Adopting a child from abroad and bringing that child to Canada are two separate processes, run by two different levels of government. Confusing them is the single most common cause of delay.
On This Page, You Will Find:
- The two-step structure of every intercountry adoption
- The role of provincial and territorial adoption authorities
- Citizenship grant or sponsorship: which route applies
- How Bill C-3 changed the first-generation limit for adopted people
- Hague Convention requirements
- Sponsorship eligibility and adoption conditions
- Practical differences between the two routes
- Frequently asked questions
The adoption itself is governed by the child’s country of origin and by the adoptive parents’ province or territory. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) plays no role in that first stage. Only once the adoption process is under way does IRCC become involved, through either a direct grant of citizenship or a permanent residence sponsorship.
The routing between those two options changed materially in December 2025, when Bill C-3 amended the Citizenship Act. This guide sets out the current position.
Step One: The Adoption Itself
Prospective adoptive parents must meet the adoption requirements of the province or territory where they live, and of the adoption authority in the country where the child lives.
That normally involves a home study and approval by the central adoption authority in the parents’ province or territory. Not every country permits adoption by foreigners, and some permit adoption only inside the child’s home country. Some require a probationary period, meaning the adoption is only finalised after the child arrives in Canada.
Where the adopted child is a relative, different provincial and foreign rules may apply.
Parents living in Quebec face an additional step: Quebec’s own sponsorship requirements administered by the province, on top of the federal process.
Step Two: Citizenship Grant or Sponsorship
Some adoptive parents must use the citizenship process, some must use the immigration (sponsorship) process, and some may choose between them.
You must use the citizenship process if the adopted child will not live in Canada immediately after both processes are complete.
You must use the immigration process if any of the following apply:
- Neither adoptive parent was a Canadian citizen at the time of the adoption.
- You are affected by the first-generation limit to citizenship by descent.
- You are adopting from a country that requires a probationary period, so the adoption will be finalised in Canada.
You may choose either process if at least one adoptive parent was a Canadian citizen at the time of the adoption and that parent is able to pass on citizenship by descent to the adopted person.
Permanent residents cannot use the citizenship route at all. They must sponsor.
Bill C-3 and the First-Generation Limit
Until recently, the first-generation limit blocked most adopted people beyond the first generation born or adopted outside Canada from receiving a direct citizenship grant. In December 2023 the Ontario Superior Court of Justice declared that limit unconstitutional for many people, and IRCC ran an interim measure while Parliament responded.
Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act, received royal assent on 20 November 2025 and took effect on 15 December 2025. It changed the position for adopted people.
- Adopted before 15 December 2025: a person born and adopted outside Canada in the second generation or later is likely eligible to apply for a direct grant of citizenship for adopted people.
- Adopted on or after 15 December 2025: a person born and adopted outside Canada in the second generation or later is likely eligible if their Canadian parent has at least 1,095 days (three years) of cumulative physical presence in Canada before the adoption.
Generations are counted the same way for adopted people as for people born abroad. The first generation is the first person born or adopted outside Canada to a Canadian citizen.
Applications that were in progress under the interim measure are now assessed under the new rules, and applicants do not need to file again. The change does not remove citizenship from anyone who already held it.
One long-standing difference remains. A person who becomes a citizen by naturalisation after the sponsorship route does not pass the first-generation limit on to their own children. A person who receives a direct grant as an adoptee is treated as a citizen by descent for that purpose, so the limit rules still matter for the next generation.
Hague Convention Requirements
Canada has been a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption since 1996. The Convention exists to keep intercountry adoption in the best interests of the child and to prevent abduction, sale and trafficking.
Where the Convention applies, its requirements must be met before IRCC will approve either an immigration or a citizenship application. IRCC may refuse the application if it finds the adoption did not follow the Convention’s safeguards, for instance where the child was not legally available for adoption or may have been abducted, or where Canadian or local laws were not followed.
Sponsoring an Adopted Child for Permanent Residence
To sponsor, you must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, at least 18 years old, and living in Canada. A citizen living abroad must return to live in Canada by the time the child becomes a permanent resident; a permanent resident must be living in Canada throughout.
You may be barred from sponsoring if you failed to meet a previous sponsorship undertaking, defaulted on court-ordered support such as alimony or child support, or were convicted of a violent criminal offence, depending on the offence, when it occurred and whether a record suspension was granted.
The immigration route covers adoptions of children under 18 completed either inside or outside Canada, and adoptions of people 18 or over completed outside Canada.
For immigration purposes every intercountry adoption must:
- be legal in the child’s home country and in the sponsor’s province or territory
- end the legal relationship between the child and their biological parents
- meet provincial or territorial requirements, including a home study
- create a genuine parent-child relationship
- be in the best interests of the child
- not be primarily to obtain permanent resident status in Canada
Where the adoption took place outside Canada, IRCC also requires informed consent from both living biological parents, a legally completed foreign adoption, and compliance with the Hague Convention where it applies.
The child must complete an immigration medical exam before a permanent resident visa is issued, and the adoptive parents must sign a statement confirming they have obtained information about any medical conditions the child may have.
Sponsorship of an adopted child sits within the same family sponsorship framework as other dependent children, and does not carry the minimum necessary income test that applies to parent and grandparent sponsorship. Sponsors still sign an undertaking to provide for the child’s basic needs.
Practical Differences Between the Two Routes
The choice, where there is one, has real consequences.
- Final status: the citizenship process ends with a certificate of Canadian citizenship; the immigration process ends with permanent residence and a PR card.
- Medical exam: required for the immigration route, not required for the citizenship route, though a medical assessment is still recommended.
- Foreign nationality: some countries strip nationality when a person becomes a Canadian citizen. Becoming a permanent resident does not have that effect.
- Documents: the citizenship route produces a citizenship certificate, which then supports a Canadian passport application. The immigration route produces a permanent resident visa and confirmation of permanent residence.
- Next generation: naturalisation after the sponsorship route removes the first-generation limit for the adopted person’s own children.
Fees differ between the two routes and by the adopted person’s age. IRCC publishes current amounts on its fee list, and the figures are periodically adjusted, so confirm them before paying. Our summary of Canadian immigration fees gives an overview.
A child who arrives as a permanent resident can later be granted citizenship on application by a parent who is already a Canadian citizen. See our guide on how to apply for Canadian citizenship for the general process. Adoption is also one of the situations covered under sponsorship of dependent children.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should an adopted child come to Canada through citizenship or sponsorship?
It depends on the parents’ status and where the family will live. The citizenship process must be used if the child will not live in Canada immediately after the process; the immigration process must be used if neither parent was a Canadian citizen at the adoption, if the first-generation limit applies, or if the adoption is finalised in Canada after a probationary period. Where at least one parent was a citizen at the time of adoption and can pass citizenship on, either route may be used.
Did Bill C-3 change the rules for adopted children?
Yes. Bill C-3 received royal assent on 20 November 2025 and came into effect on 15 December 2025. An adopted person born and adopted outside Canada in the second generation or later before that date is likely eligible for the direct grant of citizenship for adopted people. For adoptions on or after 15 December 2025, the Canadian parent must have at least 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada before the adoption. Applications already in progress under the earlier interim measure are assessed under the new rules without refiling.
Does the Hague Convention apply to every adoption?
No. It applies where both Canada and the child’s country are parties to the Convention and the adoption falls within its scope. Where it applies, its safeguards must be met, and IRCC may refuse an immigration or citizenship application if the adoption bypassed them, for example where the child was not legally available for adoption.
Who approves the adoption itself?
The central adoption authority in the adoptive parents’ province or territory, together with the adoption authority in the child’s country. IRCC has no role in that stage. Prospective parents must meet provincial requirements, which normally include a home study, and Quebec residents must also satisfy Quebec’s own sponsorship requirements.
Can a permanent resident sponsor an adopted child?
Yes. A permanent resident who is at least 18 and living in Canada can sponsor an adopted child through the immigration process. Permanent residents cannot use the direct citizenship grant, which requires at least one adoptive parent to have been a Canadian citizen at the time of the adoption.
Can an adult be adopted and brought to Canada?
Yes, in limited circumstances. The immigration route covers adoptions of people 18 or over only where the adoption was completed outside Canada. For a citizenship grant to an adult adoptee, a genuine parent-child relationship must have existed before the person turned 18 and at the time of the adoption, and the adoption must not have been primarily for status.