I was born in Ontario, Canada in 1950 to Canadian born parents. Moved to US in 1962 and became a US citizen in 1972. At that time, Canada did not recognize dual citizenship. In 2009, an Amendment to the Canada Citizen Act stated you were a Canadian citizen if “you were born or naturalized in Canada on or after January 1, 1947 and lost your Canadian citizenship.” Not sure if 'lost' is the same as 'relinquished' or 'revoked' (don't recall signing any documents for Canada revoking or relinquishing my citizenship at the time I became a US citizen) and whether I qualify now to obtain either a Canadian passport or citizenship certificate. Also, do I have to actually establish residency in Canada in order to regain my citizenship? I don't want to start the application process with it's nonrefundable fees unless I know that 1) I qualify for citizenship, 2) whether it's better to obtain a passport or a citizenship certificate, and 3) I don't have to move to Canada to regain citizenship. The Canadian Immigration website and the Passport website are not clear on the requirements to regain my Citizenship. Any insight is appreciated along with what specific documents are required.
Canadian Citizenship Eligibility Question for US Citizen who was born in Canada
- Thread starter SSDR
- Start date
SSDR said:
No residency required. You are Canadian already. Do you have your Canadian birth certificate. You might not need a citizenship certificate to get a passport, if you have it or can get if. Read the instructions for passport application, it should tell you exactly what you need.
PMM said:
You DID lose your citizenship by becoming a U.S. citizen before 1977, BUT you regained Canadian citizenship through the changes to the Citizenship Act that took effect in 2009. Your Ontario birth certificate is all you need to prove your citizenship or apply for a passport. You don't need to apply for a citizenship certificate (they're normally for people who were not born in Canada), but you can if you want to. You also don't need to establish residency to be a Canadian citizen; you're one already.
