Regulations Amending the Citizenship Regulations (Miscellaneous Program): SOR/2025-276

Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 159, Number 27

Registration
SOR/2025-276 December 12, 2025

CITIZENSHIP ACT

P.C. 2025-929 December 11, 2025

Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, makes the annexed Regulations Amending the Citizenship Regulations (Miscellaneous Program) under paragraph 27(1)(j.1)footnote a of the Citizenship Act footnote b.

Regulations Amending the Citizenship Regulations (Miscellaneous Program)

Amendments

1 (1) The portion of subsection 7.1(1) of the Citizenship Regulations footnote 1 before paragraph (a) is replaced by the following:

7.1 (1) The Minister must approve an application made in accordance with any of subsections 11(1) to (4) of the Regulations if the person

(2) Section 7.1 of the Regulations is amended by adding the following after subsection (1):

(1.1) For greater certainty, a minor may make an application referred to in subsection (1).

Coming into Force

2 These Regulations come into force on the day on which the Regulations Amending the Citizenship Regulations, No. 2 (2025) come into force, but if they are registered after that day, they come into force on the day on which they are registered.

REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS STATEMENT

(This statement is not part of the Regulations.)

Issues

An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025) [the amending Act] establishes a new framework governing citizenship by descent. It restores or gives citizenship to individuals and their descendants who lost or never acquired Canadian citizenship due to outdated provisions in previous citizenship legislation and gives citizenship to those impacted by the first-generation limit to citizenship by descent. To support the legislative amendments, consequential amendments to the Citizenship Regulations (made by the Governor in Council) and Citizenship Regulations, No. 2 (made by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), were needed to allow certain persons who automatically acquired citizenship as a result of the amending Act, and who do not wish to retain it, to apply to renounce (give up) their citizenship under a simplified scheme. Subsections 11(3) and (4) were added to section 11 of the Citizenship Regulations, No. 2 to set out the requirements for such an application. Section 7.1 of the Citizenship Regulations specifies that where these requirements are met, the application must be approved by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. An amendment to the Citizenship Regulations is needed to include reference to applications made under the newly created subsections 11(3) and (4) of the Citizenship Regulations, No. 2 in this requirement.

As well, amendments to the Citizenship Regulations are needed to improve consistency between the French and English versions of section 7.1 and to clarify that applications may be made by minors under the simplified renunciation scheme following its extension to individuals who acquired citizenship under the amending Act.

Objective

The amendments have the following objectives:

Description and rationale

Section 7.1 of the Citizenship Regulations is amended to include reference to subsections 11(3) and 11(4).

In addition, the English version of section 7.1 is amended by replacing “under” with “in accordance with any of” to align with the French version.

Section 7.1 is also amended to clarify that applications to renounce citizenship can be made by minors under the simplified renunciation scheme.

One-for-one rule and small business lens

The one-for-one rule does not apply to these amendments, as there is no change in administrative costs or burden to business.

Analysis under the small business lens determined that the proposal will not impact small businesses in Canada.

Contact

Stephanie Jay-Tosh
Acting Senior Director
Legislative Policy
Citizenship Branch
Department of Citizenship and Immigration
180 Kent Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1L1
Email: IRCC.CITDGO-BDGCIT.IRCC@cic.gc.ca