Canadian roots may already make you a citizen.

It means you became a Canadian citizen automatically at birth because of a Canadian parent or, under Bill C-3, a grandparent, great-grandparent or earlier ancestor. You do not apply to become Canadian the way an immigrant would; you apply to confirm a status you may already have.

Before Bill C-3, citizenship by descent generally stopped with the first generation born outside Canada. Bill C-3 removes that first-generation limit retroactively, so citizenship can flow through several generations of descendants of a Canadian citizen. Many people who were told they had no claim may now qualify.

No. There is no residency requirement to hold citizenship by descent; you can keep living in the United States or anywhere else. For children born or adopted abroad on or after December 15, 2025, a parent who is a citizen by descent generally needs to show a substantial connection to Canada (at least 1,095 days of physical presence) before citizenship passes to that child. We assess how this applies to your family in the consultation.

No. Canada explicitly permits dual citizenship. You do not renounce US citizenship to confirm Canadian status.

A grandparent, great-grandparent or even earlier ancestor may establish your claim, depending on the chain of citizenship from that ancestor down to you. Mapping that chain is the first thing we do in the consultation.

No. Nanua & Ioffe is a private, licensed Ontario law firm and is not affiliated with the Government of Canada or IRCC. You are free to apply to IRCC directly on your own; our fees are for legal advice and representation, separate from any government fees.

The consultation is a 25-minute session by phone or Microsoft Teams for $99 USD, paid when you book. If you go ahead with our services, the fee is credited toward your retainer. Rescheduling or cancelling needs at least 24 hours' notice.

Everything a clean, IRCC-compliant application needs: confirming eligibility, mapping the family tree, sourcing and certifying birth, marriage, naturalization and death records, arranging translations, completing current IRCC forms, filing, and answering any IRCC requests during processing. Some clients prefer to file themselves after the consultation, and that is fine too.

IRCC processing times vary with caseload and have increased in recent years. A complete package, with every document correctly certified and translated, is the most reliable way to stay out of the "returned for incompleteness" queue, which is where most delays start.

Confirming your own status is generally the first step toward the same option for your children and grandchildren; the outcome depends on the facts of your case. A spouse or partner cannot be added to your application unless they have Canadian ancestry of their own, but once you are a citizen you may be able to sponsor them for permanent residence.

Canadian income tax is generally based on residency, not citizenship. Confirming citizenship while you keep living in the United States does not by itself make you a Canadian tax resident. For cross-border tax questions we can refer you to a specialist.