Citizenship by Descent Applications: Weighing the Risks of Submitting Without Essential Records

Applicants seeking citizenship by descent through the Canadian government are facing a challenging situation. The surge in applications has led to increased processing times, with some applications taking up to 25 months to be processed. This has created a dilemma for applicants whose grandparent's birth certificate, a crucial document, is delayed or missing.

The New Brunswick Archives, where many applicants request their grandmother's birth certificate, is facing higher-than-usual demand. Staff say it will take at least 12 weeks just to begin processing the request, and the timeline could get longer.

Applicants are left wondering whether to submit their application without the essential record or wait for it to arrive. While submitting an application without the record may seem like a safer choice, it can backfire. Every month an applicant waits for a document, even a necessary one, can mean months of wait time as Canada processes the mounting backlog of applications.

## Weighing the Risks of Submitting Without Essential Records

If an applicant has other documentation to fill the gap, they can submit their application without the missing record. However, this is only a contingency plan. Ideally, applicants should receive the document in question from the archive and add it to their application package before it starts getting processed.

If an applicant has nothing to bridge the gap, it's better to hold off until they receive the record from the archive, to minimize the risk of their application being returned or refused.

## What Can Stand in for a Missing Record

If an applicant is submitting an application with a gap, they can include the following to help explain the missing document:

- Proof that they've ordered the record (an order confirmation from the relevant provincial archive or registry office) along with a letter of explanation; and - Secondary evidence of their ancestor's Canadian status, such as baptismal or church records, Canadian census entries, or boat manifests.

## What to Avoid

- Submitting an application without proof that they've requested the record from the official source authority; - Not explaining the gap caused by the missing document through a letter of explanation; and - Leaving out secondary documentation that supports their case.

## The Importance of Supplementary Documents

In June, a routine check identified about 100 certificates with potentially insufficient supporting documentation. As a result, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reviewed all citizenship certificates issued under Bill C-3. Following this review, IRCC updated its guidance on what counts as acceptable proof of Canadian lineage. Documents proving an applicant's line of descent must now come from the original source authority, meaning the civil registry, vital statistics office, or provincial archive that created and holds the record.

This means that Canada's citizenship department is placing more weight on obtaining documentation directly from the source authority, and carefully assessing it before approving applications.

## What to Ask Yourself Before Submitting

- Have you contacted the correct source authority for the missing document? - Do you have proof of that request, such as a confirmation email? - Do you have secondary documentation that fills the gap? - Have you explained the situation in a letter of explanation? - Is the rest of your application free of common mistakes?

If an applicant is unsure about any of these questions, it may be best to seek the advice of a licensed immigration professional to review their file and walk them through next steps.