Summary of the routes to citizenship
The table below summarizes the different routes to citizenship and how they affect adopted children.
Effective April 17, 2009
| How adoptee became a citizen | Result | Adoptee’s children born outside Canada | Adoptee’s children adopted outside Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsored as permanent resident and granted citizenship through naturalization (available to all permanent residents) | Not affected by the first generation limit | Are Canadian at birth | Have option to become Canadian by direct route without first becoming a permanent resident or can be sponsored and become a permanent resident before gaining citizenship |
| Sponsored as permanent resident and granted citizenship by direct route after entering Canada | Affected by the first generation limit (considered first generation born outside Canada) | Not Canadian at birth (unless other parent was born in Canada or immigrated to Canada and then became a citizen through the regular grant process) | Must be sponsored and become a permanent resident before gaining citizenship (unless the other parent was born in Canada or immigrated to Canada and then became a citizen). |
| See NOTE 1 | See NOTE 2 | ||
| Must be sponsored and become a permanent resident before gaining citizenship. | |||
| Granted citizenship by direct route before entering Canada | Affected by the first generation limit (considered first generation born outside Canada) | Not Canadian at birth (unless other parent was born in Canada or immigrated to Canada and then became a citizen through the regular grant process) | Must be sponsored as a permanent resident before gaining citizenship (unless the other parent was born in Canada or immigrated to Canada and then became a citizen through the regular grant process). |
| See NOTE 2 | |||
| Must be sponsored as a permanent resident before gaining citizenship |
Note 1: Most parents who choose to have the adopted child acquire citizenship directly do so before their child comes to Canada. However, in some cases, adoptions are only finalized in Canada. In these cases, the law allows eligible parents to apply for citizenship for their child through the direct citizenship route after they arrive in Canada, even though they came here first as permanent residents. Adoptees who come through the immigration process and then apply for a regular grant of citizenship will be able to pass on their citizenship to children they may have abroad, or apply for a direct grant of citizenship to any children they may adopt abroad, while adoptees acquiring citizenship through the direct route will not be able to do so.
Note 2: These children may be sponsored to come to Canada as permanent residents and can apply for citizenship immediately after they become permanent residents.
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