- IRCC's published processing time for proof of Canadian citizenship is about 34 months, with roughly 130,700 people waiting for a decision (IRCC figures, last updated November 2, 2026).
- Since around June 18, 2026, we have seen no approvals on the citizenship by descent applications we follow.
- Booked air travel on its own has not led to urgent processing on any of our requests, even though IRCC confirmed in writing in August 2026 that travel can qualify.
- The best protection against delay is a complete file: every generation documented, and certified copies for the Canadian ancestor's birth record and the applicant's own birth certificate.
How long does proof of Canadian citizenship take right now?
This page tracks IRCC's official estimate each month, notes what changed since the month before, and adds what we see in our own files.
Current Processing Time & What It Means
As of November 2, 2026, IRCC's processing times tool estimates about 34 months for a citizenship certificate, the document that proves Canadian citizenship by descent. It also lists that about 130,700 people are waiting for a decision.
Please note: that is simply an estimate, not a promise. The estimate can also change every month, and IRCC has no legal obligation to make a decision within that timeframe. As a result, do not plan a move, a job, or a school start around these estimates.
Your timeline also starts earlier. When we help clients claim Canadian citizenship by descent, research and drafting take about three months on average before filing (98 days across our recent files, and closer to 80 days when the birth records are easy to find).
How the Wait Has Changed
Since December 2025, IRCC's estimate has nearly quadrupled, and the queue has more than tripled.
Source: IRCC processing times tool, as posted each month.
Why It Is Taking So Long
The long wait comes down to two things: how many people have applied since Bill C-3, and the problems that hold up individual files.
Demand After Bill C-3
Bill C-3 took effect on December 15, 2025, removing the first-generation limit on citizenship by descent for some people born abroad before that date, and the queue grew every month from December 2025 to September 2026.
For more details, see our article on Bill C-3 for Americans.
The June 2026 Review
According to national media reporting of IRCC's statements and the Minister's on-the-record remarks, IRCC reviewed citizenship by descent files in June 2026 without a formal announcement. The review is over, and processing has resumed.
Separately, IRCC set aside some multi-generational cases internally in December 2025, as our access to information request showed.
What Slows an Individual File
In our files, it is most often proof of the Canadian ancestor's birth:
- For older Quebec births, officers increasingly ask for a certified copy from BAnQ (Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec), then a new birth certificate from Quebec's Directeur de l'état civil. We received about ten of these letters in September 2026 alone, and each step can take several months.
- Some officers have treated FamilySearch or Ancestry register images as "third-party documents," even when the image comes from the archive itself.
- IRCC is also asking for records that never existed, such as an Ontario birth certificate for a birth before 1869, when Ontario began registering births, or US records from before a state registered births. We answer with proof from the archive that no record exists, but each request adds time.
Gaps in the chain also add time, such as a name change with no marriage record or a missing birth record. So do children who only have a passport: in recent files, immunization records have been accepted as a second ID, but private health insurance cards and school letters have not.
Then come the avoidable errors: using US 2 x 2-inch photos instead of the required 50 x 70 mm citizenship photos, unsigned pages and old form versions. Slow replies to IRCC's document requests add time.
The costliest of these is a returned application. If something is missing, such as a signature page, IRCC returns the whole package and the file loses its place in line. Signatures must be original wet ink (never a copy), photos must be recent, and flatbed scans of supporting documents are safer than phone photos.
Stages of a File
Every application for proof of citizenship moves through the same basic stages, though not every file needs all of them.
- Preparation: records gathered, forms completed.
- Submission: the application is mailed to IRCC.
- Acknowledgement of receipt: IRCC confirms receipt and gives an application number.
- Review: an officer checks eligibility and your documents.
- Request for documents, if needed: usually with a 60-day deadline.
- Decision: if approved, IRCC issues your certificate.
- Passport: a separate application after the certificate; see IRCC's Canadian passport pages.
What We Are Seeing in Real Files
As of early November 2026, here is what we are seeing in our files:
- Acknowledgement of receipt: Acknowledgements have picked up a lot since October. Several files mailed in late October had theirs within days of mailing. A few files mailed in May and June are still waiting, and in some family packages, one person's acknowledgement is lagging five to seven weeks behind the rest of the family.
- Decisions: As of November 2, 2026, we have not had a new decision since mid-September across the roughly 70 applicants we track on IRCC's status tool. Every approval since mid-June has been on an urgent request, including a family of seven approved at the end of July, about six weeks after mailing. We have not yet seen a decision on an ordinary file since the slowdown.
- Urgent processing: It is getting harder to obtain. We have not had a new urgent approval since mid-September.
Can You Speed It Up?
There is no way to make IRCC work faster on an ordinary file, but two things can affect your wait: an urgent processing request when you have a qualifying reason, and a complete file that avoids preventable delays.
Urgent Processing
IRCC sets out the qualifying reasons on its urgent processing help page. Our article on urgent processing for booked travel to Canada covers travel, but as of early November 2026, no travel-only request has been granted in our files. When booked travel is the only ground, we keep the request short and attach the tickets.
Urgent processing is never guaranteed, and we only request it when there is a real, documented ground. The approvals we have seen came from a documented need, such as personal safety or a real move to Canada for work or school. Living in Canada on a work or study permit while the application is pending is one of the stronger grounds we see, and age (a very elderly applicant, for example) can also be a factor. Property purchases carry less weight than earlier in 2026, unless the purchase is well advanced.
As of early November 2026, we have had more than 10 applicants approved on urgent requests, including a family of three.
Avoiding Preventable Delays
Use the current forms (see the August 2026 CIT 0001 and CIT 0014 updates), sign every page in original ink, use recent citizenship photos, send strong records and answer IRCC's requests quickly.
See the real cost of Canadian citizenship by descent for the costliest mistakes.
If the Wait Becomes Unreasonable
A mandamus application asks the Federal Court to order IRCC to decide a delayed file. It is a last step, not a shortcut.
The court asks whether the delay is longer than the process reasonably requires, whether the applicant caused any of it, and whether IRCC has a satisfactory explanation. A long wait alone is not always enough.
Before applying for a mandamus, start by following up through IRCC's web form, getting your file notes through an access to information request, and sending a demand letter.
Only after the steps above is Federal Court worth considering, assessed file by file. For more details, see our page on mandamus for immigration delays.
Related Timelines
Once you are a citizen, other IRCC applications come with their own waits.
- Spousal sponsorship, outside Quebec: about 18 months with your spouse living outside Canada and about 26 months inside Canada, as of November 2, 2026. For more information, see our guide on how to sponsor your spouse and move to Canada as an American.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does proof of Canadian citizenship take?
About 34 months, per IRCC's estimate as of November 2, 2026. It changes monthly, and individual files vary.
Why did processing times jump in 2026?
After Bill C-3 took effect on December 15, 2025, the queue grew every month through September 2026, and based on our files, approvals slowed after IRCC's June 2026 review.
Can I travel to Canada while I wait?
Yes. A pending application does not restrict travel; our American clients keep visiting on their US passport under the usual entry rules. It is not a permit, though: do not plan a move, job start or school start around the estimate. If you have a confirmed job or school place in Canada, tell us, because in our experience, that is one of the stronger grounds for urgent processing.
Does applying with a lawyer make IRCC faster?
No. However, a lawyer can reduce delays caused by errors, missing records and weak documents. Also, urgent processing is available when there is a real, documented ground.
How do I check my application status?
Online, through IRCC's application status page, using your unique client identifier (UCI) or application number. Keep your contact details current with IRCC and watch for its letters.
Waiting Is Long Enough
Do not add avoidable delays. A consultation shows which records your chain needs and what could stall your file.
Book a consultation with our team today.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Processing times and figures are as of the dates shown and change monthly.
Disclaimer: This blog is general information only, not legal advice, and may be incomplete or out of date. Laws change often. For advice on your situation, consult a qualified lawyer.
About our team
Five lawyers, a genealogist and a research team, all working on the same files.
Our lawyers have clerked at the Federal Court, decided claims at the Immigration and Refugee Board, served in Canada's foreign service and worked in the immigration groups of leading national firms. Kendra Gaede, our genealogist, chairs the Manitoba Genealogical Society's Research Committee and knows records from Quebec and Acadia to the Prairies. She leads the researchers who trace your family line and find the records that prove it.
2012 to 2016
Cédric Marin, our founder, studies civil law and common law at the University of Ottawa.
2017 to 2022
He clerks at the Federal Court of Canada, decides refugee claims and appeals at the Immigration and Refugee Board, and earns a Master of Laws.
2023
He opens Marin Immigration Law in Ottawa.
2025
Bill C-3 comes into force, and many more families with Canadian roots can claim citizenship.
2026
Four associate lawyers, a genealogist and a research team join, and we move into our office at 280 Albert Street.
Today
About 15 people, in Ottawa and across Canada.
