As we commemorate the centenary of the racist practices that the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act encoded into law one hundred years, it is important to shine a light on this history, and to address the root causes of racism, hatred and discrimination. This unconscionable federal law prevented Chinese people from immigrating to Canada. It created untold sorrow and suffering, separated families and broke intergenerational ties. It undermined and prevented Chinese communities trying to grow and flourish in their new home in Canada.
This was just one of many racist laws that discriminated and segregated people on the basis of race and cultural or ethnic origin. Starting in 1885, the Federal government forced Chinese immigrants to pay a “head tax” on arrival to Canada. In 1908, the Federal government’s “continuous journey” rule was adopted to bar new migrants from Asian countries who travelled by ship routes with stopovers.
Different jurisdictions passed targeted laws to prevent migrants from Asian countries and racialized people from taking certain jobs, even to stop them from taking part in leisure activities like swimming.
During and after the Second World War, federal law caused thousands of Japanese Canadians to lose their personal property to seizure and face imprisonment in interment camps or forced labour in harsh conditions, far from home.
People applying for proof of Canadian citizenship are now facing a projected wait of about 19 months, as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s public processing-time tool shows about 99,500 people waiting for a decision.
The July 7 update marks a sharp increase for citizenship certificate applications, also known as proof of citizenship. In April, the wait for the same category was listed at 10 months, with 56,300 applications in line, according to a CIC News report tracking IRCC’s processing-time. By May 12, the wait had risen to 12 months and the queue to about 70,400, according to Moving2Canada. The same platform said the queue stood at 40,400 on Dec. 10, 2025, five days before changes to Canada’s Citizenship Act took effect.
A citizenship certificate is not the same as a citizenship grant. A grant is for permanent residents applying to become citizens. A certificate is proof that someone is already Canadian under the law, including people born outside Canada to Canadian parents, people replacing older proof-of-citizenship documents, and people whose citizenship may have been restored or recognized because of recent legal changes.
The certificate can matter for practical reasons. IRCC says people who believe they may have become citizens under Bill C-3 — the law that changed Canada’s citizenship-by-descent rules — must apply for a citizenship certificate to confirm their status. The document can also be used to apply for a Canadian passport.
Bill C-3 changed Canada’s first-generation limit on citizenship by descent and came into force on Dec. 15, 2025. Under the new rules, some individuals whose connection to a Canadian citizen extends beyond one generation are eligible to apply for citizenship by descent.
NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said IRCC should publish more detailed information, including how many proof-of-citizenship applications are waiting, what counts as non-routine and how many files have been designated that way.
“Publishing a single processing time creates false expectations and leaves applicants unable to plan their lives,” Kwan said in a written response. “It doesn’t work as public policy and it doesn’t work for the people applying.”
She said delays have real consequences.
“People can’t obtain passports, travel, access opportunities, or fully exercise their rights as Canadians,” she said. “Effectively their lives are in limbo.”
