WOONSOCKET, Rhode Island — More New Englanders are seeking out their Canadian ancestry after Canada changed their citizenship laws.
Archives here in the US and Canada are becoming overwhelmed with people looking for their ancestors and proper paperwork, according to experts in the genealogy field.
Genealogy professor Michael Leclerc has been following the new Canadian law change as someone with Canadian ancestry.
Leclerc explained that in December of 2025, an Ontario Supreme Court case led parliament to change its law regarding citizenship by descent.
“Parliament decided, okay, we’re going to make this real simple and real easy. If you have an ancestor who is Canadian. You are a Canadian,” said Leclerc.
Now Leclerc, who lives in Rhode Island, is in the process of applying for Canadian proof of citizenship.
We met with Leclerc at the American-French Genealogical Society in Woonsocket, where he got his start in researching genealogy back in the 1980s.
The Society’s President Normand Deragon said they have the largest collection of French-Canadian research outside of Canada.
It’s getting increased interest after the law change.
“We have a research team here at the society, and they’re getting inundated with requests,” explained Deragon. “It’s been hundreds since the beginning of the year,” he said.
Leclerc added, “The initial wave of applications are coming from people who are genealogists because we’ve all been researching our family history forever.”
It’s an in-depth process to apply.
Birth, marriage, and death records to prove the connection directly back to Canada.
“So your grandfather was John Smith, you know, which John Smith?,” joked Leclerc.
The preference is a Canadian document that proves the ancestor was born in Canada.
Jason Cavallari of Framingham is almost done collecting his documents.
“I sort of got really interested in like the roots of where my family came from and wanting to sort of connect with that a little bit more,” said Cavallari. “Then there’s obviously the sort of like currently political reasons as to why this country, which I never imagined leaving, that I might actually consider doing in the future.”
Cavallari was originally looking into Italian citizenship, but has now shifted focus north.
He said, “It would certainly be like an element of security, I think, that there is someplace else that I belong.”
In Canada, people can receive help in the process from Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants, a federal program designed to protect the public.
Rod Chalmers is an RCIC who assists with the proof of citizenship process and acts as a buffer between the government and clients - kind of like immigration attorneys.
“The increase has been dramatic for a number of reasons. Personal safety, government confidence, family connections,” said Chalmers.
Chalmers said estimates indicate 20% of the US population could have Canadian descent.
“The government is saying we will see tens of thousands. But the way, it’s currently being interpreted, it’s well into the tens of millions,” he said.
He also believes Canada’s government wants more people moving there.
Chalmers said, “Oh yes, yes. By 2032, Canada’s birth rate and death rate will be equal. For every baby born, we lose one senior. That’s a zero-growth model. So from 2032 onward, the only growth Canada will have is immigration. 100% immigration.”
Applications can take a while to process – up to ten months.
Leclerc said Canada is averaging about 5,000 a month, so very few have already been approved.
“A year ago, they had 1200 applications being processed, and as of last month, there are 50,000 in the backlog,” said Leclerc.
He said that for people searching out their family history, making a mistake on their application can get it sent back.
But if you are approved, remember that becoming a citizen comes with responsibilities.
“One of which is filing taxes,” said Leclerc.
Chalmers said other complications could include an official renunciation of citizenship.
He also said to check for any adoptions in the family.
The process can be more difficult for people who were adopted because there needs to be an unbroken legal chain between each generation.
Some resources to look at online include Genealogy Quebec | Family Trees & Family History Records, ancestry.com, familysearch.org, and BAnQ : Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec
The American-French Genealogical Society in Woonsocket is open on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
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