What Is a Citizenship Certificate?
A citizenship certificate is a document that proves citizenship of Canada or another country by birth. It differs from a passport or PR card. Permanent residents of Canada may need this certificate to prove Canadian citizenship for their children or to obtain a new Canadian passport when their existing one expires.
Current Situation: 33-Month Wait, 136,000 Applications Pending
According to IRCC's update on September 3, 2026, citizenship certificates are facing a backlog of approximately 33 months with roughly 136,000 applications awaiting processing. This number has grown rapidly: in March of this year, the wait time was 10 months, meaning this category has accumulated an additional 23 months in backlog in just 6 months.
Notably, the queue grew by 14,200 applications in a single reporting period, indicating that the volume of citizenship certificate applications is increasing faster than processing capacity.
Why Is Processing So Slow?
Canada has not disclosed specific reasons for these delays. However, several factors likely contribute:
- Increased Demand: More permanent residents are seeking to prove Canadian citizenship for their children or apply for new passports.
- Staffing Shortages: IRCC is simultaneously processing millions of visa, PR, and citizenship applications.
- Complex Procedures: Citizenship certificates require verification of family history, place of birth, and parents' citizenship status.
Important Considerations
IRCC reports that 80% of recent applications are completed within the stated timeframe, but your application may be faster or slower—applications requiring additional review, supplementary documentation, or background checks will take considerably longer.
If you are applying for a citizenship certificate, prepare for a wait of 2–3 years. Incomplete applications or missing documents will extend the timeline further.
Other Immigration Categories Also Affected
Not only citizenship certificates, but processing times for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (Express Entry), spousal sponsorship for partners outside Canada outside Quebec, and citizenship status verification have each increased by one month. However, processing times for the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) and spousal sponsorship for partners within Canada outside Quebec have each decreased by one month.
