Recent developments have impacted Canadian citizenship certificate holders, requiring them to surrender their certificates due to new regulations.

On June 13, 2026, Canadian citizens by descent received letters from the Registrar of Citizenship, citing Citizenship Regulations 26(1) and requesting certificate surrender.

In a reviewed letter, applicants were asked to provide documentation only from original source authorities, a requirement not previously specified by the citizenship department.

Legal experts, like Ala Bujac from Cohen Immigration Law, highlighted the lack of prior mention of this requirement in official guidelines or regulatory frameworks.

Applicants were given the chance to submit additional documents for review, although concerns were raised about the clarity of the government’s actions.

The official document checklist, CIT 0014, outlines the need for birth certificates issued by the original government authority but does not mention obtaining them from original source authorities.

Additionally, a wide range of documents can serve as proof of citizenship, including various forms of evidence related to parentage, court orders, and immigration status.

Despite the standard practice of assessing applications based on established standards, the mandate for certificate surrender is backed by Citizenship Regulations 26(1).