On April 17^th, 2009, an amendment to the Citizenship Act came into effect. This amendment gives Canadian citizenship to some people who may have lost Canadian citizenship and to others whom will be recognized as Canadian citizens for the first time.

Citizenship is now restored to any person whom became citizens on January 1, 1947 (when the first Citizenship Act took effect), including people born in Canada prior to 1947 and war brides. It also applies to other British subjects who had lived in Canada for at least 5 years before 1947, became citizens on January 1, 1947, and who subsequently lost citizenship.

Citizenship is also restored to people who were born outside Canada, on or after January 1, 1947, in the first generation born abroad, to a Canadian citizen.

It should be noted that with this new amendment, a person who is born outside Canada to a Canadian mother or father is automatically a Canadian citizen by birth ONLY if that person is of the first generation born outside Canada.