C-274An Act to amend the Citizenship Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
Private member's bill, introduced in the House of Commons on April 20, 2026
- Status
- At second reading in the House of Commons since April 20, 2026
What it does
Creates a citizenship path for some people who aged out of child welfare care, and pauses their removal orders while their application is decided.
What it does
- Creates a new route to citizenship for some people who were ordinarily resident in Canada when they left child welfare care, foster care, or similar care arrangements.
- Requires applicants to have been in qualifying care for at least 365 days, been physically present in Canada for 1,095 days, and met limits on time outside Canada and on returning to parental custody.
- Lets the minister waive the listed eligibility rules on compassionate grounds after reviewing the person's circumstances.
- Treats a written statement from the applicant as proof of the care history unless the minister decides the circumstances did not exist.
- Stops a removal order from being enforced against a foreign national who has applied under this new citizenship route until a final decision is made.
- Makes an unenforced removal order void if the person later gets citizenship under section 5.3.
Who it affects
- People who aged out of care
- Former foster youth
- Foreign nationals applying for citizenship
- Child welfare agencies
- Immigration officials
Background
The bill amends the Citizenship Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. It adds a new section 5.3 to the Citizenship Act for minors in care and changes the rules on removal orders.
Where it is
House of Commons
First reading
Completed.
Second reading
Current stage. Now here
Committee
Not reached.
Report stage
Not reached.
Third reading
Not reached.
Senate
First reading
Not reached.
Second reading
Not reached.
Committee
Not reached.
Third reading
Not reached.
Royal assent
Royal assent
Not reached.
Introduced by an MP who is not a minister. These bills compete in a lottery for debate time, and most do not become law. How a bill becomes law
How the House voted
No recorded votes yet
What MPs said
Each party’s first speech on this bill in the House, from Hansard. Excerpts are the speaker’s opening sentences, unedited.
NDPJenny Kwan· April 20, 2026
“Moved for leave to introduce Bill C-274, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. I am pleased to introduce an act that would amend the Citizenship Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.ca
Read the source
LEGISinfo status: Outside the Order of Precedence. Bill data from LEGISinfo, votes from openparliament.ca and the House of Commons. Last updated October 13, 2026.