Immigration department blames ‘unclear’ guidance for citizenship document recalls

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When Immigration Minister Lena Diab was asked what led to the surrender orders last week, she said she ordered an investigation “the second” she “found out there was something” wrong, although she added she “wasn’t sure what it was.”

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Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday those who received surrender orders deserved to know why and he would follow up on the matter.

When C-3 became law last year, it allowed anyone born before Dec. 15, 2025 to claim Canadian citizenship as long as they had a provable link to a Canadian ancestor.

Diab’s spokesperson said she would not be available for an interview Tuesday. A request for an interview with someone else from the immigration department was also declined.

The department said in its statement it has restored proof of citizenship for 33 people who received those surrender emails, while reviews of another 67 cases should be completed in a matter of days.

The department said it is working to contact affected people directly and their citizenship will either be confirmed under C-3 or they will be asked to provide additional information to verify their eligibility for citizenship-by-descent.

People whose citizenship-by-descent files are under review are still considered citizens while the reviews take place, so they are still able to work and live in Canada. But some who were issued passports saw those documents cancelled and were told they will need to surrender them.

The department says a review of roughly 6,500 other citizenship-by-descent certificates issued under C-3 is now complete.

Diab’s spokesperson said in an emailed response that the finalization of pending citizenship-by-descent applications made under Bill C-3 is expected to resume “within the next few days.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2026.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press