Vancouver-based Liberty Immigration confirmed on 23 June that IRCC has paused finalisation of all "multi-generational heritage" citizenship applications—files opened after Bill C-3 removed the first-generation limit in December 2025. The internal audit, launched 18 June, affects roughly 82,000 pending cases and comes after investigators flagged inconsistent archival documents in a handful of files. Applicants caught in the review keep the right to work in Canada but face an immediate block on Canadian passport issuance, effectively grounding would-be travellers inside the country.
![IRCC freezes multi-generational heritage citizenship files pending fraud review]()
In the meantime, VisaHQ can step in to help affected individuals secure alternative travel documents or visas for short-term assignments abroad while they wait for Canadian citizenship processing to resume. Its Canada portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) offers fast eligibility checks and end-to-end application support, giving employers and employees flexible mobility options despite the current freeze.
For corporate mobility teams the impact is twofold: (1) employees awaiting citizenship certificates may not be able to accept international assignments, and (2) foreign hires planning to leverage heritage status for fast citizenship will face longer timelines. IRCC emphasises that the underlying law has not changed; the freeze is administrative and aims to standardise document verification. Experts expect processing to resume once new checklist and training protocols are in place, but no timeline has been given. Employers should explore contingency travel documents for dual citizens and adjust workforce-planning models that assumed quick access to Canadian passports. Legal advisers recommend that affected applicants proactively upload long-form birth and marriage certificates or “letters of no record” to pre-empt further delays. Mobility managers should monitor for a public update, anticipated after the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration meets later this summer.
In the meantime, VisaHQ can step in to help affected individuals secure alternative travel documents or visas for short-term assignments abroad while they wait for Canadian citizenship processing to resume. Its Canada portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) offers fast eligibility checks and end-to-end application support, giving employers and employees flexible mobility options despite the current freeze.
For corporate mobility teams the impact is twofold: (1) employees awaiting citizenship certificates may not be able to accept international assignments, and (2) foreign hires planning to leverage heritage status for fast citizenship will face longer timelines. IRCC emphasises that the underlying law has not changed; the freeze is administrative and aims to standardise document verification. Experts expect processing to resume once new checklist and training protocols are in place, but no timeline has been given. Employers should explore contingency travel documents for dual citizens and adjust workforce-planning models that assumed quick access to Canadian passports. Legal advisers recommend that affected applicants proactively upload long-form birth and marriage certificates or “letters of no record” to pre-empt further delays. Mobility managers should monitor for a public update, anticipated after the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration meets later this summer.
