Canada’s processing time for proof of citizenship jumps to 19 months as the queue nears 100,000

As of July 7, the number of people waiting for a decision on their proof of Canadian citizenship application has grown to 99,500.

This is an increase of roughly 17,500 applicants in the span of a month.

Get a Free Consultation on Applying for Proof of Canadian Citizenship

Canada's tool tracking processing times for proof of citizenship certificates was updated on July 7, showing the wait jump to 19 months, up from June's 15-month estimate.

The queue has grown exponentially since Canada expanded eligibility for citizenship by descent in December 2025. As recently as May, it stood at 70,400 applications with a 12-month wait. By June, it had climbed to 82,000 and 15 months.

A certificate review may be adding to the delay

There's likely a second factor behind this month's increase in processing time: in June, proof of Canadian citizenship certificates came under review, which may have slowed processing further.

Last month, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) paused finalizing new citizenship-by-descent applications, while it reviewed roughly 6,500 certificates already issued under Bill C-3 to check whether their supporting documentation held up. IRCC has said it completed that review on June 30.

Of the certificates reviewed, 100 were flagged for potentially insufficient documentation. Thirty-three were reinstated once IRCC confirmed the underlying evidence supported the claim. The remaining 67, representing roughly one percent of certificates issued under the new law, are still being resolved, with those applicants expected to be reinstated or contacted within days.

IRCC has said finalizing paused applications should resume shortly. But the review sat on top of an already-rising caseload for weeks, and that overlap likely helped push July's wait time higher.

An application filed today joins the back of a line that's nearly 100,000 people long, with a decision realistically landing around February 2028.

Since Bill C-3 took effect, the number of people awaiting a decision on their application, and the processing times have both increased.

Someone who delays applying now is likely stepping into a longer wait later, not a shorter one, since IRCC bases its estimate on how many applications happen to be ahead of theirs at the time.

It is worth noting that in June, IRCC updated its guidance for proof of citizenship supporting documentation. Among other things, the department has specified that documents proving a line of descent must come from the original source authority.

Those who are in the process of applying should factor this updated guidance when compiling their application package.

IRCC uses a forward-looking method to calculate the processing times for proof of Canadian citizenship certificates. That means it’s based on how many applications are already waiting, how many staff are available to work through them, and how many new applications the department expects in the months ahead.

That figure changes every month and shift with sudden surges in application volumes, which is part of why the number has kept climbing over the course of the year.

Why are thousands of Americans applying for proof of citizenship now?

On December 15, 2025, Canada removed the first-generation limit on citizenship by descent for those born before that date, opening eligibility to anyone who can trace an unbroken line back to a Canadian ancestor, no matter how many generations have passed.

That change affects millions of Americans, particularly in parts of New England, where hundreds of thousands of French Canadians settled between 1840 and 1930.

Those born before December 15, 2025 who can trace their ancestry back to a Canadian grandparent, great-grandparent or other ancestor may already be a Canadian citizen, regardless of where they were born or whether their parents or grandparents ever lived in Canada.

Being a citizen and holding proof of it are two different things. A proof of citizenship certificate is the document that confirms citizenship already held, and it's what's needed to apply for a Canadian passport.

Those who think they may qualify can start checking their eligibility through CanadaVisa's eligibility calculator.