Bad News for Some Canadian Expats Who Want to Procreate Abroad
Skimming through Expat Women today, I learned that a new citizenship law about to go into effect in Canada will make some Canadian children born abroad ineligible for Canadian citizenship.
Expat Women writes:
Hi Everyone, If you are a Canadian, especially if you are an adult TCK or you have children who one day will be adult TCKs (Third Culture Kids), Robin Pascoe has asked us to pass this urgent message on to you:
“Did you know that the new Canadian citizenship rules which go into effect April 17 state that:
“…children born in another country after the new law comes into effect will not be Canadian citizens by birth if they were born outside Canada to a Canadian parent who was also born outside Canada to a Canadian parent.”
To read more, and to take action, please visit my blog post today. Thanks!”
The new law doesn’t affect children born to Canadians who were born in Canada themselves. But if either parent was born outside of Canada, their child’s citizenship could be in jeopardy.
Please share the news with any Canadian expats you know in Peru. It can be hard keeping up with the legalities of living abroad.
Barbara
I am an American writer who lived in Lima for seven years (2007-2014), where I covered Andean traditions, melting glaciers and daily life in the capital for Miami Herald, MSNBC and Huffington Post. I now live and work in northern Florida where I champion climate change advocacy and compassionate, affordable eldercare.
3 Comments
Ben Jonjak
Hey Barbara,
Wow, this citizenship thing is kind of a mouthful. A child born to a canadian who was born to a canadian who was living out of Peru…annoying.
I’ve been handling visa stuff lately, and I suppose it’s only a matter of time before the US starts implementing stupid rules like this…oh well.
Anyway, I just thought I’d shoot you a note since I haven’t heard from you lately. How’s everything going?
Cheers,
Ben
Barb
Ben,
Things are going well. I do not like the summer heat in Lima — I feel like I am slowing roasting in our old house, which doesn’t have AC like most homes here. Oh, well. At least our carbon footprint is low…
Oscar
Just to clarify this, children born abroad to a Naturalized Canadian who, obviously, was not born in Canada, are also natural-born Canadians. There is no legal distinction between naturalized Canadians and Canada-born Canadians. It is only the children of Canadians who gained citizenship through heredity that would have to immigrate and become Canadian citizens though the normal chanels as required for every other immigrant. Once they have been naturalized, their children born abroad will be natural-born Canadians also.