Is My Child a Canadian Citizen?

Citizenship is sometimes granted to children of citizens or residents of a country just because of familial relationships. Every country has its own rules for this and Canada is no different.

After you have determined whether or not your child is eligible to receive official documentation that records their citizenship you can file form CIT 0001. This form is a request for a citizenship certificate.

You may need a citizenship certificate if some of your biographical information has changed, if it has been lost or destroyed, or simply to confirm your child’s citizenship in Canada.

Generally, people become automatic citizens of Canada when they are born to a Canadian parent. Only one parent has to be Canadian for the child to be as well, but this right only lasts for one generation.

If you were born outside of Canada, but became naturalized, you will need to file for citizenship for your child, which is a different process from CIT 0001, rather, you would use form CIT 0002.

However, people who were born in Canada automatically become citizens and therefore all that is necessary to prove citizenship is their birth certificate from whichever province they were born into.

In Canada, as in many other countries within a European tradition, different rights are conferred onto people depending on whether or not they are Permanent Residents or citizens. Both categories are allowed to live and work in their country (such as Canada), but citizens are the only ones allowed to vote.

Without the right to vote, it is increasingly difficult to affect change in one’s community and is therefore why citizenship is so popular.

Citizenship law can sometimes become rather complicated in Canada due to its history and transition from a colony to a sovereign nation, so you should check with Citizenship and Immigration Canada for more information.