Turn Your Family History Into Canadian Citizenship

If your parent, grandparent, or any Canadian relative was born in Canada, you may qualify for Canadian citizenship, with all the rights it carries, including eligibility for a Canadian passport. Get clear legal guidance from a licensed immigration lawyer, and proof of your Canadian heritage from a professional genealogist.
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Who We Help Move to Canada

If you are an American with a parent, grandparent, great-grandparent or another ancestor born in Canada, you may already be a Canadian citizen.

We can help you:

Meet with our Team
Man in blue jacket with backpack standing on rocks by turquoise lake with forest and snow-capped mountains in the background.

How it Works

1. Consultation

Book a paid consultation with one of our licensed Canadian immigration lawyers. The lawyer will assess your chances of success, identify risks in your application and how to protect against refusals, review the documents you have to identify any gaps that might weaken your application, and provide clear legal advice on how to proceed.

2. Onboarding & Lineage Confirmation

If you decide to work with us, this is where we do what other lawyers do not. We put our in-house professional genealogist on your file (included in the Proof of Canadian Citizenship flat fee) to locate baptismal records, census documents, and historical records that confirm your Canadian lineage.
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From there, we take full ownership of your file: completing forms, reviewing and gathering documents, mailing your application, and handling all matters (except fraud) until a decision is made.

3. Build Your Case

With confirmed genealogical evidence, we prepare a complete application with legal submission letters explaining why it should be approved. We handle filing fees, registered mail, and all administrative details.

4. Submit & Support

Processing typically takes about 33 months. If approved, you receive a Canadian citizenship certificate and can enjoy the full rights of a Canadian citizen, including the ability to travel on a Canadian passport.

Transparent, Flat-Fee Pricing

Start with a paid consultation with our licensed immigration lawyers, where we review your situation, assess your eligibility, and give you a clear legal strategy.

Our Consultation Process

Initial consult

$300 CAD

Legal consultation with a Canadian Immigration Lawyer

What’s included
30-minute legal consultation
One-on-one with a lawyer
Google Meet
$300 credit for legal services*
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Proof of Canadian Citizenship

$8,999 CAD

This is an all-inclusive flat fee. No hourly billing or hidden costs, so you know exactly what you are paying before you start.

What’s included
Legal assessment, strategy, and file preparation
In-house professional genealogist assigned to your file
All government filing fees
All registered mail and administrative costs
Legal Submission letters and post-filing support
Urgent processing request (if applicable)
50% due at signing, 50% before filing

Additional family members may be added at $3,000 CAD per applicant.

Taxes (if applicable) not included.

*Our credit for legal services applies only to fixed, flat-fee legal services found here. This credit does not apply to limited retainers or services billed on an hourly basis, including file reviews or any other hourly legal services.

Claim the Canadian Citizenship You Inherited

Don’t let missing records or a complex application process stop you from claiming your Canadian citizenship. Book a consultation with one of our lawyers today for honest legal advice on your citizenship by descent and how to proceed.

Why Choose Marin Immigration Law

Work Directly With Your Lawyer
Your file is never delegated to a junior clerk, an external consultant, or an automated system. You work directly with Cédric Marin and an associate lawyer (Chanelle Rosenbaum, Harleen Kaur Chadha or Michaël Delagrée) from the first call to the decision. Before filing, a third lawyer who has not worked on your file reviews the application, and Cédric conducts the final review and signs off.

Professional Genealogist
Our in-house professional genealogist works on every citizenship by descent case to confirm the Canadian lineage, locate original-source documents, and provide documentation that immigration officers can easily verify. This is included in your flat fee, not an add-on.

Proven Track Record
Cédric knows how immigration decisions are made from the inside. He clerked at the Federal Court under Justice Mosley and served as a decision-maker at the Immigration and Refugee Board. That experience, and a team of four lawyers reviewing each other's work, is what maximizes the success of every application we file. We have also been featured for our work in the media.

The Marin Immigration Law Difference

Meet the Team

Cédric Marin, fondateur et avocat en citoyenneté et immigration chez Marin Immigration Law

Cedric Marin

Avocat canadien en citoyenneté et en immigration (JD, LLL, LLM)
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Chanelle Rosenbaum, avocate en citoyenneté et immigration chez Marin Immigration Law

Chanelle Rosenbaum

Avocate canadienne en citoyenneté et en immigration (BA, LLB (Hons), GPLLM)
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Harleen Kaur Chadha, avocate en citoyenneté et immigration chez Marin Immigration Law

Harleen Kaur Chadha

Avocate canadienne en citoyenneté et en immigration (BA, LLB (Hons), LLM)
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Kendra Gaede, généalogiste professionnelle interne chez Marin Immigration Law

Kendra Gaede

Généalogiste (PLCGS, BJ, BFA)
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Michaël Delagrée, avocat bilingue en citoyenneté et immigration chez Marin Immigration Law

Michaël Delagrée

Avocat canadien en citoyenneté et en immigration (JD, LLL)
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What our clients say

Frequently Asked Questions

How far back can my Canadian ancestor be?

Bill C-3 removed the previous first-generation limit, meaning you can now claim citizenship even if your Canadian ancestor is your great-great-great-grandparent. It also addressed maternal discrimination and retention requirements. Our consultation will determine whether your specific lineage qualifies under current law.

What if I don't have documents proving my ancestor was Canadian?

That is exactly why we have a professional genealogist on staff. She will locate baptismal records, census entries, and historical documents to confirm the lineage. Our approach is to take the time needed to build a thorough, well-documented file instead of just submitting what you have on hand.

What happens if my application is refused?

You remain a U.S. citizen. An unsuccessful citizenship application has no negative impact on your immigration status, your ability to visit Canada, or any future applications you might make (barring fraud, etc). If a flat fee application we prepared is returned as incomplete, for example a missing document, we correct and resubmit it at no additional legal cost, on the terms set out in your legal services agreement. The downside is limited.

How long does the whole process take?

Building your application from scratch usually takes 8 to 12 weeks from the day you retain us: obtaining every Canadian and American vital record in your line and preparing the legal submissions. The exact time depends on the complexity of your lineage and how quickly archives and vital statistics offices respond. We prioritize completeness and giving your application the best chance of success, rather than rushing to file. Once submitted, IRCC's published processing time for proof of citizenship is about 33 months, with roughly 136,000 people waiting for a decision (IRCC figures, last updated September 3, 2026). Timelines change month to month, and urgent processing is available in qualifying situations.

Can I buy property in Canada with Canadian citizenship?

Yes. Canadian citizens are not subject to the foreign buyer restrictions that apply to non-citizens. Dual citizenship also provides unrestricted access to live and work in Canada.

Ready to Get Started?

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