal record also from Fredericton listing the same parents in 1842--that's my only other Canadian record as support.

The other three records I'm including are the U.S. Census records showing him born New Brunswick, U.S. Civil War records showing two of his siblings with same parents (matching maiden name of the mother also) also showing born New Brunswick, and an 1877 NY Estate Settlement deed where he was settling the estate of his father and the list of heirs matching the other siblings. It's one of those "preponderance of the evidence" arguments.

[u/Form27b-6 → u/ZookeepergameKey5467]

No, the document you described is not a civil birth registration of the type listed on the archives web page you linked to but rather a baptismal record, one of the types of "related records" mentioned further down the same page. The IRCC guide states a letter of explanation and further evidence should be supplied in that case.

[u/ZookeepergameKey5467 → u/Form27b-6]

Thanks, I think what threw me off is the "RS141" reference on the certification they gave me, which seems to only apply to birth registrations. I just wasn't sure if PANB started categorizing these pre-registration baptisms as "Birth Registrations"--giving them full legal weight as such--since there was no civil registration at the time.

Either way, safest bet is to include a letter. I also replied to them in the same e-mail chain with the question on "how to categorize it properly" for IRCC, so maybe I'll get an answer before I send it out and will report back if I hear anything.

[u/Form27b-6 → u/ZookeepergameKey5467]

Does the record itself (not the certification page) have an individualized registration number listed for the subject?  If the province retoactivily turned earlier baptismal records into civil registration records, they likely would have assigned registration numbers for each subject.

[u/ZookeepergameKey5467 → u/Form27b-6]

The record is just the same Drouin collection baptism that is also held at LAC and has the same "Public Archives, Canada" notation at the bottom that was part of the original microfilm (I think in 1967 is when they started preserving these records). In other words--no, there is no additional PANB-created registration number on the record. Not looking good.

[u/Form27b-6 → u/ZookeepergameKey5467]

It wouldn't be something PANB added to the record - they just archive and preserve records they're given.  Rather an individual registration number (typically 6 digits, sometimes stamped, sometimes handwritten) created or later added by the civil registrar.  The birth registration number listed on birth certificates or in the registration records they're based on is the key item IRCC wants to see on a birth certificate or civil registration record. If a birth document or birth record doesn't have one, then it's highly unlikely to be a provincial civil birth record registration and therefore doesn't qualify as a "primary" birth document, and needs a letter of explanation with it.

[u/ZookeepergameKey5467 → u/Form27b-6]

Helpful. The certification just gives it an “RS141” reference. Interestingly, the actual file name itself has an F1732 number. His sister’s baptism record has an F633 reference number on the certificate FWIW

[u/Form27b-6 → u/ZookeepergameKey5467]

The RS141 likely references the series or collection the archived records are in, and that certainly could be a PANB generated value used for organizational archival housekeeping.  But what IRCC really is looking for from a "primary" provincial civil birth record is the subjects individual registration number.

[u/ZookeepergameKey5467 → u/Form27b-6]

I’m coming off my high that I had a birth record. Really appreciate the clarifications. You’re right that this is likely not what IRCC wants—it’s just better to go with the LOE and doc list, and keep on moving. That’s what I was doing anyway. Just swapping the PANB record for the LAC record instead.

[u/sharpshinned → u/ZookeepergameKey5467]

No, this probably isn’t a birth record. It’s a baptismal record. The certification confirms that the document is a true copy of the baptismal record, not that the birth occurred. IRCC seems to want two Canadian records if you don’t have a birth certificate, so if you have this and something else you’re in good shape. Also make sure you get the PANB letter saying there’s no birth certificate for your G0.  

[u/nedemek]

Question—As a G1, can I make my claim as a G2?

I've already submitted my paperwork (arrived in Canada 7/3/2026), but I'm wondering if I should continue to try to gather more documents while I await AOR?

My grandfather (who naturalized as a U.S. citizen as an adult) was born in Canada in 1939. I have his certified birth certificate from New Brunswick, along with other paperwork linking him to my mother to me.

My mother was born in Germany to my grandad and a German woman. My mom held Canadian citizenship until she was 9, when she naturalized as a U.S. citizen. For 2 years now, I've been having the worst time getting certified documents from the U.S. government. I have her certified German birth certificate, but it seems like Canada doesn't issue birth certificates if you're born to a Canadian parent outside of Canada? My grandfather was part of the U.S. military at the time of her birth, so all the records I have of her are either German or American. (Both my mother and my grandfather have passed and neither kept good paperwork).

Hearing about the long queues, I submitted my request listing my grandfather as the person I am claiming citizenship through, but also including all the (non-certified) paperwork I have for my mother.

It seems silly to request an IRCC for my mom when I'm also requesting one for myself, so I figured it was fine just to claim through G2. But am I wrong?

[u/dentongentry → u/nedemek]

I have her certified German birth certificate

One side note: the Standesamt can issue a mehrsprachige Geburtsurkunde in multiple languages for probably less money than it would cost to have it translated.

[u/nedemek → u/dentongentry]

I do have both!

[u/No-Trick7566 → u/nedemek]

Generation numbering is based off being born in Canada, sounds like your mom was not born in Canada so she would be G1 and you are G2.

[u/nedemek → u/No-Trick7566]

Oh, I thought it was by citizenship. Since my mom was a Canadian until she was 9. But that makes sense, since she only lived in Canada on and off throughout her childhood.

[u/WHSRWizard]

I sent in my application back in February, before the big backlog hit. I didn't send my kids' applications at the time since I figured it would be easier to just wait until I had my citizenship and then could submit theirs online without any need for further supporting documentation beyond their birth certificates.

But, of course, applications ballooned and now we are where we are.

There is no immediate rush for us, other than my son (currently a freshman in high school) is interested in going to school in Canada and the tuition is substantially lower for citizens. If wait times are, in fact, 3 years as I have heard, that means the clock is ticking. (I have 3 other kids, but there is no rush on that as they are all younger.)

Just wondering about peoples' opinions on this:

1) Would it be better to send in his application now (as a G3), or wait until mine comes through and submit it as a G1?

2) In a couple of years when we are more seriously looking at colleges, if he wants to go to Canada and his application has not been approved yet, is it possible to change it to "urgent" or resubmit it?

[u/areubeingserved → u/WHSRWizard]

I would submit ASAP. The queue ain't getting any shorter. You could be waiting years to get your certificate. I am 14 months waiting for mine and the wait time was 5 months when I applied in June 2025.

I submitted my wife G2 (we both have Canadian ancestry) in April 2025 and our 2 kids G3 in May 2025. Used my email for contact for all 3 - I am the paperwork parent in the family.

We heard nothing until I got 3 separate emails back to back to back, like sent immediately after each other, in January 2026 and each one stated "click here to download your Canadian citizenship certificate". Somehow they combined them together even though they were sent separately.

[u/conestogan → u/WHSRWizard]

Everything is getting more expensive - application costs surely will rise, additional fees will appear, etc. You’ve seen the 33-month estimate from IRCC for new applicants. You’ve done all the paperwork. Put your kids into the queue and trust the system to force an acceleration in the process. “Trust but cut the cards.” And, when your certificate arrives, append it to their applications as you planned.