After you apply: get next steps – Adoption citizenship process

The Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia, will send a notice to confirm they have received Part 1 of your application. Citizenship officials will verify that at least one of the adoptive parents is a Canadian citizen at the time of adoption.

After Part 1 is assessed, you will receive a decision letter. If your application is approved, you will be told when and where to submit Part 2. If it is not approved, you will be told in writing.

If Part 2 of your application for Canadian citizenship is approved, the adopted child will be granted citizenship and will receive a certificate of Canadian citizenship and a Commemorative document. These documents will be mailed to your address in Canada if you live in Canada or to the visa office abroad if you live outside Canada.

Some applications may be delayed. For example, if documents are missing or if your case is complex, we may contact you to get more information or to ask you to send us additional information. Such cases may take longer to process.

You can check the status of your application on this site.

The adopted child’s passport or travel document

You will be notified when the adopted child has met the citizenship requirements.

To avoid unnecessary expense and disappointment, you should not plan to return to Canada with the adopted child until you know with certainty that all citizenship requirements have been met.

While this process may seem long and complicated, it is necessary for the adopted child’s protection.

You must get a passport or a travel document for the adopted child to be able to travel to Canada.

Once citizenship is granted, you may either:

  • apply for a Canadian passport through the Canadian government office outside Canada. For information about applying for a Canadian passport, see Passport Canada's website.
  • apply for a facilitation visa from the Canadian visa office that processed the citizenship application, if the child will be travelling to Canada on the passport of his or her home country. The visa and passport must be shown to Canadian officials at the port of entry when the child arrives in Canada.

The adoption agency in your province or territory may be able to advise you where to apply to get the child’s passport from his or her home country. Allow plenty of time to find out about getting the child’s passport and the facilitation visa before you plan to bring the child to Canada.

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