Newborn Outside Canada - Citizenship

[rwgs811]

The "correct" method is to get the baby a Canadian passport. Of course, its unlikely you will be stopped just because they didn't have one as long as you have an eTA. IRCC would need to prove the child 'wasn't' Canadian which if just the father travelled for example, wouldn't even come up. So if you really must travel without, an eTA should be good enough.

They key word is proof. It's all very saying it's "fraud" (which I think is a bit far-fetched), but IRCC haven't exactly made it easy for situations like these - they've not thought through all the scenarios which is poor planning on their part. Also, even if one parent was Canadian, it doesn't automatically give the right to citizenship (if for example the parent was adopted from another country at birth, it would mean any children born outside of Canada DON'T get citizenship automatically). The rules are not black and white.

Having said this, if you get the baby both passports - it saves any hassle with travelling, although it is a hassle to get in the first place of course amongst everything else you need to deal for a new born....

 

[mhmc]

We're definitely planning on getting both passports, it's just figuring out what to do for this first trip when time is not on our side! I think I'm stressing more than usual because I'll be travelling alone to Canada with the baby and his dad will be meeting us a week later, so I'll be on my Canadian passport with a UK passport for my baby (with written permission to take him out of the country, of course).

I'm certainly not trying to defraud the Canadian immigration process with this but as you said, poor planning on their part means that not every scenario has been thought through, which leads to the CIC's website guidance being so black and white with their statements about dual citizens. If a limited validity passport is the least stressful way of doing this then that'll probably be the way to go. I don't want to be worrying about immigration issues while taking an infant on his first flight!

 

[canuck_in_uk]

The "correct" method is to get the baby a Canadian passport. Of course, its unlikely you will be stopped just because they didn't have one as long as you have an eTA. IRCC would need to prove the child 'wasn't' Canadian which if just the father travelled for example, wouldn't even come up. So if you really must travel without, an eTA should be good enough.

They key word is proof. It's all very saying it's "fraud" (which I think is a bit far-fetched), but IRCC haven't exactly made it easy for situations like these - they've not thought through all the scenarios which is poor planning on their part.

Lying to IRCC is misrepresentation, which is fraud. You would have to lie to obtain an eTA for your Canadian child.

It isn't poor planning on IRCC's part that you are having a child a short time before planning to move to Canada.

 

[Dude In Japan]

Doing some research myself for whether my 6 year old son, born in Japan, to a Canadian father (me!) and a Japanese mother, needs to have anything to do with the Canadian system in order to visit grandparents in Canada. He has a Japanese passport and resides full time in Japan (which doesn't allow dual citizens after they turn 22 years old). We've yet to apply for or even claim his "Canadian-ness" papers, which apparently can be done at any time in his life under the current rules. The eTA form field which asks for Additional Citizenships specifies "If you hold more than one additional citizenship, click the “add” button to enter the additional citizenships." The key word here is "hold", meaning you have applied for and currently possess documents proving you are a citizen of Canada. If not, you aren't committing fraud for something you've never had, are you? Any thoughts?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Doing some research myself for whether my 6 year old son, born in Japan, to a Canadian father (me!) and a Japanese mother, needs to have anything to do with the Canadian system in order to visit grandparents in Canada. He has a Japanese passport and resides full time in Japan (which doesn't allow dual citizens after they turn 22 years old). We've yet to apply for or even claim his "Canadian-ness" papers, which apparently can be done at any time in his life under the current rules. The eTA form field which asks for Additional Citizenships specifies "If you hold more than one additional citizenship, click the “add” button to enter the additional citizenships." The key word here is "hold", meaning you have applied for and currently possess documents proving you are a citizen of Canada. If not, you aren't committing fraud for something you've never had, are you? Any thoughts?

Your child already holds Canadian citizenship. Even without proof of citizenship, he is still a citizen.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=416&top=16

Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, and Canadian permanent residents cannot apply for an eTA.

 

[CANIND2020]

Hi,

We have a baby on the way (mother is Canadian), and will be born outside Canada (in UK). We will be looking to move a via spousal sponsorship few months after the birth.

We'll be getting a UK passport for it, but would a Canadian passport be better before we move as well, or will it not make a difference - from looking at it, the baby will require a proof of citizenship form as well before it can get a passport, but can a new-born even get one of those as it asks for a signature and will take 6 months or more???

what is the best process for newborns outside Canada?

thanks

It’s a joke from IRCC
Now it’s 15months to process .you need to apply through High commission of Canada in UK . If you send an application to Nova Scotia then you have to wait for 20months . Before It was just 8months (June 2021) .
Source : IRCC
Add 3 to 4 months to account for mailing time if you

• live outside Canada and the U.S. and
• are applying through a Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate

Add 6 to 8 months to processing time if you

• are applying for a minor (under 18) who lives outside Canada and the U.S. and
• sent the application directly to the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia

 

[canvis2006]

Apply through the nearest Canadian embassy, its much better and that way they can issue limited validity passport (you attach/send the forms).
It sucks but that's the proper way to do it.