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A Short History of Canadian Citizenship Laws
Before 1947, citizenship in Canada was determined by three statutes regulating naturalization, immigration, deportation, and acquisition of the status of British subjects (the Immigration Act of 1910, the Naturalization Act of 1914; and the Canadian Nationals Act of 1921).
January 1, 1947, was the turning point when the term "Canadian citizen" gained legal recognition through the enactment of the Canadian Citizenship Act. The Act contained many provisions to convert the status of British subjects in Canada to Canadian citizens. The Act also provided that persons born or naturalized in Canada became Canadian citizens and that persons born outside Canada after January 1, 1947 to a Canadian father (or Canadian mother if born out-of-wedlock) could be registered as Canadians by birth abroad.
Revised legislation B the Citizenship Act B came into force on February 15, 1977. This Act represented a major change by making naturalization a right, rather than a privilege bestowed at the Minister's discretion. All applicants meeting the statutory requirements and free of the criminal and security prohibitions under the Act had a right to citizenship.
A new law came into effect on April 17, 2009 amending the Citizenship Act to give Canadian citizenship to certain individuals who lost it, and to others recognized as citizens for the first time. Individuals who are Canadian citizens at the time the law came into effect keep their citizenship. How a person is affected by the new citizenship legislation depends on their unique situation. For more information on who becomes a citizen, who does not become a citizen, and more, please visit the CIC website.
