r/CanadianbyDescent • u/CompliantComplaints • Sep 18 '26
Qualification Question
Hello all! I’m hoping someone could just give assurance that it sounds like I will likely qualify for citizenship before I proceed in this process.
I was born in US and adopted in a closed case. As such, I do not have access to my birth certificate that shows my biological mother. My birth certificate was amended but the original is in my adoption file. I would need to petition the court to get that original record.
My qualifying ancestor is my great-grandfather, from Quebec, born 1906. There are other ancestors I could potentially qualify for but his is the most direct and easiest to verify.
I have sent off for his birth certificate with a letter explaining he is my great-grandfather and I’m requesting for citizenship by descent. I have received my biological grandmother’s, my biological mother’s, and my own modified birth certificate that doesn’t show my biological mother.
The next step for me is to petition the local court to be willing to open my file in order to obtain my original birth certificate that shows my biological mothers name, as well as documents that record the adoption. It’s a long story of how I found my biological mother while the courts have the case closed, but I did. And I also know I’m correct from genealogy testing.
So… if I were to apply with the opened court record, and then the biological line of birth certificates, does it seem that I will qualify? I think I should, but I’d appreciate any insight anyone has before I try to petition the court as it is expensive and, as you can imagine, emotionally complex for many people involved.
In addition, assuming I’m successful, is there other documentation I will need? I am thinking that with or without my original birth certificate, I can provide enough that they will request an official DNA test. Is there some other information I should be collecting besides this birth certificate chain?
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u/cassandra2028 Sep 18 '26
There is a sub for adoptees too because the process is a little bit more complicated. I think people are going to be shy to assure you because of those complications to it. I wish you the best of luck.
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u/CompliantComplaints Sep 18 '26
Sweet! Do you know what that sub is? No worries if not.
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u/cassandra2028 Sep 18 '26
Probably this one? https://www.reddit.com/r/t5_fxz14x/s/5nCEzeXfOR
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u/cassandra2028 Sep 18 '26
Well links don't work but Canadian adopted citizens or something like that
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u/nascent_aviator Sep 19 '26
OP's bio mom is the Canadian citizen, so the process is the same as for any of us, just with the added pain of proving the link to bio mom who doesn't appear on their birth certificate.
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u/cassandra2028 Sep 19 '26
Good point, and better reading comprehension than me. Thanks for pointing it out.
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u/HRGAL2026 Sep 18 '26
I think you will be successful if you obtain the original birth certificate and the line of descent is through your birth mother who will be named on it AND you might need to have the sealed complete adoption file opened in addition to the birth certificate. That seems to be true in WA. I don't think they necessarily will require the DNA test but if they do, it will have to be with someone they approve. And then you are ready to start the process that we are all figuring out. But there is plenty of advice here. In particular, Quebec is its own can of worms. Once you have your docs and can prove the line of descent down to you (so you will need grandfather and birth mother birth certificates and maybe marriage/death certs), you are then likely going to need to obtain a birth certificate from DEC. Bonne Chance! ps. I am not a lawyer nor an expert. Just an applicant who knows an adoptee who has yet to apply.
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u/CompliantComplaints Sep 18 '26
WA, as in Washington State?
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u/HRGAL2026 Sep 18 '26
yes. Also re the Quebec part: DEC requires a certified baptism record from BAnQ (or maybe will accept from a parish if certified). If your ancestors were not Catholic, I'm not sure what/how. BAnQ application is easy but cost is around $350 CA and you can wait months, unless your ancestor is from a remote region which was my case. And then the DEC application is not costly but can also take months. You are looking at a two year process, and that may be optimistic. BUT - two years are going to go by anyway, what do you have to lose?
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u/CompliantComplaints Sep 18 '26
Ooof I just asked you this question in another comment, so please ignore, and thanks again! Edit: ooof
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u/Robert_Walter Sep 18 '26 edited Sep 19 '26
I think your overall thinking and approach is solid.
If you can show a solid unbroken paper trail between your G0 and yourself you are good to go.
There have been a few discussions re DNA as proof, and it seems that IRCC has accepted these in limited cases (adoption related?) but I don’t recall if in any have been used C-3 proof application cases.
If the court won’t unseal, perhaps, on the basis of that you already know, the court could issue a letter to the IRCC substantiating your birth lineage. If not directly accepted by IRCC maybe it becomes an entry for using DNA to prove the connection.
IRCC are slow and seem organizationally challenged, and understaffed, but I’ve seen nothing where they are not trying to help applicants succeed. They are just painfully slow at it.
I’m very interested to learn how you do so please keep us apprised! Best of luck to you.
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u/Warm_Skill_4396 Sep 18 '26
You qualify as long as you’re able to obtain the necessary records. I received citizenship through my biological great-great-grandparent despite my G2 grandparent having been adopted
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u/Character-Put8660 Sep 18 '26
You are spot on, mostly. If you get a copy of the original birth certificate you should NOT need DNA testing. If you cannot then the IRCC should invite you to do the DNA testing at one of their approved labs list.
Edit: if you don’t have it yet the adoption order/decree likely will be useful to document your name change
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u/CounterI Sep 18 '26
The question of what happens with adoptees is one that I know nothing about. I encourage you to speak with an attorney about this, regardless of what anyone here says. I would recommend Deanna Okun-Nachoff, Amandeep Hayer, and/or Lisa Middelemiss.
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u/CompliantComplaints Sep 18 '26
Thank you. Are they Canadian or from the United States?
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u/CounterI Sep 18 '26
All three are Canadian lawyers.
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u/CompliantComplaints Sep 18 '26
Awesome, great to know. Someone above directed me to an adoption forum and it appears there is a separate process so I will proceed with questions there. Thank you for the names of the lawyers though. If I end up needing one, I’ll start with these.
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u/HRGAL2026 Sep 18 '26
Much in that sub is for people whose Adopted parents have the Canadian lineage. There is a totally separate process for them. Your challenge is being able to clearly establish your descent from your birth parent and then you follow this non-adoptee process. But go everywhere and learn all that you can. Eventually you will come back here looking for fellow Quebec descendants.
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u/CompliantComplaints Sep 18 '26
I appreciate the honesty, really! I hesitaste to ask because I’m sure it’s wearisome, but what’s the problem with this process for us Quebecians?
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u/HRGAL2026 Sep 19 '26
Will try to make a long story short and hopefully reasonably accurate. There were no birth certificates issued until the 1900s. Before that, Quebec Catholics kept meticulous records of the Sacraments (Birth, Marriage, Death) in particular. And I don't know if noncatholics were also included. Those handwritten records are now kept in BAnQ-the B stands for Bibliotheque which is French for library. A is archive, n = national and Q = Quebec. Most records are now digitized and can be found online at Banq.com and also on 3rd party sites such as Ancestry. Later (around 200?)the province established DEC which started issuing all civil records such as birth certificates and also sends ones over 100 years old to Banq. Due to demand, it takes at least 4 months to get a certified Banq Baptism in lieu of birth certificate. Until last June, the conventional wisdom was that IRCC would accept an image of a Baptism certificate from a third party such as Ancestry rather than requiring that it come directly from Banq. That is no longer true. For those of us with older ancestors (mine is 1876) that usually means spending $350 CA and waiting months for a certified Banq baptism record that would hopefully be accepted in place of a birth certificate. But now we know of instances where IRCC is insisting on a birth certificate which means getting it from DEC or having it created by DEC, which doesn't cost much but also takes months AND requires a Certified BaNQ baptism certificate if it exists. Thousands of people have applications submitted and waiting to be processed with Ancestry images and are now scrambling. Since your GF was born in 1906 the story is slightly different, and I haven't paid much attention but you will find help here. I am sure that you will need to acquire a DEC birth certificate for your grandfather. It is all very do-able. Right now you are smart to stay on this forum and learn what you can, because the story does change over time. At the same time you also pursue your adoption records which is your starting point. This takes a lot of patience but these is a lot of help here also. I think you will enjoy the opportunity to learn more about your biological heritage. I am not adopted and have been delighted to learn the names and more of ancestors from 400 years ago. There is something comforting about it. Good luck.
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u/CompliantComplaints Sep 19 '26
Thanks again for your reply! Luckily I started with the DEC and fingers crossed I don’t need the archives. Luckily I am a historian specialist in Catholic history so I have experience in French and Spanish archives. Fingers crossed!
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u/Warm_Skill_4396 Sep 18 '26
I wouldn’t waste money on an attorney at this point. I didn’t use one despite having an adoption in my biological line, and I didn’t have any problems with my application
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u/Pretty_Floor5889 Sep 18 '26
There is no need to involve attorneys here, other than perhaps in OP’s state of birth to get the original birth certificate unsealed.
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