If you have at least one grandparent who is Canadian, you may be eligible for Canadian citizenship – even if you and your parents were born abroad, and neither of your parents has a Canadian passport.
That means that you may be able to apply for and receive a Canadian passport, even neither you nor your parents have ever lived in Canada.
If your parent was born in Canada
If your parent was born in Canada, that means your parent was automatically a Canadian citizen by birth.*
If you have a parent who was born in Canada and acquired Canadian citizenship at birth, you can simply apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate.
It does not matter if your parent has died prior to your applying for proof of citizenship; you are still deemed a Canadian citizen and can apply for a citizenship certificate.
*Some exceptions may apply.
Your grandparent is Canadian, and your parent was born outside Canada
If you have at least one grandparent who is Canadian, and your parent was born outside Canada, the fist generation limit to citizenship by descent may apply to you. This means you are not automatically a Canadian citizen.
However, due to interim measures introduced this year, you can still apply for a discretionary grant of citizenship, if you can prove that at least one of your grandparents is Canadian.
If your application is approved, you'll receive a Canadian citizenship certificate, an official document from the Government of Canada that serves as proof of citizenship, which you can use to apply for a Canadian passport.
