Canada Citizenship by Adoption

If the Adopted Child is 18 or Under

In order for the child to be granted citizenship, all of the following requirements must be met:

• A genuine relationship of parent and child between the person and the adoptive parent must have existed before the person attained the age of 18 years and at the time of the adoption

• The adoption must be in accordance with the laws of the place where the adoption took place and the laws of the country where the adoptive parents reside
• The adoption must not have been entered into primarily for the purpose of acquiring immigration or citizenship statuses
• The adoption must not have occurred in a manner that circumvented the legal requirement for international adoptions

Required Documents for Part One

For this part of the process, you will need to submit the following documents:

• Confirmation of Canadian Citizenship of the Adoptive Parent(s) form (CIT 0010)
• Two pieces of personal ID
  • If the adopted person is under 18 years of age, this will be two pieces of personal ID for the person who is making the application on behalf of the adopted person (adoptive parent or legal guardian)
  • If the adopted person is 18 years of age or older, this will be two pieces of personal ID for the adopted person
• One proof of Canadian citizenship of the adoptive parent(s), such as:
  • Provincial/territorial birth certificate
  • Certificate of Canadian citizenship
  • Certificate of naturalization
• Receipt of application fees
• Document Checklist
• Other relevant documents, such as:
  • Use of a Representative form (IMM 5476)
  • Documentation proving legal guardianship
  • Documentation to prove a change of name
  • Request form for a Change of Sex or Gender Identifier

Note that any documents not in either English or French must be accompanied with a certified translation into either one of these languages.

How to Submit Part One

In order to submit this part of your application, you must gather all of the supporting documents mentioned and ensure that you have filled in the Confirmation of Canadian Citizenship of the Adoptive Parent(s) form.

This form must be completed as fully as possible and also signed and dated.

You must then pay the application fees online. To do this, you will need a valid email address, a credit or debit card and access to a printer.

Once you have paid your fees, ensure that you have printed out your receipt and included it in your application.

Once you are confident that you have collected every necessary aspect and element of your application, you will then have to mail it to the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

After You Submit Part One

Once you mail your application, it will be reviewed by IRCC to confirm that all the necessary documents have been included and the payment has been made.

Once your application has been processed, you will receive a decision letter.

If your application has been approved, you will receive confirmation that one of the adoptive parents is eligible to pass on Canadian citizenship to the adopted child and further instructions on how to submit part two.

Required Documents for Part Two

For this part of the process, you will need to submit the following documents:

• Adoptee’s Application form (CIT 0012)
• Two pieces of the adopted person’s personal ID, such as:
  • A driver’s licence
  • A health insurance card
  • A birth certificate
  • A hospital record
• One of the following supporting documents (except for adopted persons destined to the province of Quebec):
  • An adoption order
  • An adoption judgment
  • An adoption certificate
• The adopted person’s original birth certificate showing the names of their biological parents
• For orphaned children, the death certificate of their biological parents (certified authentic by the appropriate local government authority)
• Two identical citizenship application photographs of the adopted person (only one is to be sent with part two of the application; you must keep the other one for later use)
• Document Checklist
• Other relevant documents, such as:
  • Use of a Representative form (IMM 5476)
  • Documentation proving legal guardianship
  • Documentation to prove a change of name

Note that any documents not in either English or French must be accompanied with a certified translation into either one of these languages.

How to Submit Part Two

Similar to part one, you must gather all of the supporting documents mentioned and ensure that you have filled in the Adoptee’s Application form.

This form must be completed as fully as possible and also signed and dated.

Once you are confident that you have collected every necessary aspect and element of your application, you will then have to mail it to the address specified in the confirmation letter you received after part one of your application was approved.

After You Submit Part Two

Once you mail your application, it will be reviewed by IRCC to confirm that all the necessary documents have been included and the adoption meets the requirements of the Citizenship Act and Regulations.

If your application is approved, the adopted child will be granted Canadian citizenship. You will also receive a letter confirming this, along with a Canadian citizenship certificate.

If your application is refused, you will receive a letter outlining the reasons why. If you feel like your application was unfairly or wrongly refused, you may apply for a judicial review of the decision to the Federal Court of Canada.