Want dual citizenship? Now's your chance

[theking]

Millions of Americans are now eligible for Canadian citizenship and many are applying ‘just in case’
When Donald Trump was first elected in 2016, New York State resident Ellen Robillard briefly looked into getting Canadian citizenship. Her mother, after all, was born in Nova Scotia.

As a Democrat, Robillard was despondent at the election results, but she abandoned the idea after realizing that her young son wouldn’t be eligible for citizenship under a law that barred Canadians born abroad from passing their citizenship to children if they were also born outside Canada.

In 2023, however, the Canadian courts ruled that law unconstitution al and the changes to eligibility came into effect in December, suddenly opening up a pathway to Canadian citizenship for many Americans at a time of political upheaval, violence and uncertainty in the US.

Robillard, 52, is applying for citizenship with her son now that the first-generation rule has been scrapped.

[theking]

Gotta wait though...

Millions of Americans could now qualify for Canadian citizenship under new law
A $55 application fee and a family tree could be all it takes to become a dual citizen of Canada.
SEATTLE — Nick Wallick has big dreams for his film production company — and he's just getting started. The recent film school graduate launched Hyper Fixated Media out of a backyard ADU in Seattle, building his crew one connection at a time and already eyeing his next market: Vancouver's booming film industry just two hours north.

A new Canadian law may be his ticket in.

Wallick suspects he has French Canadian ancestry through his mother's side of the family, whose maiden name is Turgeon — a common name in Montreal. If he can document that lineage, he could qualify for Canadian dual citizenship under a sweeping law that took effect in December.

"Having it so close to a busy film production area like Canada would be amazing," Wallick said. "Work here, work there, without having to deal with visas or anything like that."

Wallick is one of tens of thousands of Americans who have begun exploring dual citizenship since Canada's Bill C-3 took effect Dec. 15.

The law allows anyone who can document an unbroken line of Canadian ancestry to claim citizenship — regardless of how many generations back that ancestor lived. No residency is required. No waiting list. The application fee is just 75 Canadian dollars, or about $55 U.S.

Immigration attorneys across the Pacific Northwest say they have never seen anything like it.

Terry Preshaw, an immigration lawyer based in Everett, Washington, who is licensed in both the United States and Canada, said her caseload has exploded. Last year she had four clients seeking Canadian citizenship. Now she has more than 50.

"My phone is like off the hook," Preshaw said. "People are finding out they might have a viable claim to Canadian citizenship — and they want to get that right away."

Brian Gallagher, lead attorney at Boundary Bay Law in Bellingham, Washington, said his practice has shifted dramatically to accommodate the surge. In the past, he handled roughly one Canadian citizenship application every three months. Now he fields about one consultation per day on the issue alone.

"We've kind of shifted a lot of other work away in order to push these cases through," Gallagher said.