Can I apply for citizenship?

[Kiliimanjaro]

Hey everyone, I've basically got a few questions about citizenship I would like to ask because I think I can get a more accurate answer here rather than reading through pages of text that doesn't really help me understand.

I was born in England (1992) and live in Ireland but my mother was born in Canada and was and is a citizen at the time of my birth. I know that this makes me a first generation descent into citizenship if I'm eligible. I was looking at the application forms when I had first got confused, can I still apply for citizenship even though I have not yet been to Canada? Is there an age limit for when to apply by (I think I read 23 on one of the forms)? I've read on all the forms that it says a person born to a Canadian parent on or after 2009, does this rule out any birth before this date? If I am eligible which form exactly do I need to fill out and what documents and information do I need to have?

I have quite a lot of family that live in Canada and it's something we hold dear to us here so that's what got my researching into citizenship. Thanks!

 

[alphazip]

As the child of a mother who was born in Canada, you are a Canadian citizen. The application and instruction for proof of citizenship are here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/certif.asp The documents you will need to send are: 1) your birth certificate (containing the names of your parents), and 2) your mother's Canadian birth certificate. You can send originals (which will not be returned) or certified copies.

 

[Kiliimanjaro]

As the child of a mother who was born in Canada, you are a Canadian citizen. The documents you will need to send are: 1) your birth certificate (containing the names of your parents), and 2) your mother's Canadian birth certificate. You can send originals (which will not be returned) or certified copies.

Brilliant, thank you! Where can I get a certified copy of a Canadian Birth Certificate? Can I photocopy it or do I need to order one? I know that here in the UK I can order a copy of my British Birth Certificate.

 

[alphazip]

Brilliant, thank you! Where can I get a certified copy of a Canadian Birth Certificate? Can I photocopy it or do I need to order one? I know that here in the UK I can order a copy of my British Birth Certificate.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/CIT0001ETOC.asp#CIT0001E4

Certified true copies

To have a photocopy of a document certified, an authorized person must compare the original document to the photocopy and must print the following on the photocopy:
•“I certify that this is a true copy of the original document”,
•the name of the original document,
•the date of the certification,
•his or her name,
•his or her official position or title, and
•his or her signature.

Who can certify copies?

Persons authorized to certify copies include the following:

In Canada:
•a notary public
•a commissioner of oaths
•a commissioner of taking affidavits

Outside Canada:
•a notary public (Authority to certify international documents varies by country. Consult your local authorities.)

 

[alphazip]

If you are in the Republic of Ireland, look for notaries here: http://www.notarypublic.ie/

If in Northern Ireland, look here: http://www.notariespublic-ni.org.uk/notary-public-members

Notaries in the U.K. and Ireland (unlike those in the USA) are usually lawyers.

You also have the choice (if, say, it would cost less than notarization by a lawyer) of sending an original document, which will not be returned. In that case, your mother would order an original from the province in Canada where she was born.