In this lighter episode of Borderlines, we take a break from the usual deep dives into immigration law to tackle something every new Canadian faces: the citizenship test.

We start with a quick overview of how the test works. Format, requirements, and recent procedural updates. We then put ourselves on the spot with real sample questions. What follows is a mix of correct answers, educated guesses, and a few humbling moments.

Along the way, we also discuss whether the citizenship test actually measures anything meaningful, the challenges faced by applicants seeking waivers, and whether knowledge-based testing should play a role in determining who becomes Canadian.

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A discussion of the Federal Court of Appeal's decision in Benison v. Canada (Royal Canadian Mounted Police External Review Committee), 2026 FCA 53.

The decision opens with the following Supreme Court of Canada quote - "The common law system has always abhorred delay. In our system’s development of the courts’ supervisory role over administrative processes through mandamus, we see a crystallizing potential to compel government officers to do their duty and, in so doing, to avoid delay in administrative processes."

And it really drives home that allocation of resources in of itself justify delays, open ended delays are unacceptable, significant prejudice is not required, queue jumping does not in of itself preclude mandamus, and more.

Previous Borderlines podcast episodes where we discussed mandamus include episodes 57 and 117.

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We are joined once again by Amandeep Hayer and Lisa Middlemiss, to discuss citizenship by descent post Bill C-3

With thousands of people, particularly Americans, now exploring whether they qualify for Canadian citizenship through a distant ancestor, we discuss how the law works, how to prove eligibility, and the practical challenges involved.

We also discuss the genealogy research often required to prove citizenship, archival birth records, IRCC processing issues, the interim measures, and the broader policy implications of expanding citizenship while immigration pathways tighten.

03:01 Quick recap: who qualifies for Canadian citizenship by descent under the new framework

08:27 The main challenge: proving ancestry and lineage

13:33 Situations where someone may think they qualify but actually don’t (e.g., adoption issues)

27:43 Can someone apply for a study permit or work permit if they might already be Canadian?

Audience Questions:

33:14 British subjects in Canada during WWII

35:26 What happened to the interim citizenship measures from 2024

39:36 Do families need separate citizenship proof applications for each generation?

46:06 Where to start if your Canadian ancestor was born in the 1800s

48:26 Translation requirements for Quebec civil records

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