I was on the phone with my dad the other day when he asked if I'd heard about the changes to Canada's citizenship rules. They had removed the first-generation limit for citizenship by descent. Now, almost anyone who can prove ties to a Canadian ancestor is automatically and retroactively a Canadian citizen.
My family has always been aware of our ties to Canada: as far as I can tell, all four of my grandparents were first-generation Americans whose parents had moved to the U.S. from Canada. But with citizenship limited to the first generation, there was no path for me to claim that citizenship more a century later.
The new rules change all that. By removing the first-generation limit, Canada has opened the doors for potentially millions of Americans to claim citizenship and gain the right to live and work in Canada.
Here's what you need to know about the changes to Canadian citizenship, why it matters for LGBTQ+ Americans, and how to find out if you're eligible for it.
