Canadian Citizenship for Adopted Persons

A person adopted by a Canadian citizen outside Canada may be eligible to obtain Canadian citizenship through a special citizenship process for adopted persons.

This process is different from both a regular citizenship application and family sponsorship for permanent residence. The appropriate route depends on the adoptive parent’s Canadian citizenship, when and where the adoption took place, and whether the adoption meets Canadian citizenship requirements.

Anka Canada Immigration Consulting assists Canadian families and adopted persons with assessing citizenship eligibility and preparing applications under the citizenship provisions for adopted persons.

Services are provided by Volkan Sacilik, RCIC-IRB, CICC Licence No. R1042981.

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Who May Qualify?

For a direct grant of citizenship as an adopted person, at least one adoptive parent generally must have been a Canadian citizen at the time of the adoption and must be able to pass Canadian citizenship to the adopted person. The adoption must also meet the requirements of the Citizenship Act.

For children adopted internationally, IRCC considers factors including whether:

• the adoption is in the child’s best interests;

• a genuine parent-child relationship was created;

• the adoption complied with the applicable laws;

• the adoption was not entered into primarily to obtain Canadian citizenship or immigration status.

The adopted person may be a minor or an adult. Different considerations can apply depending on the person’s age and when the adoption occurred.

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How Does the Citizenship Process Work?

The direct citizenship application generally involves two stages:

Part 1 – Adoptive Parent
IRCC confirms that at least one adoptive parent is a Canadian citizen and is able to pass citizenship to the adopted person.

Part 2 – Adopted Person
After Part 1 is approved, IRCC assesses the adopted person and the completed adoption against the citizenship requirements.

Unlike the regular naturalization process, citizenship under the adoption provisions generally does not require the adopted person to first become a permanent resident, meet the 1,095-day physical presence requirement or complete the normal citizenship language and knowledge requirements.

Citizenship law changes that took effect in December 2025 also affect some adopted persons where the Canadian parent was themselves born or adopted outside Canada. In certain cases, the Canadian parent’s previous physical presence in Canada becomes relevant.

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Citizenship or Permanent Residence?

A Canadian citizen adopting a person outside Canada may, depending on the circumstances, have more than one possible route.

The adopted person may potentially:

• obtain citizenship directly under the adoption provisions; or

• immigrate to Canada as a permanent resident and later apply for citizenship through the regular naturalization process.

IRCC specifically recognizes both possibilities, and the requirements and future implications are different.

Learn more: Adopted Child Sponsorship →

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How Anka Canada Immigration Consulting Can Assist

Anka can review the adoption history, the Canadian citizenship status of the adoptive parent and the applicable citizenship rules to determine which process should be considered.

Where retained, we can assist with:

• assessing eligibility for citizenship as an adopted person;

• reviewing the adoptive parent’s ability to pass citizenship;

• preparing Part 1 and Part 2 of the citizenship process;

• organizing adoption and citizenship evidence; and

• identifying whether a permanent residence route should instead be considered.

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Important Information

International adoption involves both adoption law and Canadian immigration or citizenship law. Provinces and territories are responsible for adoption matters, while IRCC determines Canadian citizenship eligibility.

This page provides general information only and does not guarantee eligibility for or approval of Canadian citizenship.