You may have seen the headlines: Canada’s citizenship laws have changed. These updates profoundly affect descendants of Canadians living abroad—especially those of us in the United States, where border crossings historically were incredibly common.

As of 15 December 2025, Bill C-3 removed the "first-generation limit" for passing down Canadian citizenship to children born outside Canada.

One of my favorite parts of living in Madison, Wisconsin is that this is a city full of history. Delightfully, if you are interested in history and stop by the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Headquarters in downtown Madison, you’ll be immersed in it from the stones of the building to the library and archives it contains.