Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) received approximately 6,726 proof of citizenship applications seeking urgent processing in the initial eight months following the implementation of Bill C-3.

According to internal IRCC data obtained through an Access to Information request, the data spans from December 15, 2025, to August 14, 2026, with some of the data being previously unreleased. IRCC has not disclosed figures beyond June 30, 2026.

A proof of citizenship application involves requesting a Canadian citizenship certificate from IRCC. This category accounts for the majority of the demand resulting from the expanded citizenship by descent regulations. It also encompasses scenarios where a Canadian citizen who was previously issued a citizenship certificate requires a replacement.

Bill C-3, which came into effect on December 15, 2025, amended the Citizenship Act by eliminating the first-generation restriction, which prevented Canadians born abroad from passing on citizenship to their foreign-born children.

Urgent processing is the expedited route for applicants in need of their certificate sooner than the standard processing time. Currently, a new proof of citizenship application takes 34 months to process, with approximately 130,700 individuals awaiting a decision. Urgent processing can significantly reduce this timeframe to a matter of weeks.

5 Key Insights from the Latest Data

1. Nearly all urgent applications processed during this period were approved

Out of the 5,845 files that underwent urgent processing between December 15, 2025, and August 14, 2026, 5,804 were approved, representing a 99.3% approval rate. Only 17 files were declined during the eight-month period, with no more than five rejections in any single month. Additionally, 23 applicants withdrew their applications, while one was abandoned.

2. IRCC handled an average of 730 urgent proof of citizenship applications per month

Over the eight-month period, IRCC processed a total of 5,845 urgent applications, translating to an average of approximately 730 applications per month. The processing volume peaked in February and March before gradually decreasing in the subsequent months.

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