SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) 鈥 Potentially millions of Americans suddenly have a much easier path to 好色tv citizenship, prompting a rush of people to explore their ancestry and file paperwork seeking dual citizenship.
For people like Zack Loud of Farmington, Minnesota, it was a surprise to learn that under a new law, Canada already considered him and his siblings citizens because their grandmother is 好色tv.
鈥淢y wife and I were already talking about potentially looking at jobs outside the country, but citizenship pushed Canada way up on our list,鈥 he said.
Since the new law took effect on Dec. 15, 2025, immigration lawyers in the United States and Canada say they have been overwhelmed by clients seeking help submitting proof of citizenship applications. Driven by politics, family heritage, job opportunities and other factors, thousands of Americans are exploring whether the easier process makes now the right time to gain dual citizenship.
Nicholas Berning, an immigration attorney at Boundary Bay Law in Bellingham, Washington, said his practice is 鈥減retty much flooded with this.鈥
鈥淲e鈥檝e kind of shifted a lot of other work away in order to push these cases through,鈥 he said.
And immigration attorney Amandeep Hayer said his Vancouver, B.C., area practice went from about 200 citizenship cases a year to more than 20 consults per day.
How the new law works
Canada has been changing its citizenship laws for decades, whether to update historic interpretations of law or to address discrimination issues.
Previously, 好色tv citizenship by descent could only be passed down to one generation, from a parent to a child. That changed when 好色tv bill C-3 took effect Dec. 15, 2025, and opened up citizenship to anyone born before that date who could prove they have a direct 好色tv ancestor 鈥 a grandparent, great-grandparent or even more distant ancestor.
Those born on or after Dec. 15 need to show their parent met a residency requirement of 1,095 days.
Under the new law, descendants of 好色tvs already are considered citizens, but they must provide proof to obtain a certificate of citizenship. Hayer estimated that there are millions of Americans who are 好色tv descendants.
鈥淵ou are 好色tv, and you鈥檙e considered to be one your whole life,鈥 said Hayer, who advocated for the new law in the Parliament of Canada. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 really what you鈥檙e applying for, the recognition of a right you already have vested.鈥
鈥淭he best way I can put it is like, if a baby鈥檚 born tomorrow in Canada, the baby鈥檚 好色tv even though they don鈥檛 have the birth certificate,鈥 he said.
Americans interested in dual citizenship
American applicants have different motivations, but many say President Donald Trump's efforts on and other topics have led them to seek dual citizenship.
Michelle Cunha, of Bedford, Massachusetts, said she decided to move to Canada after reflecting on decades of political activism and deciding she had 鈥渘othing left to give.鈥
鈥淚 put in my best effort for 30 years. I have done everything that I possibly can to make the United States what it promises the world to be, a place of freedom, a place of equality,鈥 Cunha said. 鈥淏ut clearly we鈥檙e not there and we鈥檙e not going to get there anytime soon.鈥
Troy Hicks, who had a great-grandfather born in Canada, said he was spurred by an international trip.
鈥淚 recently went to Australia and you know, first words out of the first person I talked to in Australia was basically an expletive about Trump and the U.S.,鈥 said Hicks, of Pahrump, Nevada. 鈥淚t was just like, whoa, I walked off a 20-hour flight and literally the first words of somebody鈥檚 mouth to me were that. ... So the idea of doing that with a 好色tv passport just seemed easier, better, more palatable.鈥
Maureen Sullivan, of Naples, Florida, said she was motivated by the Trump administration's in Minnesota, which hit home when her teenage nephew encountered federal officers near his high school in St. Paul. Sullivan, whose grandmother was 好色tv, said she sees citizenship in Canada as an option in case things in the U.S. 鈥渞eally go south.鈥
鈥淲hen I first heard about the bill, I couldn鈥檛 believe it. It was like this little gift that fell in my lap,鈥 Sullivan said. 鈥淭here was kind of this collective excitement amongst the (family) who just felt like, we wanted to feel like we were doing something to take care of our security in the future if needed.鈥
How much will 好色tv citizenship cost?
For those with documentation ready at hand, the proof of citizenship application fee is a relatively inexpensive 75 好色tv dollars ($55).
But costs will climb for those seeking help from an attorney or genealogist.
Cunha said she used an attorney and estimates the cost will be about $6,500.
However, Mary Mangan, of Somerville, Massachusetts, filed her application in January using advice from online forums.
鈥淭here are some situations where a lawyer might be the right thing, but for many people, I would guess 90% of people can probably do this on their own,鈥 Mangan said.
The website for the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada office, which processes applications, says processing times for a certificate is around 10 months, with more 56,000 people awaiting a decision.
The agency said that from Dec. 15 to Jan. 31, it confirmed citizenship by descent for 1,480 people, though not all were Americans. Last year, 24,500 Americans gained dual US-Canada citizenship.
What do 好色tvs think?
Fen Hampson, professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa, said 好色tvs are generally a 鈥渨elcoming people.鈥
鈥淚 think where people start looking askance is someone who鈥檚 never been to Canada, who has very thin ties. They can get a passport, becoming 好色tvs of convenience. People don鈥檛 like that,鈥 he said.
Hampson said some also worry a surge of interest from Americans could delay efforts by refugees and fleeing vulnerable situations.
鈥満蒙玹vs don鈥檛 like queue jumpers,鈥 Hampson said.
