Your Canadian ancestor left a paper trail. We find it.

Studio portrait from 1867: two women in wide dark dresses seated at a small table, two men in frock coats standing behind them — Dr. Hingston's group, Montreal, 1867. Notman studio. McCord Stewart Museum.

We trace your line back to the ancestor born in Canada and find the records IRCC asks for, generation by generation.

Start your research See what IRCC asks for

What IRCC asks for

A proof of citizenship application needs a record for every link in the chain, from you back to the ancestor born in Canada.

Who	The record that proves the link
You	Your long-form birth certificate, naming your parents.
Your parent	Their long-form birth certificate, naming their parents.
Each generation before them	A birth record naming the parents, plus a marriage record wherever a surname changes.
The ancestor born in Canada	Proof of birth in Canada. For births before civil registration, that usually means a church register entry backed by other Canadian records, such as a census.

Requirements change. We check every file against IRCC's current guide to form CIT 0001.

Hire us, or do it yourself

The research package

We search the church registers and census returns for your whole line, from the ancestor born in Canada down to you.

You get

Every record we find, with its source
Where to order a certified copy of each one
A lineage sheet that ties the records together

Start your research

The records guide

$25.99

Which records each province kept, what they cost and how to order them. Written for people doing the search themselves.

Get the guide

The lineage sheet

One page that lays out your line from the ancestor born in Canada down to you, with the record behind each link. Made to go in with your application.

Order a sheet

How it works

Tell us about the line

Send what you already know about the family, even if it is only a surname and a province.
We search the registers

We work through the church registers and census returns of the province where your ancestor was born, then follow the line forward to you.
You get the records

Each record comes with its source and where to order a certified copy, plus a lineage sheet that shows how the records connect.

A mother in a long dress reading to two small children on a carved chair, Montreal, 1891 — Mrs. Ramsay and her children, Montreal, 1891. Notman studio. McCord Stewart Museum.

Questions

Are you lawyers?

No. We are genealogists. We find records and explain them. We do not give legal advice or tell you whether you qualify. An immigration lawyer can.

What if the names don't match from one record to the next?

It happens often. Jean-Baptiste becomes John, Marie becomes Mary, and a surname can gain or lose a letter between records. We note every spelling and show which records tie them together.

My ancestor was born before birth certificates. What now?

Before civil registration, churches kept the record of a birth, usually as a baptism. We find that entry, then look for other Canadian records, such as a census, that back it up.

All questions

Tell us about your Canadian ancestor.

Send what you know. We will tell you which records exist for your line and what the search costs.