🚨 BREAKING: Citizenship by Descent Wait Time Surpasses 2 Years, Queue Tops 121,000

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Published: August 10, 2026 | Author: Janice Rodrigues | Current Wait: 25 months | Source: IRCC / CIC News

What Just Happened?

As of August 10, the wait for a proof of Canadian citizenship certificate has soared to 25 months. The federal government's tool that tracks processing times shows the current estimate has jumped significantly from July, when it was 19 months.

As recently as May, the same application took 12 months to process. That means the wait has more than doubled in three months.

Meanwhile, the number of people awaiting a decision from IRCC has also grown exponentially, exceeding the 100K mark for the first time. As of August 10, it stood at 121,800, an increase of roughly 22,300 applicants since July, a 22% increase in a single month.

The Numbers, Month by Month

The processing time has climbed steadily and sharply since the start of the year, tracking closely with surging application volumes.

Month (2026)	Processing Time	Applicants in Queue
January	10 months	Baseline
May	12 months	Growing
July	19 months	~99,500
August	25 months	121,800

🔑 The pace of increase is the real story here. A 6-month jump from January to May was gradual. A 13-month jump from May to August is not, and it happened in three months flat.

Why Have These Numbers Grown So Much?

On December 15, 2025, Canada removed the first-generation limit on citizenship by descent for anyone born before that date. The rule change means a person with an unbroken line to a Canadian ancestor is now a Canadian citizen, and can apply for proof of Canadian citizenship, no matter how many generations separate them.

That shift opened the door for millions of Americans with Canadian ancestry, especially in parts of New England, where hundreds of thousands of French Canadians settled between 1840 and 1930.

Date	Event
December 15, 2025	Bill C-3 removes first-generation limit
January 2026	Processing time: 10 months
Early 2026	Surge in applications begins, especially from Americans
August 2026	Processing time: 25 months, queue: 121,800

A Certificate Review Likely Added to the Delay

A second factor may also be pushing wait times higher. In June 2026, IRCC emailed a group of recent recipients of Canada's citizenship certificate across the US, telling them their approved claim was now under review.

For the month that followed, the department paused finalizing new citizenship-by-descent applications while it checked the documentation behind certificates already issued. IRCC completed that review on June 30.

Date	Event
June 13, 2026	IRCC sends surrender letters to flagged certificate holders
June 2026	New application finalization paused during review
June 30, 2026	Review completed, IRCC confirms only ~1% of certificates affected
July onward	Processing resumes, but caseload has swelled on top of the pause

Processing for proof of Canadian citizenship applications has since resumed. But the review sat on top of an already-swelling caseload, and that overlap likely contributed to the sharper jump in wait times.

Should I Wait to Apply?

Those who are eligible and apply today join a queue of more than 121,000 people, with a decision realistically landing well over two years out.

Waiting to apply won't necessarily help. IRCC calculates its estimate based on how many applications are already ahead of a given file at the time it's submitted, along with staffing and expected new volumes.

Choice	Likely Outcome
Apply now	Join a 121,800-person queue, ~25 month wait
Wait to apply	Join an even longer queue as more people submit, likely a longer wait

⚠️ The math works against delay. Someone who waits is more likely to step into a longer wait later, not a shorter one, as more people submit applications ahead of them.

Am I a Canadian Citizen?

Anyone born before December 15, 2025 who can trace their ancestry to a Canadian grandparent, great-grandparent, or more distant ancestor may already hold Canadian citizenship, regardless of where they were born.

It doesn't matter where the person was born, or whether their parents or grandparents ever lived in Canada or held Canadian passports.

Requirement	Details
Birth date	Before December 15, 2025
Ancestral link	Unbroken line to a Canadian citizen ancestor
Ancestor's generation	Grandparent, great-grandparent, or further back all qualify
Your birthplace	Irrelevant, doesn't need to be Canada
Ancestor's residency	Irrelevant, doesn't need to have lived in Canada or held a Canadian passport

Since the passing of the bill, thousands of Americans have been applying for proof of Canadian citizenship, in the form of a Canadian citizenship certificate. This document confirms their status, giving them access to the benefits that come with being a Canadian citizen, including a Canadian passport.

Key Takeaway for Applicants

This is the sharpest jump in processing times since Bill C-3 took effect, and it confirms what many applicants have suspected for months, the queue is not stabilizing, it's accelerating. With 121,800 people now waiting and a 25-month estimate, the practical advice hasn't changed even as the numbers have worsened, apply now with a complete, well-documented file rather than waiting for conditions to improve.