Citizenship Certificate Backlog Reaches 82,000 as Bill C-3 Applications Continue to Surge

Canada’s citizenship certificate processing system is facing mounting pressure as applications tied to citizenship by descent continue to flood into Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) following the implementation of Bill C-3 late last year.

As of June 2026, applicants seeking proof of Canadian citizenship are facing processing times of approximately 15 months, with the department’s citizenship certificate inventory now standing at roughly 82,000 applications.

The backlog has grown rapidly in recent weeks. Between May 12 and June 11 alone, IRCC received approximately 11,600 new applications, adding further strain to a system that has seen demand surge since the expansion of citizenship-by-descent eligibility.

The increase follows the implementation of Bill C-3 on December 15, 2025. The legislation eliminated Canada’s first-generation limit on citizenship by descent, significantly expanding eligibility for individuals born abroad. Under the new rules, people born before the legislation came into force may qualify for Canadian citizenship if they can establish an uninterrupted line of descent from a Canadian-born ancestor, regardless of how many generations separate them from that ancestor.

The change opened the door to potentially large numbers of applicants living outside Canada, particularly in the United States and other countries with sizable populations tracing family roots to Canada.

IRCC’s latest processing-time update paints a mixed picture across the immigration system. While citizenship certificate applications have seen processing times increase dramatically, several other programs have moved in the opposite direction.

The Atlantic Immigration Program recorded a substantial reduction in processing times, falling by approximately 12 months compared with previous estimates. Inland work permit applications also improved, dropping to 186 days, while super visa processing times reached some of their fastest levels of the year across a range of source countries.

The citizenship certificate stream, however, remains a notable exception.

Current processing times have increased fivefold since December, when citizenship certificates were being processed in roughly three months. The inventory itself has more than doubled during the same period as new applications continue to arrive faster than they can be finalized.

The citizenship certificate backlog is distinct from the separate queue for citizenship grants. While the grant inventory also grew during the latest reporting period, increasing by approximately 5,300 applications to an estimated 326,400, processing times for citizenship grants remained stable at around 13 months.

The growing certificate inventory highlights the operational impact of Bill C-3, one of the most significant citizenship reforms in recent years. Immigration observers note that citizenship certificates serve as proof of an individual’s existing citizenship status and can be used to obtain Canadian passports and access rights associated with Canadian citizenship.

The pace of new applications has also raised questions about departmental capacity. With tens of thousands of claims now being assessed from around the world, IRCC faces the challenge of verifying complex family histories and supporting documentation while maintaining processing standards.

So far, the department has not publicly announced any additional resources or measures specifically aimed at addressing the rapidly growing citizenship certificate backlog.

With application volumes continuing to rise and processing times stretching beyond a year, applicants seeking confirmation of their Canadian citizenship may face lengthy waits for the foreseeable future.