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Birthing Canadian Citizens: Migrant Mothers鈥� 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

Allison Petrozziello

Team Members

Ethel Tungohan, Monica Gagnon, , Vida Carranza Capote, Lauren (Ji Won) Lee

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鈥檚 access to proof of Canadian citizenship, including by harnessing the power of ADTs.

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Research Questions

  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: 鈥榥on-resident鈥� migrant mothers giving birth to Canadian citizens in Canada, and Canadian citizen mothers birthing the second generation abroad (the so-called 鈥淟ost Canadians鈥�). 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鈥� 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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Outcomes

Publications:

Petrozziello, A. J. (2025).  Journal of Human Rights, 1鈥�17. doi:10.1080/14754835.2025.2477493

Past events and presentations:

  • Follow-up workshop on birthright citizenship; emphasis on policy, documentation, and access for migrants, 成人大片, 17 October, 2025
  • Workshop focusing on the legal, administrative, and practical issues in birthright citizenship among migrant families, 成人大片, 16 October, 2025
  • 鈥淭heorizing states鈥� production of statelessness among migrants鈥� descendants鈥�, presented by Allison Petrozziello, Canadian Political Science Association (CPSA) Annual Conference, Toronto, Canada, June 4, 2025
  • 鈥淏irth registration as bordering practice: Blocked access to birthright citizenship for Latin America鈥檚 children born into displacement鈥�, presented by Allison Petrozziello, 16th Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS), Toronto, Canada, May 27, 2025
  • 鈥淭heorizing states鈥� production of statelessness among migrants鈥� descendants鈥�, presented by Allison Petrozziello, International Studies Association (ISA) 66th Annual Convention, Chicago, United States, March 2, 2025
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Key words

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