u/Holiday_External5600

Our baby was born in the US but we live in Ontario. One parent is a naturalized Canadian citizen. Service Ontario couldn’t process it at the counter since there’s no Canadian birth certificate, but they escalated it to their head office — which is the right move for cases like this.

We wrote a short cover letter referencing Section 3(1)(b) of the Citizenship Act (RSC 1985) — children born abroad to a Canadian citizen parent are citizens by descent. We kept it respectful, acknowledged the reviewers’ expertise, and mentioned the baby’s urgent needs as a newborn.

Result: OHIP approved, one year coverage.

What you need:

•	Canadian parent’s citizenship certificate + passport

•	Baby’s foreign birth certificate

•	Proof of Ontario residency

•	A clear, concise cover letter explaining the legal basis

Hope this helps someone!