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Status and purpose

• Bill C-274 was introduced at first reading on April 20, 2026. It would create a citizenship pathway for certain people who spent time in child welfare care or received related services, and protect applicants from removal while their applications are decided.

Citizenship Act

• The Minister would be required to grant citizenship on application to eligible people who were ordinarily resident in Canada when a qualifying care or service arrangement ended. Qualifying arrangements include certain foster or guardian homes, institutions, and services provided to improve living conditions.
• Applicants generally must have:
  • Spent at least 365 days cumulatively in qualifying arrangements;
  • Been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days before applying;
  • Not lived outside Canada for more than 10 years since turning 18; and
  • Not returned to a parent’s custody and care when the arrangement ended, unless the return occurred within 365 days of turning 18.
• An applicant’s written statement would serve as proof of the qualifying circumstances unless the Minister determines, on a balance of probabilities, that they did not exist.
• The Minister could waive any of the listed requirements on compassionate grounds after reviewing the person’s circumstances.
• The bill would add people granted citizenship through this pathway to the Act’s citizenship provisions and apply existing provisions on evidence of citizenship to them. It would also extend regulation-making provisions to cover eligibility factors, application suspensions and requests for compassionate waivers.

Immigration and Refugee Protection Act

• A removal order against a foreign national who applies under the new pathway could not be enforced until a final decision is made on the application.
• An unenforced removal order would become void if the person is granted citizenship through the pathway.