If you come from the Granite State, there is a significant chance that you may now qualify as a dual U.S. – Canadian citizen, making you eligible to obtain a Canadian passport.

You could meet the eligibility criteria even if your family has been rooted in the U.S. for multiple generations, as Canada has eliminated the generational limit for inheriting Canadian citizenship.

The law underwent a significant change on December 15, 2025: individuals born before that date who can trace their lineage back to a Canadian ancestor, regardless of the number of generations removed, are now legally acknowledged as Canadian citizens by descent.

For residents of New Hampshire, this change holds particular significance. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, New Hampshire boasts the highest levels of self-reported Canadian ancestry among all U.S. states, standing at 8.06%.

However, this is just the beginning. Between 1840 and 1930, around 900,000 French Canadians migrated from Quebec to work in New England, with a substantial number settling in New Hampshire. Their influence was so profound that New Hampshire mill workers were recognized for developing their own version of the French language!

By 1910, Manchester alone was home to 23,000 French-Canadians, constituting 38% of the city’s population, as noted by genealogist Kim Kujawski.

A former executive director of the Laconia Historical and Museum Society estimated that the French Canadian population in New Hampshire surged from 1,780 in 1860 to 101,324 in 1930.

As a result of this significant migration, the percentage of Canadian ancestry in New Hampshire today likely exceeds 30%. According to Ed McGuire, former president of the Vermont Genealogy Library, Vermont also boasts an estimated 30% Canadian ancestry, placing the two states on par in terms of self-reported Canadian lineage, based on U.S. Census Bureau data.

Presently, the descendants of these immigrants, now several generations removed from New England’s industrial towns, can all claim Canadian citizenship.