Ottawa reverses order to surrender some ‘lost Canadian’ citizenship certificates

Just one week after some “lost Canadians” were told to surrender their new citizenship certificates, a few received letters over the weekend confirming their citizenship claims are once again considered valid.

The department has said “a few dozen” people who received proof of citizenship under Canada’s citizenship-by-descent law received letters earlier this month demanding they surrender their proof of citizenship pending further review.

A new confirmation letter shared with The Canadian Press today says the recipient’s citizenship was reconfirmed after a “thorough review” of their case.

The letter also says the recipient was told to surrender their citizenship certificate on June 13 following a review of the documents submitted to obtain it.

The immigration department has been notifying individuals whose citizenship is under review that their Canadian passports are no longer valid and must be returned.

Immigration Minister Lena Diab and her department have not said what led to the citizenship reviews in the first place.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2026.

By David Baxter | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.