Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) received approximately 6,726 applications requesting urgent processing for proof of Canadian citizenship during the first eight months after Bill C-3 took effect.
The figures cover December 15, 2025, to August 14, 2026, and come from internal government data obtained through an Access to Information request. Some of the information had not been released publicly before. Previously published figures only covered applications up to June 30, 2026.
A proof of citizenship application allows a person to obtain a Canadian citizenship certificate. Demand for these certificates has increased following changes to Canada’s citizenship by descent rules. However, this application category also includes people who need to replace a lost or damaged certificate.
Bill C-3 took effect on December 15, 2025. It removed the first-generation limit, which had restricted Canadian citizens born abroad from passing citizenship to children who were also born outside Canada.
Urgent processing is available to applicants who need their citizenship certificates sooner than the regular waiting period. As of October 9, 2026, a new proof of citizenship application was estimated to take 34 months, with approximately 130,700 applicants waiting for a decision. Urgent processing may allow eligible applicants to receive their certificates much sooner.
Five Key Findings From The New Data
One: Almost All Urgent Applications Processed Were Approved
IRCC processed 5,845 applications requesting urgent processing between December 15, 2025, and August 14, 2026.
Of these, 5,804 applications were approved, representing 99.3% of the total. Only 17 applications were refused during the eight-month period, and refusals never exceeded five in a single month.
Applicants withdrew 23 applications, while one application was recorded as abandoned.
These figures show that nearly all urgent applications processed during this period received approval. However, the data does not confirm whether every applicant who requested urgent processing was granted that service.
Two: IRCC Processed An Average Of 730 Urgent Applications Monthly
IRCC processed 5,845 urgent proof of citizenship applications over eight months, averaging approximately 730 applications per month.
The department recorded its highest monthly output in February and March 2026. Activity then declined during the following months, reaching its lowest point in June before increasing again in July.
The monthly figures provide a clearer picture of how IRCC handled urgent applications during the early months after the citizenship law changed.
| Month Processed | Approved | Refused | Abandoned | Withdrawn | Total Processed |
| December 2025 (Dec 15 to 31) | 213 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 213 |
| January 2026 | 800 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 815 |
| February 2026 | 964 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 970 |
| March 2026 | 954 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 960 |
| April 2026 | 844 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 848 |
| May 2026 | 716 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 717 |
| June 2026 | 317 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 319 |
| July 2026 | 646 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 649 |
| August 2026 (Aug 1 to 14) | 350 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 354 |
| Total | 5,804 | 17 | 1 | 23 | 5,845 |
Source: IRCC data released under the Access to Information Act. Totals were calculated from the released data. Blank cells in the original records are shown as zero.
Three: Urgent Applications Made Up An Estimated Fifteen Per Cent Of Finalized Files
Publicly available IRCC figures show that the department finalized 34,400 proof of citizenship applications between January 1 and July 31, 2026.
The newly released data shows that IRCC processed 5,278 urgent applications during the same seven-month period. This suggests that urgent applications accounted for approximately 15% of all proof of citizenship applications finalized during those months.
However, this percentage is an estimate. The two figures come from separate IRCC data sources, so they may not follow exactly the same reporting methods.
Even with this limitation, the figures indicate that urgent applications formed a notable share of the department’s citizenship certificate workload.
Four: Urgent Requests Reached Their Highest Level In March
The number of urgent processing requests increased after Bill C-3 took effect.
IRCC received 220 requests during the final two weeks of December 2025. The monthly total rose to 572 in January and continued increasing before reaching 1,362 in March 2026.
March was the busiest month in the available data. Requests then declined each month, falling to 686 in July. IRCC received 323 requests during the first two weeks of August.
The figures also show that the number of urgent requests did not follow the same pattern as IRCC’s estimated waiting period for regular applications. The estimate stood at 10 months in March and increased to 25 months in August.
| Month Received | Urgent Applications |
| December 2025 (Dec 15 to 31) | 220 |
| January 2026 | 572 |
| February 2026 | 739 |
| March 2026 | 1,362 |
| April 2026 | 1,167 |
| May 2026 | 845 |
| June 2026 | 812 |
| July 2026 | 686 |
| August 2026 (Aug 1 to 14) | 323 |
| Total | 6,726 |
Source: IRCC data released under the Access to Information Act. The total was calculated from the released data.
IRCC cautions that there can be a delay between receiving an application and entering it into the department’s system. As a result, figures for the most recent months may not reflect the full number of applications received during those periods.
Five: Urgent Approvals Fell Sharply In June
IRCC approved 317 urgent applications in June 2026, down from 716 in May. This represented a decline of more than half in monthly approvals.
The decrease coincided with IRCC’s review of citizenship certificates. On June 13, the department asked some recent certificate holders to return their certificates. A few days later, it paused the finalization of certain new proof of citizenship applications.
The review ended on June 30.
Urgent approvals increased again in July, when IRCC approved 646 applications. The department approved another 350 urgent applications during the first two weeks of August.
Although approvals recovered after June, the data does not explain the reasons behind every monthly change.
What The Data Does Not Show?
The figures only cover applications that requested urgent or expedited processing and were processed by IRCC during the period under review.
They do not show how many requests for urgent processing IRCC rejected. When the department decides that an application does not meet the requirements for urgent processing, the application generally continues through the regular process rather than being refused outright.
As a result, applications that did not qualify for urgent processing may not appear in these figures.
The data also does not reveal how long IRCC took to process individual urgent applications. Therefore, it cannot establish the average time applicants waited to receive a decision or citizenship certificate.
Who Can Request Urgent Processing?
IRCC updated its guidance for urgent processing of citizenship certificates on September 28, 2026.
The department may consider an application for faster processing when the certificate is needed to:
- Avoid harm or hardship related to factors such as race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
- Move a child under 18 to Canada when the child was born outside Canada and has a Canadian parent.
- Resolve a case of statelessness.
- Travel because of a family member’s death or serious illness when the applicant cannot obtain a passport from another country.
- Give up a foreign citizenship by a specified deadline.
- Apply for a job, keep an existing job, or attend a school, college, or university.
- Access social benefits, including a pension, health care, or a social insurance number.
Applicants should provide supporting documents explaining why they need their citizenship certificate urgently. Meeting one of the listed circumstances does not automatically guarantee faster processing, as IRCC assesses requests based on the applicant’s situation and supporting evidence.
The latest figures show that IRCC approved nearly all urgent proof of citizenship applications it processed during the first eight months after Bill C-3 took effect. However, the data does not reveal how many applicants were denied urgent processing or how quickly approved applicants received their certificates.
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