Decoding Citizenship

When Donald Trump was first elected in 2016, New York State resident Ellen Robillard briefly looked into getting Canadian citizenship. Citizenship has emerged this Friday as one of the stories drawing attention in New Zealand.

Key facts

• When Donald Trump was first elected in 2016, New York State resident Ellen Robillard briefly looked into getting Canadian citizenship.
• Millions more Americans might qualify for dual Canadian citizenship under a recent change to Canada’s requirements that has led to a surge in applications from its southern neighbor.
• A change in the Canada’s citizenship laws has prompted a rush of Americans to explore their ancestry and file paperwork seeking dual citizenship. (AP video by Mark Vancleave).
• 15, 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.

What we know

Going deeper, Millions more Americans might qualify for dual Canadian citizenship under a recent change to Canada’s requirements that has led to a surge in applications from its southern neighbor.

On the substance, a change in the Canada’s citizenship laws has prompted a rush of Americans to explore their ancestry and file paperwork seeking dual citizenship. (AP video by Mark Vancleave).

Beyond the headlines, 15, immigration lawyers in the United States and Canada say they have been overwhelmed by clients seeking help submitting proof of citizenship applications.

More precisely, 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.

It is worth noting that Immigration attorney Amandeep Hayer said his Vancouver, British Columbia-area practice went from about 200 citizenship cases a year to more than 20 consultations per day.

By the numbers

At this stage, For those with documentation ready at hand, the proof of citizenship application fee is a relatively inexpensive 75 Canadian dollars ($55).

On a related note, 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.

Going deeper, 31, it confirmed citizenship by descent for 1,480 people, though not all were Americans.

On the substance, Last year, 24,500 Americans gained dual U.S.-Canada citizenship.

What they're saying

“My wife and I were already talking about potentially looking at jobs outside the country, but citizenship pushed Canada way up on our list,” he said.

“I 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.,” said Hicks, of Pahrump, Nevada. “It was just like, whoa, I walked off a 20-hour flight and literally the first words of somebody’s mouth to me were that....

“There 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,” Mangan said.

The wider context

On a related note, Millions of Americans are now eligible for Canadian citizenship by descent, due to a change in Canadian law.

Going deeper, Where citizenship educators/advocates find information, resources, and news concerning citizenship education, citizenship testing, and naturalization.

On the substance, Welcome to Citizenship News, where citizenship educators and advocates can find information, resources, and the latest news concerning citizenship education, the U.S. citizenship test, and the naturalization process.

Beyond the headlines, And as concerns about President Trump’s second term grow, thousands of Americans are gathering paperwork just in case.

More precisely, In 2023, however, the Canadian courts ruled that law unconstitutional and the changes to eligibility came into effect in December, suddenly opening up a pathway to Canadian citizenship for many Americans at a time of political upheaval, violence and uncertainty in the US.

The bottom line

• A change in the Canada’s citizenship laws has prompted a rush of Americans to explore their ancestry and file paperwork seeking dual citizenship. (AP video by Mark Vancleave).
• 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.
• Robillard, 52, is applying for citizenship with her son now that the first-generation rule has been scrapped.