A brand-new application for evidence of Canadian citizenship now takes 34 months to procedure.
Migration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) upgraded its processing times tool on October 9, including one month to September’s figure of 33 months.
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That single month is the tiniest boost considering that the wait started climbing up in May of 2026.
IRCC likewise reported less individuals in line month-to-month, for the very first time considering that Canada broadened its Citizenship Act in December 2025. The department now counts 130,700 candidates waiting for a choice, down 5,300 from September’s 136,000.
Both readings break the pattern of the previous 5 months.
How does this boost in wait times compare to previous months?
Every boost from May through September landed bigger than the one before it. September included 8 months on top of August’s 25. October included one.
In portion terms, October’s increase concerns 3.0%, versus 32.0% a month previously.
The priced estimate wait has actually fallen as soon as previously. IRCC cut it from 11 months to 10 in March 2026, before the summertime climb started, with wait times tripling ever since.
More applications cleared than brand-new candidates included, for the very first time considering that the law altered
IRCC counted 130,700 individuals waiting on a choice in October, below 136,000 in September.
Every earlier reading of the citizenship department’s application line (given that the intro of Bill C-3 into official Canadian law) saw the line of candidates continue to grow at a fast clip. August brought the biggest single dive at 22,300 files. September included 14,200.
A smaller sized line implies IRCC settled more applications over the duration than it got. The department hasn’t stated what drove the modification.
Notably, one reading does not develop a pattern. The line would require to fall once again in November to reveal the application line really altering course.
Can I get my application processed much faster?
IRCC can process some certificate applications ahead of the line. The department calls this immediate processing, and it examines each demand by itself truths.
IRCC lists 8 situations where it might speed up an application for evidence of citizenship. You can utilize our complimentary tool listed below to examine whether you might suit any of the authorized circumstances.
Respond to 4 concerns to compare your circumstance with the requirements IRCC releases.
An ask for immediate processing requires a letter discussing why you require the certificate earlier, together with files supporting that description. IRCC names an airplane ticket or travel plan with evidence of payment, a letter from a company, a letter from a school, a medical professional’s note, and a death certificate amongst the files it accepts.
IRCC states that satisfying the requirements brings no warranty. The department will not process an insufficient application, and a demand falling outside the requirements leaves your file at the typical speed.
A tidy, total, well-documented application that records efforts made to discover any missing out on files, and discusses any spaces in a descent line (if relevant) is generally still processed faster than one that does not. Missing out on records and name inequalities throughout generations send out applications back for more paperwork, and each big salami contributes to the wait.
American historic records and files can bring a few of that evidentiary weight when Canadian ones are difficult to discover.
Why did the line grow this big?
On December 15, 2025, Canada got rid of the first-generation limitation on citizenship by descent for anybody born before that date.
The guideline modification implies an individual with an unbroken line to a Canadian forefather is a Canadian resident today. They can make an application for evidence of that citizenship no matter the number of generations sit in between them and the forefather.
That opened a door for countless Americans with Canadian origins, and applications have actually gotten here in growing numbers each month given that.
What figures out the processing time?
IRCC constructs its quote from the variety of files sitting ahead of a brand-new application, in addition to staffing and the volume it anticipates to get.
An evaluation of already-issued certificates cost the department part of its output previously this year. IRCC stopped briefly settling citizenship by descent applications for about a month while it examined the paperwork behind certificates it had actually currently authorized. The department closed that evaluation on June 30 and resumed processing.
Should I wait to use?
Waiting hardly ever assists anybody who gets approved for citizenship by descent.
IRCC counts the files ahead of an application on the day it shows up. Somebody who uses in January actions in behind everybody who used through the fall, and the line has actually grown by approximately 90,000 individuals given that the law altered.
Am I a Canadian person?
Anybody born before December 15, 2025 who can trace an unbroken line to a Canadian grandparent, great-grandparent, or a more far-off forefather might hold Canadian citizenship now.
Birth place outside Canada does not matter. Neither does whether that forefather held a Canadian passport, resided in Canada as an adult, or kept enduring ties to the nation.
The Canadian citizenship certificate verifies the status they currently hold and opens the advantages that feature it, consisting of a Canadian passport.
If you aren’t sure whether you certify, you can examine your eligibility with CanadaVisa’s citizenship by descent eligibility checker
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