🤝 Choose a Process to Bring Your Adopted Child to Canada
If you are adopting a child from another country, you will generally need to complete both the international adoption process and either the citizenship process or the immigration process before your adopted child can live with you in Canada. The option you use depends on your situation and eligibility.
📍 Two Paths: Citizenship or Immigration
Before bringing your adopted child into Canada, identify which of the two processes to use:
🔹 Citizenship Process
Use the citizenship process if the adopted child will not live in Canada immediately after the adoption and citizenship steps are complete. This route directly grants Canadian citizenship to the adopted child.
🔹 Immigration Process
Use the immigration process if any of the following apply:
- Neither parent was a Canadian citizen when the adoption took place.
- The adoption happened before certain historical citizenship cutoff dates.
- You are subject to the first-generation limit to citizenship by descent.
- The country you are adopting from requires a probationary period before the adoption is finalized, meaning the adoption will only be completed in Canada.
With the immigration process, the adopted child becomes a permanent resident first and can later become a citizen after arriving in Canada and completing residency requirements.
🧩 When You Can Choose Either Process
You may be eligible to choose between the citizenship and immigration processes if both of the following are true:
- At least one adoptive parent was a Canadian citizen at the time of the adoption.
- The adoptive parent is able to pass on Canadian citizenship by descent to the adopted person.
📊 Key Differences Between the Paths
| Feature | Citizenship Process | Immigration Process |
|---|---|---|
| End result | Canadian citizen | Permanent resident |
| Who can apply | Parent who was citizen at time of adoption | Parent who is Canadian citizen or permanent resident |
| Fees | Lower for minors | Varies, typically includes sponsorship fees |
| Medical exam | No | Required |
| Documentation | Citizenship certificate | PR visa and card |
This table outlines some of the main differences to help you decide which process fits your situation best.
📌 Before You Start
Adoption laws differ by country, and not all allow international adoption. Always contact the central adoption authority in your Canadian province/territory and the relevant authority in the child’s country of origin to confirm eligibility and requirements before applying.
Canada is also a party to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, which sets safeguards to protect children and adoptive families and to prevent unlawful or unethical adoption practices.
