Straight answers, no runaround.

Citizenship by descent means you're already a Canadian citizen because of who your ancestor was — you're not applying for citizenship, you're proving a citizenship you already have. Bill C-3, passed in December 2025, is the most liberal version of this law ever written. It removed the first-generation limit and opened eligibility to descendants several generations removed from a Canadian ancestor.

We've helped clients qualify through a 4× great-grandparent. If you have any Canadian ancestor anywhere on your tree, it's worth checking.

Anyone with a Canadian-born ancestor, regardless of how many generations back. Bill C-3 specifically eliminated the prior "first-generation limit" that used to disqualify people whose Canadian connection was two or more generations removed.

Eligibility usually hinges on three things: (1) whether your ancestor held Canadian citizenship/status when they left, (2) whether the lineage chain is provable with documents, and (3) whether there was any break in the chain (renunciation, foreign military service, etc.) The free 5-minute eligibility quiz on the homepage walks you through all three.

There's no generational cap under Bill C-3 — that's what makes it the most accessible second-passport route in the world today. Our successful cases include descent traced through great-great-great grandparents and beyond. The further back the ancestor, the more archival work involved, but the path is the same.

This happens more often than you'd expect, and it's one of our specialties. When a baptism wasn't registered, a parish closed, or records were lost in a fire, we build a corroborating evidence chain — sibling records, census data, parental marriage records, formal letters of non-existence from the parish. IRCC accepts this routinely, but only when it's assembled correctly. DIY applicants almost universally don't know this option exists.

We know within 7 days whether your case is viable. If we determine no valid path exists, you receive a complete refund of your $490 deposit. We don't take cases we can't win and we don't string people along.

In almost all cases, no. There are two distinct legal questions here that get confused:

(1) Citizenship by descent is not an immigration application — you're proving you're already a Canadian citizen. Visitor-inadmissibility rules don't apply; citizens cannot be denied entry to their own country.

(2) Crossing the border before your certificate is issued may require a Temporary Resident Permit or Criminal Rehabilitation. Both are standard remedies, both are routinely granted for old or minor offences. We connect you with specialist counsel if it applies to your case.

NorthClaim delivers your complete signature-ready IRCC package in 3–6 weeks. After you sign and submit, IRCC processing is currently 11–13 months and growing.

Total time from "yes" to citizenship certificate in your hand is typically 12–15 months — with your active involvement being approximately 2 hours total.

Three steps:

(1) Free eligibility check — fill out our 5-minute form on the homepage. We'll analyze your family connection and get back to you within 48 hours.

(2) 15-min eligibility call with Marvin to walk through your case and confirm there's a viable path.

(3) $490 deposit to open the file. We confirm your ancestor and lineage path within 7 days. The deposit is fully refundable within those 7 days. If it's viable, archival work begins immediately.

Roughly 2 hours total, spread across the engagement: the initial eligibility call, a brief intake form, signing the affidavit, and signing the final IRCC submission. We handle every research call, every archive request, every translation, every certification.

A 70-page certified case file: the CIT 0001 form, addendums, your sworn Affidavit of Direct Lineage, a lineage chart, and all 19+ supporting documents organized by generation, sealed and ready for the Citizenship Officer. The 13-page IRCC form people see online is just the cover sheet — the real submission is the full file.

IRCC processes citizenship-by-descent applications in roughly 11–13 months. You wait — that's it. You can travel internationally during this time on your existing passport. Once your Canadian citizenship is recognized, you'll receive a certificate and can immediately apply for a Canadian passport at any Canadian consulate or by mail.

Three flat tiers, based on how far back your Canadian ancestor goes:

Direct Parent Tier — $990
If your parent is Canadian. One-generation lineage proof.

Grandparent Tier — $1,990
If your grandparent is Canadian. Two-generation lineage with records traced across both parental and maternal sides.

Deep Lineage Tier — $2,990
Great-grandparent and beyond. Three-plus generations of records, often across multiple provinces and parish archives, with translation from old French.

Every tier starts with a $490 deposit. The balance is due only when your complete signature-ready IRCC package is in your hands. See the full breakdown on the pricing page.

The further back your Canadian ancestor, the more archival work it takes to prove the lineage. A direct parent requires one birth record. A great-grandparent may require three-plus generations of records from multiple provinces, parish archives, and translations from old French civil-law forms. Tiered pricing makes sure parent-tier clients aren't subsidizing the more complex deep-lineage cases.

Everything: lineage research and verification, document retrieval from every church/parish/archive/municipal office, baptism-to-civil document conversion, translation and certification of all non-English records, the missing-record corroboration strategy when needed, the drafted Affidavit of Direct Lineage, the complete 70-page IRCC submission package, and access to the client portal to track your case in real time.

The deposit secures your case, kicks off the record search, and pays for the document retrieval phase. The balance is only due when we successfully assemble your complete citizenship application. If we can't locate your records within our search window, you get the deposit back.

No. Your tier price covers our service end-to-end. The only outside costs are government fees if you choose to expedite anything (rare) and the Canadian passport fee after citizenship is granted (~$160 CAD), which is paid directly to the Canadian government — not us.

Yes. Most of the record work for a parent, sibling, or cousin overlaps significantly. When multiple direct relatives apply in the same lineage, you only pay for the shared archival research once — and we discount the additional applicants accordingly.

Children are included with a parent's tier at no extra cost. For adult family members (siblings, parents, cousins) joining the same case, we quote the family rate after your initial call so it can be tailored to which records actually overlap.

Within 7 days of paying your deposit, you can cancel for a full refund — no questions, no fine print. After that, if we can't build a defensible application from the records we find, we refund the deposit and you owe nothing further. We do this because we want you confident in the decision, not pressured into it.

If we successfully assemble your application but IRCC rejects it on grounds we didn't anticipate, we'll appeal at no additional cost. If at any point during the research phase we determine we can't build a defensible application, you get a full refund and owe nothing further.

Yes — the eligibility quiz is free, and the 15-minute eligibility call with Marvin is free. We'll tell you on that call whether your case is viable before you commit a dollar.

Major credit cards, ACH bank transfer, and Apple Pay / Google Pay. Once we've reviewed your case, you'll receive a secure payment link.

Yes — and children are included in your tier at no extra cost. Under Bill C-3, your children inherit your Canadian citizenship by descent. There is no separate application beyond inclusion in your package.

Adult children (18+) can be added to the same case at a discounted family rate, or apply independently later if they prefer.

Yes — but through a separate path. Spouses don't qualify for citizenship by descent because they don't have Canadian ancestry. Instead, once you're recognized as a Canadian citizen, you can sponsor your spouse for permanent residence under the Family Class — a well-established Canadian immigration program.

Government fees run roughly $1,300 CAD and outland processing is currently around 12–15 months. Once your spouse has PR, they receive nearly all the benefits of citizenship (healthcare, work rights, residency) and can apply for full Canadian citizenship after three years of physical presence. We're happy to recommend immigration counsel for the sponsorship step once your case is approved.

Yes. First-degree relatives (parents, siblings, adult children) who share your verified lineage path can be added at a discounted family rate. Extended relatives (aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews) who require some adjacent research are also discounted.

Because the heaviest archival research is shared across family applications, adding relatives is dramatically cheaper than separate cases. We quote the family rate on your initial call once we know how much research actually overlaps.

Yes. Once you're recognized as a Canadian citizen, your children — including future children — inherit citizenship by descent under the same Bill C-3 framework. Your future grandchildren are also eligible. This isn't a one-time benefit; it's a foundation your family builds on for generations.

No. The United States fully recognizes dual citizenship with Canada. You don't renounce anything, you don't pledge allegiance to a foreign power, and your US rights, benefits, and obligations are unchanged. You're adding Canadian citizenship to what you already have.

In most cases, no.

Living in the USA: you pay US taxes only — Canada does not tax US-resident citizens on US-source income.

Living in Canada: you file in both countries, but you rarely owe additional US tax. Canadian rates are higher than US rates, so the Foreign Tax Credit eliminates the US bill. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion adds another buffer — the 2026 limit is $132,900 of earned income excluded entirely from US taxation.

We connect every client with a cross-border CPA referral at no extra cost.

Canadian healthcare is administered provincially. To activate coverage, you establish residency in the province where you live — typically a 3-month wait. Once active, doctor visits, hospital stays, and most surgeries are fully covered with no premiums, no deductibles, and no insurance-company denials.

Coverage stays with the province, not the citizenship — meaning if you visit Canada short-term as a citizen, you'd still want travel insurance. But the moment you establish residency, you're in the system.

Once you receive your Citizenship Certificate from IRCC, you can apply for a Canadian passport immediately — at any Canadian consulate or by mail. Standard passport processing is roughly 20 business days, with expedited options available. The passport fee is ~$160 CAD.

No. There's no residency requirement, no minimum days in Canada, and no obligation to ever live there. You can stay in the US (or anywhere else) for the rest of your life and remain a Canadian citizen. Citizenship by descent is hereditary — it doesn't require physical presence.