moving back to Canada with child born in the UK

[ayeladdie]

Hello, my wife and I are both Canadian citizens living in the UK for the past 10years. We have a 3 year old girl who was born in the UK, who has a UK passport. We are currently applying for her Canadian citizenship papers which we are told is a minimum of 5-7month process+ 1-4 months at Canadian Consulate in the UK. Given that we are hoping to enter Canada in the upcoming months and line up job options, the uncertainty in arrival dates is difficult to manage. Is it not possible to move back to Canada while my daughter's citizenship papers are being processed? I would have thought that the process is a formality and so long as Canada Immigration can see that my wife and I are Canadian (showing our passports and Canadian birth certificates), there should not be an issue with my daughter with immigration on entry at the airport.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Hello, my wife and I are both Canadian citizens living in the UK for the past 10years. We have a 3 year old girl who was born in the UK, who has a UK passport. We are currently applying for her Canadian citizenship papers which we are told is a minimum of 5-7month process+ 1-4 months at Canadian Consulate in the UK. Given that we are hoping to enter Canada in the upcoming months and line up job options, the uncertainty in arrival dates is difficult to manage. Is it not possible to move back to Canada while my daughter's citizenship papers are being processed? I would have thought that the process is a formality and so long as Canada Immigration can see that my wife and I are Canadian (showing our passports and Canadian birth certificates), there should not be an issue with my daughter with immigration on entry at the airport.

Thanks for your advice.

Hi

As a Canadian citizen, your child must travel on a Canadian passport. Others have obtained eTAs for their foreign-born children by not declaring the child's Canadian citizenship in the eTA app, though this is straight-up lying to IRCC. The other option would be a facilitation visa.

If you arrive at a POE with your child, you will have no issues entering. Note that depending on the province, you may not be able to get her provincial healthcare until you have her proof of citizenship.