True or False - War Brides

World War II war brides in Canada are Canadian citizens.

This is true: “War brides” refers to women from outside Canada who married Canadian servicemen during World War II. They and their children became Canadian citizens when the Canadian Citizenship Act came into force on January 1, 1947, if they had arrived in Canada as permanent residents before that date.

The facts

During the war, thousands of young women from outside Canada met and married Canadian servicemen. When the war ended, most of the women and their children followed their husbands to start a new life in Canada.

When the Canadian Citizenship Act came into force in 1947, it created citizenship status for war brides who:

• immigrated to Canada before January 1, 1947, and
• were married before January 1, 1947, to a man who was born in Canada, who was naturalized in Canada, or who was a British subject living in Canada for at least five years.

The law also included a war bride’s child if the child was born outside Canada before January 1, 1947, and:

• had, at the time of birth, a parent who was born in Canada, or who was naturalized in Canada, or who was a British subject living in Canada for at least five years. If the child was born in wedlock, the parent in question had to have been the father; if the child was born out of wedlock, the mother.

If a child did not meet these provisions, the parents could apply for the child to acquire Canadian citizenship under other provisions.

Children born in Canada on or after January 1, 1947, automatically became Canadian citizens unless their parents were foreign diplomats.

Canadian citizens born outside Canada who became citizens on January 1, 1947 may be asked for proof of Canadian citizenship to obtain, for example, a Canadian passport. This required document can be obtained by applying for a citizenship certificate.

Some war brides lost their Canadian citizenship if they left Canada and stayed out of Canada for ten or more years before 1967. They also could have lost their Canadian citizenship if they moved from Canada and became a citizen of another country between 1947 and when the current law came into effect on February 15, 1977.

The new law

War brides who lost their Canadian citizenship regained it when a new law amending the Citizenship Act came into effect on April 17, 2009. Citizenship is automatic and retroactive to the date of loss. Also, all individuals who were Canadian citizens at the time the law came into effect, including the many war brides who never left Canada, will keep their citizenship.

Questions?

We have updated our website to make it easier for people who have questions about their citizenship to determine what their situation is and to know what steps to take next.

Canadian citizens living in Canada can contact the CIC Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100.

More on myths and misconceptions about Canada’s citizenship and immigration programs