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Birthing Canadian citizens: Migrant mothers’ experiences accessing documentation and citizenship for children born in Canada and abroad

The back of a mother holding her baby while looking over a lake

Project Lead(s)

Allison Petrozziello

Team Members

Ethel Tungohan, Monica Gagnon, Amanda Cheong (external link) , Vida Carranza Capote, Lauren (Ji Won) Li

In Canada, access to birthright citizenship is presumed to be automatic, regardless of the citizenship or status of migrant mothers, or whether they give birth in Canada or abroad. However, some migrant mothers face obstacles in obtaining birth certificates and proof of citizenship for the Canadian babies they bring into the world.

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Objective

This project investigates the role of digital technologies in relation to documentation practices and mobilization of those who are navigating documentation and citizenship policies at home and abroad. The objectives are to shed light on the legal and techno-administrative obstacles to citizenship acquisition for children born to particular groups of migrant mothers, with emphasis on temporary migrants and Canadians living abroad, and to recommend actions to facilitate their children’s access to proof of Canadian citizenship, including by harnessing the power of ADTs.

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Research question(s)

  1. What kinds of barriers to birth registration, identity documentation, and/or legal citizenship do children born to particular groups of migrant mothers, who are not permanent residents, face? 
  2. How does geographic and institutional location of birth play a role in whether and how a child is documented with proof of Canadian citizenship? 
  3. In what ways do the intersections of gender, race, class, migration status, and sexuality shape the experiences of migrant mothers who are birthing Canadian citizens? 
  4. How can ADTs help or hinder access to documentation and proof of Canadian citizenship?
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Methodology

The project consists of two studies, each focusing on a specific population group: ‘non-resident’ migrant mothers giving birth to Canadian citizens in Canada, and Canadian citizen mothers birthing the second generation abroad (the so-called “Lost Canadians”). The methodology is mixed, with quantitative scoping to determine the extent of the problem as well as qualitative qualitative case study research to examine the nature of migrant mothers’ experiences with documentation and access to citizenship for the next generation.

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Status

The project is ongoing, with a quantitative scoping exercise, literature review, collaboration efforts, conference planning, and research design preparation currently in progress.

Expected completion date: September 2026

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Key words

Canadian citizenship; birth registration; reproduction; gender; social inequality; intersectionality