My adopted child has permanent residence. How can I apply for their citizenship?

If your adopted child is already a permanent resident, you can apply for a grant of citizenship. The same application form and fees apply to permanent or non-permanent residents. Adoptive parents can apply for either:

• a regular grant for a minor child of a Canadian; or
• a grant of citizenship under the adoption provision.

If you are an adoptive parent with permanent resident status, you can apply for citizenship for the child at the same time you apply for yourself.

Applying under the adoption provision

If you choose the grant of citizenship under the adoption provision, your child will be affected by the first-generation limit. That means your child will not be able to:

• pass on their citizenship to any children they may have outside Canada; or
• apply for a direct grant for any children they later adopt outside Canada unless the other adoptive parent is a Canadian citizen by birth in Canada or through naturalization.

Passing on citizenship to an adoptive child

Adoptive parents can pass on their Canadian Citizenship to an adopted child if the:

• Adoptive parents were Canadian citizens by birth in Canada or by naturalization at the time of adoption.
• Adoptions happened before January 1, 1947, and at least one parent was a Canadian citizen on January 1, 1947.
• Adoptions happened in Newfoundland and Labrador before April 1, 1949.