The Law Office of Colin R. Singer

Bill C-3 Application Process

Your Guide to Canadian Citizenship by Descent

Everything you need to know about your citizenship certificate application process

Welcome

Thank you for choosing our firm to assist with your Canadian citizenship certificate application. Congratulations on taking this step toward reclaiming your Canadian citizenship.

Your application will be managed through Visto, a secure portal where you will upload documents, complete intake forms, and communicate with our team. This guide will walk you through each step of the process.

On this page: Getting Started · Communicating on Visto · Documents & Forms · Ready for Review · What Happens Next · After Submission

▸ Overview of Our Process

Your application will move through two main phases:

Phase 1

Document Collection & Onboarding

To get started, your welcome email includes a quick, guided link to outline your family tree — it takes just a few minutes and helps us set up your file. From there, at your own pace, you will review your customized document checklist and forms and upload your documents and complete your intake forms on Visto. Our onboarding team is here to support you with the practical side of this stage.

Phase 2

Legal Review, Preparation & Submission

Once your documents are complete, our legal team reviews your full file, prepares your application package, and addresses your case-specific questions. From there, we guide you through signing your forms and mailing your photos to our office, and our law firm submits your finalized application to IRCC as your authorized representative.

What to Expect From Our Team During Phase 1:

During this phase, our onboarding team will:

Help you with the practical side of onboarding — using Visto, uploading a document, or understanding what a task is asking for
Acknowledge and organize your documents as you upload them

Important Note: As every file is unique, most case-specific questions are best addressed once we can review your complete documentation as a whole. During Phase 1, please keep your questions and context to Comments on the relevant task in Visto — this way everything stays attached to your file and we can review it directly against the documents you are gathering. Please reserve email (onboarding@immigration.ca) for technical issues with Visto itself, such as trouble logging in or uploading. You are welcome to note questions in a Comment as you go, but please understand that many are best answered in Phase 2 rather than during onboarding.

Once your documents and information are complete, your file moves to Phase 2, where our legal team conducts a comprehensive review and addresses your specific questions.

Phase 1 — Getting Started

Your family tree

Your first step is the family-tree link included in your welcome email — a quick, guided link that helps us better understand your unique family tree and how everyone connects (a simple visual outline of your lineage from your Primary Canadian Anchor down to you, and each applicant for families). It takes just a few minutes, helps us prepare your portal, and gives our team a head start on your file. By using the link, your family tree is automatically associated with your file number, and we receive a copy once you submit it — no further action needed on your end.

Setting up and accessing your Visto application portal

Once we have received your family tree, you will receive your Visto invitation — typically within 24–48 business hours. Click “Complete Sign Up” and create your account following the on-screen instructions. If you do not see the invitation, please check your spam or junk folder before reaching out.

Begin uploading documents and completing your intake form(s)

Work through each task on Visto.

💡 Intake Forms Tip: Your intake form is a first draft — just answer each field to the best of your ability. Our team will review it and let you know if we need anything further or make any adjustments as needed.

Tip: Applying with family? Visto generates personalized tasks for each family member. To avoid asking your family for the same document more than once, the documents and information for each person in your shared lineage are assigned to just one family member rather than requested from everyone. So if you do not see a particular generation or document assigned to you, that is by design — someone else in your family has it covered. Documents for a shared ancestor only need to be uploaded once, by the assigned member; they apply to everyone in your family, so there is no need to upload duplicates.

📌 Adding Users to the Visto Platform — For Those Applying with Family

You can also invite your family members as additional users on the platform so they can upload their own documents and complete their individual intake forms. Please note that the portal supports up to three users per family mandate.

As the designated point of contact, here is how to add a user:

Log in to Visto.
Click the avatar in the top-right corner.
Select “Users,” then follow the prompts to add an additional user.

Once added, that family member will receive a direct invitation to set up their own account. After setting it up, they can log in and begin completing their assigned tasks. If you were added but do not see an invitation, please check your spam or junk folder, and confirm with your point of contact that they completed the steps above.

Please coordinate as a family: To keep your file clear and easy for our team to follow, we kindly ask that family members coordinate their comments rather than each commenting separately over one another. Where you can, please gather your family’s questions and notes into one place — it helps your file stay organized and allows us to respond as efficiently as possible.

▸ Communicating with Us on Visto

💬

Comments — We Can See These

Use Comments to ask questions, flag issues, or give us context about a document. We are notified every time you post a Comment, and anything you write stays attached to your file for your assigned legal team member to see in Phase 2.

📝

Notes — Private to You

Notes are for your personal use only. Our team cannot see them. Use them for your own to-do lists or reminders — but never for anything you want us to see. If you want us to see it, use Comments.

Tip: Group your questions into one Comment when you can — it helps us give you a more thorough response. Remember, many case-specific questions are best addressed in Phase 2 once we have your complete file to review.

Documents & Forms

Gathering and Uploading Your Documents & Completing Your Intake Forms

Each task on Visto will outline exactly what is needed — follow the instructions provided for each document and form.

Your role in gathering records

Our scope of work does not include sourcing documents to prove your Canadian lineage on your behalf — this is something only you (or a professional genealogist you hire) can do.

That said, our team is here to support you and give recommendations throughout the process. We will review what you find and let you know whether each document meets IRCC standards. To help you get started, we have prepared the following guides:

🔍

How to Research Your Canadian Ancestry

A step-by-step resource covering where to search, province-by-province archives, tips for tricky records, and genealogist referrals.

📄

How to Save Records from Ancestry.com

Includes the critical step of capturing the Source citation (Ancestry does NOT include it automatically with your download).

📄

How to Save Records from FamilySearch.org

FamilySearch includes citations automatically with each download.

📋

Quebec Birth Records Guide

Step-by-step guidance on obtaining Quebec birth records based on the year of your ancestor’s birth, including DEC and BAnQ processes.

Where your records come from matters. For each generation, IRCC expects records that are authentic, reliable, and verifiable — issued by the original authority that created or keeps them (a vital statistics office, civil registry, church, or archive). An application cannot rest solely on third-party records or finding aids — an index, transcription, or online family tree — which point you to a record but are not the record itself. Platforms like Ancestry and FamilySearch are excellent places to find records, but how a given record should be obtained depends on its type. Our FAQ and Research Guide explain when you can use what you find as-is and when an official copy from the issuing authority is needed.

Important: All uploaded documents must be high-resolution, full-color scans of the original documents. Please ensure all text is legible, all edges of the document are visible, and no information is cut off.

Don’t have a scanner? Most modern phones have a built-in document scanner (Notes app on iPhone, Google Drive on Android). These work well if you have good lighting and a steady hand. See our guide: How to Scan Documents from Your Phone

Ready for Review

When You Have Finished Uploading and Completing Your Forms

Once all tasks on Visto are complete, you must notify us:

How to Notify Us

Option 1 — On Visto

Click “Submit for Review” on your application profile on Visto — this notifies our team automatically.

Submit for Review

(This is the button you will see in Visto.)

Option 2 — By Email

Send an email to onboarding@immigration.ca with the subject line:

[File Number] — [Last Name] — READY FOR REVIEW

For families: Please make sure all family members have completed their tasks before notifying us, so we can review your entire file as a package. We understand you may want your own tasks looked at sooner, but generally we will need to wait until everyone has finished before we can begin — this is especially the case because the documents for each ancestor in your lineage chain may be assigned to different family members, so your file can only be properly assessed as a whole.

Phase 2 — What Happens Next

Once you have submitted your tasks for review, your file moves to Phase 2 — Legal Review, Preparation & Submission. Here is what to expect:

Full File Review

A dedicated member of our legal team reviews every document, form, and lineage record. They will reach out with any questions, requests for additional documentation, and to address your case-specific questions.

Application Package Prepared

We prepare all required forms and assemble your submission package, including a customized submission letter from our legal team and a detailed journal outlining the exhibits enclosed with your application in support of your eligibility, along with any explanatory notes, as needed.

Final Steps — Form Signing & Photos

We send you specific instructions identifying which forms and pages require your signature. You hand-sign the indicated pages and courier your signed forms, along with your physical passport photos, to our office. Please wait for our direction before signing any forms.

Submission to IRCC

Our law firm will submit your finalized application to IRCC as your authorized representative.

▸ After Submission — What to Expect

Once your application has been submitted to IRCC, here is a general overview of what to expect.

Stage	What Happens	Estimated Timeline*
Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR)	IRCC confirms they have received your application and provides your application number.	2 – 4 months after submission
IRCC Processing	Your application is reviewed by a citizenship officer. IRCC may request additional documents — we will notify you and assist with any requests.	Currently around 25 months total from submission to decision*
Decision & Certificate	If approved, IRCC issues your Canadian Citizenship Certificate by mail.	Included in processing time
Passport	With your citizenship certificate, you can apply for a Canadian passport through Service Canada or a Canadian embassy/consulate.	Varies by location

* All timelines are estimates and subject to change — IRCC does not guarantee processing times, and demand under the new rules has recently lengthened the wait. For the most current figure, you can check IRCC’s processing-times tool at any time.

If we have requested expedited/accelerated processing of your application on your behalf, the standard timelines above may not apply. However, expedited requests are reviewed at IRCC’s discretion and are not guaranteed.

Have Questions?

Visit our FAQ & Resources page for answers to common questions, troubleshooting tips, and helpful resources.

The best way to reach us during Phase 1 is to leave a Comment on the relevant task in Visto — that way your question stays with your file and we can review it against the documents you are gathering. For technical problems with Visto itself, such as trouble logging in or uploading, you can reach our onboarding team at onboarding@immigration.ca.