Canada Is Taking Back Citizenship Certificates

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift · Jun 17, 2026 · 10m

Canadian citizenship certificates are being recalled, and immigration lawyer Joel Sandaluk has a message for everyone panicking: surrendering the document does not surrender the status.

The harder question is how thousands of people became Canadian citizens without knowing it, why the government is asking for proof back instead of simply auditing the files, and what happens to the people who already built plans around that piece of paper.

Joel also has a different problem with citizenship by descent that has nothing to do with the recall, and it is worth hearing from someone who spends his…