favoredponchoIf you have ANY Canadian ancestor, you are likely a Canadian citizen as a result of recent changes in Canadian law
Do you have to apply or is it automatic? If automatic I can see potential for another round of eligibility issues in Australia’s parliament coming up - you can’t be a member of parliament while holding another citizenship and unknown/forgotten citizenships have caught people out before.
You have to apply as you have to prove that you qualify for the Citizenship (you present your family tree with proofs of births and marriages and whatever is needed to reach that “canadian ancestor”), once it is done, you get a “Proof of Citizenship”, that is what will then allow you to apply for Passport, Driving License, jobs… It kinda becomes your “birth certificate”.
Now, to note, I got this in 2014 due to my mother being born Canadian (and me not) and it took me over a year to get my paperwork (close to two) and there is not a “temporary citizen” status, so you have yo wait until you get it to come to Canada (barring visiting of course). With the influx of submissions that this change will create you can expect those times to increase (unless they open a specific channel for it 🤞).
StillPaisleyCatIt is automatic, but you have to apply for the certificate of citizenship.
There are related regulations that have just been published in The Canada Gazette that will enable people to have a simplified process for formal renunciation of Canadian citizenship to Canadian authorities if they believe they may be Canadian citizens by descent.