Under a new law recently passed in Canada, thousands of Maine residents are now eligible for Canadian citizenship.

Millions of Americans, including many in Maine, could now be eligible for Canadian citizenship after Canada passed a new law that broadens who qualifies.

👇 KEEP READING: Here's the Top 20 Maine Craft Beers According to BeerAdvocate 👇

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Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
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In the past, citizenship by descent was limited to one generation, but the change now allows people with more distant Canadian ancestry to potentially claim it.

The previous limit has been removed, meaning anyone who can prove an unbroken line of descent from a Canadian ancestor can now claim citizenship.

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Photo by Salah Malkawi/Getty Images
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Citizenship can be claimed with no residency requirement and an application fee of about $55 U.S. For many families, the process starts by gathering historical records.

Those records include birth certificates, immigration documents, and family trees to clearly trace their ancestry.

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Photo by Andrej Ivanov/Getty Images
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According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey, about 96,000 Mainers, or roughly 6.8% of the state’s population, would be the target demographic.

That is the number of Mainers who identify as having Canadian or French Canadian ancestry, and with citizenship by descent expanding to include those with a parent, grandparent, or even earlier ancestor, many of those residents could now qualify.

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Photo by John Moore/Getty Images
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And there you have it! With this new law in place, Mainers who can prove an uninterrupted line of descent from a Canadian ancestor can claim citizenship.

What are your thoughts on this? We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to join the conversation by messaging us on the app.

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Here's the Top 20 Maine Craft Beers According to BeerAdvocate

Here is a list of the 20 highest rated beers from Maine breweries on the website, BeerAdvocate.

The list is dominated by three breweries- Allagash, Bissel Brothers, and Maine Beer Co. The IPA style is clearly the most popular, which is not surprising given recent beer trends.

Research comes from Beer Advocate's Maine page in April 2026.

Gallery Credit: Chris Sedenka

35 Maine Restaurants with the Best Outdoor Dining

Thanks to our great listeners we were able to compile a list of many of Maine's restaurants with the best outdoor dining.

These great spots can be found across the state and waiting for you to give them a try.

How many have you been to? How many would you like to try for the first time?

Gallery Credit: Chris Sedenka

2026 Maine Savings Amphitheater Summer Concert Lineup

Each year, Waterfront Concerts delivers an amazing lineup for the summer concert season at the Maine Savings Amphitheater, drawing fans from all over to Bangor’s waterfront. Keep scrolling to see the full list of artists scheduled to perform in the Queen City of the East in 2026. We’ll keep this list up-to-date as more announcements roll in, so be sure to check back often!

Gallery Credit: Jordan Verge

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