Bill C-3 Substantial Connection Test: 1,095 Days Explained

If you became a Canadian citizen by descent under Bill C-3, you can pass that citizenship to your children born outside Canada—but only if you meet the substantial connection test: 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada before your child's birth. This test applies exclusively to births that happen after December 15, 2025, when Bill C-3 came into force. It does not apply to people claiming citizenship for themselves under the restored descent rules.

This distinction matters. Bill C-3 removed the first-generation limit retroactively, restoring citizenship to thousands of people born abroad to Canadian parents. But Parliament didn't eliminate all limits on citizenship by descent. Instead, it replaced the old cutoff with a new rule designed to preserve a meaningful connection to Canada across generations.

What is the substantial connection test under Bill C-3?

The substantial connection test requires that a Canadian-citizen parent spend at least 1,095 cumulative days physically present in Canada before a child born outside Canada can acquire citizenship at birth.

1,095 days equals three years. The days don't need to be consecutive. They can span any period in the parent's life before the child is born—childhood, university years, work assignments, visits to family, anything that counts as physical presence.

This test appears in the amended Citizenship Act as part of Bill C-3. It applies only to births after December 15, 2025. If your child was born before that date, the old first-generation limit rules apply, not the substantial connection test.

Who the test applies to

The substantial connection test applies to Canadian citizens by descent who have children born outside Canada after December 15, 2025.

Specifically:

• You were born outside Canada
• You are a Canadian citizen (either because you claimed it under Bill C-3, or you already had it)
• Your child is born outside Canada after December 15, 2025
• You want your child to acquire Canadian citizenship at birth

If all four conditions are true, you must demonstrate 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada before your child's birth. If you can't, your child does not automatically become a Canadian citizen at birth—but they may still be eligible to immigrate or naturalise later through other pathways.

Who the test does NOT apply to

The substantial connection test does not apply to people claiming citizenship for themselves under Bill C-3's retroactive provisions.

If you were born outside Canada to a Canadian parent (who was also born outside Canada), and you're applying for your own citizenship certificate using form CIT 0001, you do not need to prove 1,095 days in Canada. Bill C-3 restored your citizenship automatically, retroactive to your birth.

The test also does not apply to:

• People born in Canada (they're citizens by birth on Canadian soil, regardless of their parents' history)
• First-generation Canadians born abroad (children of Canadian-born parents have always been citizens at birth, with no presence requirement)
• Anyone born outside Canada before December 15, 2025 (the old first-generation limit ruled those cases, and Bill C-3 retroactively fixed them without imposing a new test)

This is a forward-looking rule. It governs the next generation born abroad after the law changed, not the generations whose citizenship was restored by the law itself.

How the 1,095-day count works

Physical presence means exactly that: days you were bodily inside Canada's land borders.

What counts:

• Any day or part of a day you were in Canada, regardless of immigration status at the time
• Days as a visitor, student, temporary worker, or permanent resident
• Days as a child (if your parent moved back to Canada when you were young, those childhood years count)
• Days spent in Canadian waters or airspace on a Canadian-registered vessel or aircraft

What doesn't count:

• Time outside Canada, even if you maintained a Canadian address or filed Canadian taxes
• Days in transit through Canadian airports without clearing customs
• Time living abroad for work, study, or family reasons

IRCC has not yet published detailed guidance on documentation requirements for proving the 1,095 days. Based on established presence-calculation precedents in citizenship and permanent residence applications, expect to provide:

• Entry and exit records (from passports, travel history, border stamps)
• School records or employment records showing periods in Canada
• Lease agreements, utility bills, tax records as supporting evidence
• A signed statutory declaration detailing your absences

Start documenting your time in Canada now if you're planning to have children abroad in the coming years. The burden of proof rests with the applicant.

Worked examples across three generations

Understanding how the substantial connection test works is easier with concrete family scenarios. Here are three common patterns.

Example 1: Grandparent born in Canada, parent restored under Bill C-3, child born after December 15, 2025

Generation 1: Maria was born in Montreal in 1948. Canadian citizen by birth.

Generation 2: Maria's daughter Anna was born in California in 1975 while Maria was working in the US. Under the old first-generation limit (imposed in 2009), Anna lost her claim to citizenship. Bill C-3 restored it retroactively. Anna applies for her citizenship certificate in 2026 using form CIT 0001. She does not need to prove 1,095 days in Canada to claim her own citizenship.

Generation 3: Anna's son Ben is born in California in 2027. Anna is now a Canadian citizen, but she was born outside Canada. For Ben to acquire Canadian citizenship at birth, Anna must prove 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada before Ben's birth. If Anna spent summers in Montreal as a child and a semester abroad in Toronto during university, and those periods total three years or more, Ben is a Canadian citizen at birth. If not, he isn't—though he could immigrate or naturalise later.

This is the grandparent pathway extended into a third generation, with the substantial connection test as the new gatekeeper.

Example 2: Parent meets the test, child born abroad is a citizen

Generation 1: Robert was born in Vancouver in 1952.

Generation 2: Robert's son David was born in London, England, in 1980 while Robert worked abroad. David is a Canadian citizen (first generation born abroad to a Canadian-born parent). David moved to Canada for university in 1998 and worked in Toronto from 2002 to 2008 (six years). He then moved to Australia for work in 2009.

Generation 3: David's daughter Emma is born in Sydney in 2028. David is a Canadian citizen born outside Canada. But David lived in Canada for roughly 2,190 days (six years) during his adult life—well over the 1,095-day threshold. Emma acquires Canadian citizenship at birth. David applies for Emma's citizenship certificate, submits proof of his time in Canada, and IRCC issues the certificate.

Emma can pass citizenship to her own children born abroad only if she, in turn, accumulates 1,095 days in Canada before they're born.

Example 3: Parent does not meet the test, child is not a citizen at birth

Generation 1: Francine was born in Quebec City in 1955.

Generation 2: Francine's daughter Sophie was born in Paris in 1982. Sophie is a Canadian citizen (first generation born abroad). Sophie visited Canada occasionally as a child and adult—family reunions, a two-week vacation in 2010, a cousin's wedding in 2019—but never lived there. Total time in Canada: roughly 60 days.

Generation 3: Sophie's son Lucas is born in Berlin in 2029. Sophie is a Canadian citizen, but she has not spent 1,095 days in Canada. Lucas does not acquire Canadian citizenship at birth. He is not eligible to apply for a citizenship certificate as a citizen by descent. However, Lucas could potentially immigrate to Canada through family sponsorship or other immigration pathways, and eventually naturalise as a Canadian citizen after meeting residency and other requirements.

This outcome is exactly what the substantial connection test was designed to produce: citizenship by descent continues, but only when the transmitting parent maintains a tangible link to Canada.

Planning ahead: building your 1,095 days

If you are a Canadian citizen by descent and you plan to have children outside Canada in the future, start tracking and building your time in Canada now.

Strategies to accumulate presence:

• Spend extended time in Canada during university years (a four-year degree covers the requirement)
• Take work assignments in Canada, even temporarily
• Relocate to Canada for a few years before starting a family
• If you're a dual citizen living abroad, consider a sabbatical or remote-work arrangement based in Canada

Document everything:

• Keep all passports, even expired ones
• Save boarding passes, entry stamps, and travel itineraries
• Maintain records of school enrolment, employment contracts, lease agreements
• Request certified copies of entry/exit records from CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) if available

The 1,095-day threshold is fixed. You can't substitute other ties to Canada (property ownership, family connections, tax filings) for physical presence. IRCC will count days, and you'll need to prove them.

How this fits into the bigger picture of Bill C-3

Bill C-3 is often described as eliminating the first-generation limit, and that's accurate for people claiming citizenship retroactively. But the Act didn't make citizenship by descent unlimited going forward. It replaced a hard generational cutoff with a flexible presence-based test.

For a detailed explanation of how Bill C-3 works overall, including who qualifies and how to apply, see our complete guide to Bill C-3. If you're specifically claiming citizenship as a second-generation (or later) Canadian born abroad, the grandparent pathway guide walks through your application step by step.

The substantial connection test addresses a legitimate policy concern: preventing citizenship by descent from being passed down indefinitely through families with no real ties to Canada. By requiring three years of presence, Parliament ensured that citizenship remains anchored to lived experience in the country, not just genealogy.

For families who value their Canadian heritage and want to pass it on, 1,095 days is achievable. For those with only distant or symbolic ties, citizenship may end with the current generation—and that's by design.

When to get advice

The substantial connection test is new. IRCC has not yet released detailed operational guidance, and edge cases will emerge as applications are processed over the next few years.

If your situation is complicated—multiple countries of residence, gaps in documentation, unclear travel history, or children born right around the December 15, 2025 cutoff date—consider consulting a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or a Canadian immigration lawyer. arryv is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice, but we can connect you with qualified professionals if needed.

For straightforward cases where you clearly meet (or clearly don't meet) the 1,095-day threshold, the application process is the same as any citizenship certificate claim: complete form CIT 0001, gather supporting documents including proof of your time in Canada, and mail everything to the IRCC processing centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Processing times for citizenship certificates currently run 9 to 12 months. Plan accordingly if you need the certificate for your child to travel, access benefits, or sponsor family members.

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Not sure if you qualify under Bill C-3, or whether the substantial connection test applies to your family? Take our free 2-minute eligibility quiz at arryv.ai/check and get a clear answer tailored to your situation.