this post was submitted on 10 Apr 2026
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[–] lechekaflan@lemmy.world 5 points 16 hours ago

Once again, more comedy for the men in the Kremlin.

[–] tamal3@lemmy.world 4 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

My grandpa was a naturalized Irish citizen. Wlll they take me?

[–] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 3 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Yes, of you can prove descent, you can get it through your grandparents. I think Rosie O'Donnell just did that very thing. Many others have too.

[–] tamal3@lemmy.world 1 points 2 minutes ago

I know you can prove descent through Irish grandparents, but I thought that might change here because he was a naturalized Irish citizen and not a citizen by birth.

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 84 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Not “eligible” for citizenship, actually de facto citizens. If your ancestor is from Canada, you are a Canadian citizen. People “applying” (such as myself) are simply writing for official recognition.

[–] sturmblast@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

My sister is working on the paperwork for our family, apparently we qualify

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

Very cool. You can reach out if you or she has any questions. I've far from an expert, but I have submitted and am currently waiting.

[–] glups@piefed.social 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Can I ask what kind of documentation is required?

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 day ago

Sure. Pretty much certified copies of documents proving your Canadian-born ancestor was born in Canada (commonly birth or baptism records), and certified copies of birth records linking you to them through every generation.

For me, I had access to my, my father's, and his father's, birth certificates. Easy. I ordered a birth certificate for my great-grandmother from the US county in which she was born to Canadian-born parents. I also ordered birth/baptism records for both my great-great-grandparents from the cities/provinces in which they were born. Packaged it up along with a family tree and sent it off. Still waiting, but feel pretty confident I'll get word back that Canada recognizes my citizenship through descent.

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Oh so it includes Elon Musk then. Maybe he can be y'all's problem.

[–] Rocketpoweredgorilla@lemmy.ca 42 points 1 day ago (1 children)

He's everyone's problem regardless of his citizenship.

[–] wolfeh@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 1 day ago

Personally, I think he should be the center of the sun's problem.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 39 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

I helped my partner apply earlier this year (as the law is still relatively new). As a warning, since then, the costs associated have skyrocketed due to the number of people applying. You better be ready to dig up all the birth/marriage records to prove it. For us, this also required parsing through old Québécois church logbooks written in liturgical French. Wait times have also gone up across the board, the current wait time once you apply is over a year

That said, I did quite enjoy the research and I'm happy to say que mon français est assez bon pour lire un ancien document écrit à main pendant les années 50

Edit: we applied since we already live here

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

What costs? My biggest expense was the $80US for overnight fedex. Add $20 for citizen photos and 1 barely broke a c note.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

We had a lawyer help us with the documentation to make sure it's airtight, but that cost is optional. Other than that we had costs for each record we requested - both in the US and Canada. The cost to request a formal birth record from Quebec alone (via the BANQ) recently went from $30 to over $300

Overall it's nothing crazy as far as immigration is concerned, but it's not nothing

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 day ago

The cost to request a formal birth record from Quebec alone (via the BANQ) recently went from $30 to over $300

Well shit, glad I got mine in early. I would agree with the sentiment of “costs skyrocketing.”

[–] Dremor@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Pas mal, hein? C'est français.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Oui c'est ça. J'ai décidé tôt que je voudrais apprendre le français pendant mon séjour. J'adore l'apprentissage culturel et je parle déjà une autre langue, l'espagnol. J'ai plusieurs amis québécois qui m'aident et je prends aussi des cours pour adultes maintenant (j'habite en Ontario). Le français est tellement fascinant, je l'apprend depuis 2024 :)

(Veuillez excuser mes ~~torts~~ fautes)

[–] Danquebec@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ton français est excellent.

La seule chose pas naturelle est "torts". Ça sonne archaïque ou formel. On dirait plutôt "fautes" dans ce contexte.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Ah bon! Merci :)

[–] WeebLife@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I am in the research process right now. I'm having trouble finding my great - great grandfather's birth certificate. I'm getting worried because I contacted someone and they said not everyone had a birth certificate in the 1800s. I can find him on census records that list him and both his parents and where they are from. But Im not sure if census records count for this application. Were you able to find actual birth certificates/records for each family member?

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yes we did! Thankfully it was only 4 or 5 generations but it was really difficult. Turns out that Quebec birth records only existed as parish records prior to some date

[–] WeebLife@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

What sites did you use? I'm using family search and am having issues finding the records I need.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

We used Ancestry to help build the initial family tree but after that you have to do some digging to find each province's/state's method of finding historical records. For Quebec that's the BANQ. We also had an old genealogical record that a Québécois preacher wrote ages ago about the ancestral line (that's what the French in my OP says, I've been studying French and knew enough to parse it)

The subreddit for this was massively helpful

[–] resipsaloquitur@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Y’all need an engineer? I love hockey, snowboarding, and poutine.

[–] MrVilliam@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Samesies, but I think my knees are probably too trashed to snowboard anymore, so I'll just double up on poutine while I watch hockey.

[–] Botzo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

You can use a stick to throw a rock in curling. I've played with several old farts who are better with a stick than I am with a typical delivery (which is also somewhat hard on knees).

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 22 points 2 days ago

There is an archive of the article.

When Donald Trump was first elected in 2016, New York State resident Ellen Robillard briefly looked into getting Canadian citizenship. Her mother, after all, was born in Nova Scotia. As a Democrat, Robillard was despondent at the election results, but she abandoned the idea after realizing that her young son wouldn’t be eligible for citizenship under a law that barred Canadians born abroad from passing their citizenship to children if they were also born outside Canada. In 2023, however, the Canadian courts ruled that law unconstitutional and the changes to eligibility came into effect in December, suddenly opening up a pathway to Canadian citizenship for many Americans at a time of political upheaval, violence and uncertainty in the US. Robillard, 52, is applying for citizenship with her son now that the first-generation rule has been scrapped. Since criteria for citizenship expanded with the passage of Bill C-3 of Canada’s Citizenship Act, millions of Americans have become eligible to claim Canadian citizenship. The amendment reverses a “first-generation” limit imposed by Canada’s Conservative government in 2009. As the leader of her local Democratic Committee in a suburb of Rochester, New York, Robillard fears that if the political violence escalates, she could have a target on her back. Robillard is an outspoken activist in her town of 3,000, has received veiled threats on social media, and was once followed home after a protest.

[–] agingelderly@lemmy.world 20 points 2 days ago

My mom was born in Italy, but denounced her Italian citizenship before turning 18. Because she did it before turning 18 I do not qualify for Italian citizenship. If they ever change that age limit restriction I am getting the fuck out of here

[–] azimir@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 day ago (2 children)

We already had much of the family archives gathered for genealogical research done. There was a (mostly unknown) great grandfather that we didn't track down. We just knew he was from canada, fathered one of the ancestors and bailed back to Saskatchewan.

Turns out he's now findable online (new records were added) and he's multi generational Canadian. The birth certificate has been ordered. The process might take a while, but we're filing the day his records show up in our mailbox.

Now we just need Canada to join the EU somehow and all of the stars will align.

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Do you have any paper proof of the connection your Canadian Lothario had with his US born offspring? That's likely a sticking point if you do not.

[–] azimir@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Oh, he's on my grandmother's birth certificate. I've got a complete and solid chain of birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, places and dates of births, the whole thing.

I even have his Canadian draft papers from WWI.

It's basically as clean of a history as you can get when it's back to the late 1800's.

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago

Sounds open and shut. If you haven't already, put together all the paperwork you intend on submitting, minus the one you are waiting for. They want color (sorry, colour) copies of the certified copies. Yes, you read that right; do no send the actual certified copies; make color copies of them, as nothing will be returned to you.

There is evidence that you can file now with what you have (the online copies of your great grandfather's birth record), and amend them online to the application once you receive them. That's what I did. Certified copies all the way up the chain until the Canadian ancestor himself, for whom I submitted a simple print out (not certified) of his birth/baptism record. I've since received the certified copy from Quebec, which I'll upload as soon as the application appears accepted and online.

[–] Bebopalouie@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago (5 children)

Do we really need a bunch of peops who have been poorly educated (majority at this point) coming here?

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

the poorly educated are trump supporters they arnt moving to canada, let alone have passport or even ancestors there, sorry but there are ton in canada itself too.

[–] Bebopalouie@lemmy.ca 2 points 17 hours ago

A lot will try. Of course there are also in Canada but their ours.

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

It's hard to take seriously your complaint of the poorly educated when the complaint contains poor spelling and grammar.

[–] Bebopalouie@lemmy.ca 0 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Kind of makes my point if they are making spelling mistakes.

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Do you not realize I’m talking about you?

[–] Bebopalouie@lemmy.ca 1 points 14 hours ago

Of course. I was being facetious. But I am sure I spelt that wrong as well.

[–] Bad_Ideas_In_Bulk@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I dunno, that depends on how you look at it. From a certain point of view it provides at least one point of evidence to the idea we may be close to our carrying capacity of under-educated people.

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago

You! I like you.

[–] azimir@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 day ago

In my case we'll be staying in Germany, but having an option to move to Canada with our multiple Phds instead of going back to the US (if forced out of Germany for some reason) would be preferable.

We also have some kids who are going to be looking at college in a few years. If they could have an option to to Canada cheap, that'd rock. Then you'd have some more educated Canadians hanging out and paying taxes.

I did make sure to teach the kids the rules of ice hockey. I know it's on the driving test there, right?

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago

I myself am “applying,” but am not doing it “just in case” nor do I intend on moving there. I’m earnestly doing it because Canada is cool, and the spirit and letter of the law is recognizing “lost Canadians” as Canadians. I honestly don’t look at it as an escape route, but ask me again when my son is draft age.

[–] stylusmobilus@aussie.zone 1 points 1 day ago

Look, it’s ’just In case’.

They think differently, they think everyone wants them around

[–] SuiXi3D@fedia.io 3 points 2 days ago

I’d absolutely be all for it, but I don’t have a degree and no ancestors that came from the area, so I’m boned.

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