Can I apply to become a Canadian citizen?

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My apologies if this has already been asked - I searched around and I cannot seem to come up with an answer.  

My father is a citizen of both the U.S. and Canada.  His parents were U.S., and he grew up in the U.S., but he was born in Canada.  A few years ago he applied for and received his Canadian citizenship.  Am I eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship?

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vhand Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List New Member Joined: 01 Apr 2012 Status: Offline Points: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote vhand Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Can I apply to become a Canadian citizen? Posted: 01 Apr 2012 at 1:26pm
	My apologies if this has already been asked - I searched around and I cannot seem to come up with an answer. My father is a citizen of both the U.S. and Canada. His parents were U.S., and he grew up in the U.S., but he was born in Canada. A few years ago he applied for and received his Canadian citizenship. Am I eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship?

xero9 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Average Member Joined: 11 Feb 2012 Location: Ajax, ON Status: Offline Points: 159	Post Options Post Reply Quote xero9 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01 Apr 2012 at 1:39pm
	Hi vhand, I believe the short answer is yes. I haven't looked too far in to it because I don't know most of the details, but you might want to go through the questions on this page and it should be able to give you a more concrete answer: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/rules/index.asp I know when I received my US citizenship through my mother, there were certain conditions that needed to be met, such as she needed to be married, have lived in the US until a certain age, I had to be born between a certain year, etc etc. I'm not entirely sure if Canada has such requirements but that link should be able to help you out.
	Timeline for 2011 applications

vhand Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List New Member Joined: 01 Apr 2012 Status: Offline Points: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote vhand Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01 Apr 2012 at 1:51pm
	Thank you very much for the link, very helpful. It would seem I am ineligible because he was not a Canadian citizen "at the time of my birth" - he applied later. At least, that's the way I'm reading it... Thanks again.

xero9 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Average Member Joined: 11 Feb 2012 Location: Ajax, ON Status: Offline Points: 159	Post Options Post Reply Quote xero9 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01 Apr 2012 at 2:14pm
	Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but him being born in Canada would automatically make him a Canadian citizen. He might not have had any documentation showing it, but he was always entitled to citizenship. You may want to call CIC directly to clarify. I tried searching their site and I didn't seem to have any luck finding a way to actually claim citizenship. It may be as simple as submitting an application for a citizenship certificate, found here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/certif.asp From that page, I found this which seems to pertain to your situation: If you were born outside Canada to a Canadian parent on or after January 1, 1947, then send the following supporting documents: A birth certificate which lists your parents (issued by responsible government authorities in the country where you were born) [A "long birth certificate" would probably work?] Proof that one or both of your natural parents were Canadian citizens when you were born [Your father's birth certificate, showing he was born IN Canada] Two (2) pieces of personal identification, such as a driver’s licence and a health insurance card, one of which must have your photo on it. Other documents, such as a marriage certificate/divorce certificate and/or a legal name change certificate (if applicable) I highly recommend calling CIC tomorrow though. They should be able to direct you in the proper place (though someone on here might be able to do better than myself). In any case, let us know what you find out. I'm curious myself now! Best of luck :)
	Timeline for 2011 applications

vhand Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List New Member Joined: 01 Apr 2012 Status: Offline Points: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote vhand Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01 Apr 2012 at 5:00pm
	Interesting. Yeah, I wasn't sure how to read that. I will give them a call.

vhand Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List New Member Joined: 01 Apr 2012 Status: Offline Points: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote vhand Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 12 Apr 2012 at 2:38pm
	Well, I wasn't ever able to get a hold of anyone to ask about this. :( The Seattle office has a lot of recorded options, but when you finally get to where it's supposed to give you a person it just says their department is "fully busy and not accepting calls." It then refers me to the Buffalo office. The Buffalo office conveniently refers me back to the Seattle Office.

Kazakhstan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Junior Member Joined: 05 Mar 2012 Status: Offline Points: 31	Post Options Post Reply Quote Kazakhstan Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 12 Apr 2012 at 3:48pm
	I assume your father probably was a Canadian citizen at the time of your birth, if he later was able to obtain a citizenship certificate to confirm his Canadian citizenship. In other words, your father was recognized as a citizen, and not became a citizen / was not granted citizenship when he got his citizenship certificate. So, you could be eligible to apply for a proof of Canadian citizenship by descent because of your father. If that is the case, you obtained your Canadian citizenship through your Canadian-born father, and only need a citizenship certificate to prove it / to be recognized as a Canadian citizen. The only very specific case when a Canadian-born person does not become a citizen, is if at least one of the parents had diplomatic status in Canada at the time of his or her birth... And even in that case, such person could still become a Canadian citizen by their birth depending on some other circumstances and what citizenship rules were in effect at the time (pre- or post- 1977)... Or, one could renounce or even lose their Canadian citizenship. I assumed the latter situations don't apply to your dad and he never ceased to be a Canadian citizen, because the process of obtaining or re-instating Canadian citizenship is much more complex than just obtaining a proof of citizenship (citizenship certificate)... You can check it with your father to be sure, if he ever ceased to be a Canadian citizen that is, he would know exactly. So, most likely, you shouldn't worry, just gather the documents, pay the fees and apply. The processing times are pretty long though. Do this self-assessment to be 100% sure because there are all these different complex situations that can't be covered in a short post: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/rules/tool_04.asp It'll ask you a series of questions to determine if you are eligible. Please let us know too. Edited by Kazakhstan - 12 Apr 2012 at 5:16pm

vhand Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List New Member Joined: 01 Apr 2012 Status: Offline Points: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote vhand Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 09 May 2012 at 10:52am
	Ok, 1 more question, and maybe this is something I should have thought to say right off the bat (my apologies for that), but- I don't live in Canada. I live in the U.S. (Washington State). This page seems to indicate I need to reside in Canada for a few years to apply for Canadian citizenship...? http://www.immigration.ca/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9510&title=can-i-apply-to-become-a-canadian-citizen

xero9 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Average Member Joined: 11 Feb 2012 Location: Ajax, ON Status: Offline Points: 159	Post Options Post Reply Quote xero9 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 09 May 2012 at 1:31pm
	Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe you're really "applying" to become a Canadian, but instead claiming the citizenship. I don't think it's the same process. Did you have any luck in obtaining your father's birth certificate?
	Timeline for 2011 applications