Page "Canadian nationality law" Paragraph 12

Every person born outside Canada but within one generation of the native-born or naturalized citizen parent is automatically a Canadian citizen by descent ( retroactive to date of birth or date citizenship was lost ).

The second generation born abroad, however, is not a citizen of Canada at birth.

Such an individual might even be stateless if without claim to any other citizenship.

( This situation actually occurred to a child born in China to a father who is a Canadian citizen born outside Canada.

) The second generation born abroad can gain Canadian citizenship only by immigrating to Canada ; this can be done by the Canadian citizen's parents sponsoring as a dependent children, a category with fewer requirements, which would also take less time than most other immigration application categories.