Canada has stopped finalizing new citizenship-by-descent applications, Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said, confirming that the department is reviewing all files in this category.

The minister stated plainly that Canada is "not finalizing any new" citizenship-by-descent applications at this stage. Instead, officials are going through every existing file as part of a broader review of how the category is being handled.

Citizenship by descent allows people born outside Canada to claim Canadian citizenship through a Canadian parent, and in some cases a grandparent, under rules that Parliament expanded in 2009 and 2015. The current freeze means applicants who submitted files under this provision should not expect final decisions until the review concludes.

Who is affected

The pause applies to anyone with a pending citizenship-by-descent application — that is, people born abroad who are seeking proof of Canadian citizenship transmitted through their parents or, in limited "second generation" cases, grandparents. Files already in the queue will be reviewed rather than processed straight through to a decision.

The minister did not announce any change to eligibility rules themselves. What changes for now is procedural: no new applications in this stream are moving to a final decision, and all files are subject to review.

What applicants should do

Applicants do not need to withdraw their files, and the department has not indicated that submitted applications will be rejected as a result of the review. Anyone waiting on a decision should watch for official communications from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and check the department's official channels for updates on processing.

This is a developing story. Passport File will report further details, including any timeline for resuming final decisions, as the department releases them.