BELLINGHAM, WA (AP) – Millions more Americans might qualify for dual Canadian citizenship under a recent change to Canada’s requirements.

Previously, Canadian citizenship by descent could only be passed down to one generation, from a parent to a child.

But a new law has opened up citizenship to anyone born before Dec. 15, 2025, who could prove they have a direct Canadian ancestor – a grandparent, great-grandparent or even more distant ancestor.

Those born on or after Dec. 15 will need to show that their Canadian parent lived in Canada for 1,095 days.

Since the new law took effect, immigration lawyers in the U.S. and Canada say they’ve been overwhelmed by clients seeking help submitting proof of citizenship applications.

Nicholas Berning, an immigration attorney at Boundary Bay Law in Bellingham, said his practice is “pretty much flooded with this.”

“We’ve kind of shifted a lot of other work away in order to push these cases through,” he said.

For those with documentation ready at hand, the proof of citizenship application fee is 55 American dollars.

But costs could climb for those who need help locating records like birth, death and marriage certificates that can establish the lineage to a Canadian ancestor.