Canada’s new citizenship change brings a flood of American applicants

Bill C-12 has now become law, changing the way Canada accepts immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and more. Judy Trinh reports.

Eve Greenfield, a 57-year-old immigration paralegal in Chicago, has spent years working on green cards and work visas for Canadians. Now it’s her turn she says.

After working on a passion project, tracing her family roots back to her Winnipeg-born “Nana” Gertrude Greenfield, Eve is now a proud Canadian, thanks to a change in Canadian law.

“I like how people are kind to each other, and less angry,” she told CTV News about Canada. “They let me in on the highway when I’m trying to merge.”

She says the move to Canada is because “I am not a fan of Donald Trump” or his administration’s policies.

Greenfield is just one of thousands who are poring over old records and tracing back their genealogy, after Canada recently changed its citizenship by descent rules. No longer a one generation only rule, the change opens a path to a passport for anyone who can prove they have a direct Canadian grandparent, or even a distant Canadian ancestor.

Looking for ancestors

Immigration lawyer Amandeep Hayer in Vancouver says he has one client whose ancestry dates back to the Acadians, who were deported by the British in the 1700s for not swearing allegiance to the Crown.

• Canada immigration: Do Beyonce, Madonna get citizenship?

“I even have a client with ancestors dating back to a Father of Confederation - not a big one - but an aide to one of the delegates,” Hayer told CTV News.

Hayer says since the law changed “we’ve been flooded” with inquiries, leading him to hire more lawyers and legal assistants. While the motivations vary, he says the most common reasons his clients seek another passport is due to “cheaper tuition in Canada, and the rhetoric coming out of the White House.”

“I’m hearing a lot from gay and lesbian people who don’t feel safe in America ... it’s the biggest driving factor, that level of cruelty coming out of the administration.” Hayer said.

‘Pretty much flooded’ with applicants

Across the border in Bellingham, Wash., immigration lawyer Nicholas Berning says he has gone from “just a handful of citizenship cases a year to doing three consultations per day.”

“We’re pretty much flooded with this,” he told CTV News. His American clients tell him that they’re concerned about where the politics in the U.S. are going, and that “America is in trouble.”

He cites an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case concerning transgender people and their passports. “These people are terrified their government is turning against them, that’s terrifying to them and they’re extremely motivated to move as quickly as possible,” Berning said.

As for Eve, she and her husband plan to move to Canada as early as this summer, with passports in hand and hopes of being busy on the other side of the border as an immigration paralegal. “Canadian priorities are more aligned with mine and I believe society should take care of its people. ... Am I happy to pay taxes? Absolutely.”

She says her Canadian grandmother would have loved to see the world. “Nana never had a passport and never got to go anywhere.”

Berning suspects the new law and a wave of Americans could spark some backlash in Canada.

“My hope is once they start showing up (in Canada), it would be people we would want here, not a bunch of people in monster trucks and MAGA supporters,” he said. “I suspect when the dust settles, this will be a good thing and Canadians will welcome their neighbours.”

With files from CTV News’ Kristen Yu