Please download the Citizenship Application and Genealogy Form to your computer prior to filling them out with your information. Once completed, you can email your forms or print them out and send them by mail.
Please include the following with your completed forms:
- Photocopies of a government issued photo ID
- Photocopies of the records connecting each generation between you and your indigenous ancestor of record.
- Two passport style photos
Affordable passport photos may be taken at many pharmacies or office supply stores. The MFC can also accept a passport style headshot photo taken from your phone: The face must be centered. The applicant’s true appearance must be shown with a neutral expression and clear facial features. Blurry photos or photos with shadows, glare, or reflections are not acceptable. A simple shirt or blouse in contrasting color with the background and skin tone is recommended. Eyes must be visible and open. If you wear glasses, they must not cover your eyes or reflect lights. Whether you have long or short hair, keep it off your face. Do not wear head coverings unless for religious or medical purposes. Applicants sitting in a wheelchair should have a white blanket behind their head.)
- Payment please send cheque or money order, or pay by credit card online.
The processing fee is $60 and is non-refundable.
If you experience any difficulty opening a file please contact the Registrar by email at r[email protected]
You can use the charts below to help identify the most direct line to your indigenous ancestry.
MFC Genealogy Documentation Form
CRITERIA
Viable Connection
The MFC realizes not every Métis person has access to proof of their ancestral connection and makes no judgement with regard to their identity or participation in cultural events. We do however require the following for citizenship in the MFC:
1) The applicant must demonstrate Indigenous ancestry and provide documentation confirming his or her lineage (or adoption during childhood) across all generations, from themself back to his or her Métis or Indigenous ancestor. Indigenous peoples in Canada include First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.
2) The applicant identifies with Métis history and its appropriate cultural expression in-line with the acknowledgement of its diversity. .
3) The applicant confirms this by signing the application.
An applicant under the age of 18 must also include a letter or other piece of writing which clearly communicates that the individual’s parents or legal guardians support the application for Citizenship in the MFC.
Genealogical Connection Through Adoption
A child adopted into the Métis community, lifestyle, and culture is recognized as Métis. Upon reaching age of majority, the individual retains the option to remain registered with the MFC.
Documents must be provided confirming the genealogical connection (or formal adoption) between each generation from the applicant back to their Métis or other Indigenous ancestor.
Community Adoption in Adulthood: While a non-Métis adult may be adopted in the Métis community, that person cannot pass his/her “status” to his/her child as a Métis direct kinship connection. The said child must be adopted into the community with the same intent as adult adoptee by presenting a written request.
NOTE: Many Métis were historically described as Burnt Wood (Bois Brulé), Chicot, Canadien, Sauvage, Metissé, Slave* (Esclave), Country Born (Enfant du Pays), Half-breed (Sang Melangé, demi-sang), French Indian (Indien Francais), Scot Indian (Indian Ecossais), White Indian, Infidel, etc. Some Métis were not identified as such on any documentation. However, it is possible to confirm his/her existence through verifiable genealogical connection to an Indigenous/European union. In rare cases where paper-based documentation is not available, and in respecting our Indigenous oral traditions, the sworn affidavit of an Elder who has known, over the course of many decades or a lifetime, an individual or family as being Métis shall be considered. * The term “slave” was used to identify the Indian wife and/or children of a white man, especially in strongly influenced religious settlements where Indian/White marriages were frowned upon, or tolerated because the husband was an influential member of the society.
Mobility and Lifestyle Differences
Recognizing that not all Métis people live in a Métis community, or were born in a Métis community. His/her connection may be historical and revealed later in his/her life. The person may have been adopted by non-Métis parents, or born of parents who concealed their Métis identity. Historically, the Métis are mobile, with many having lived in multiple settlements across the land and the continent. They are still Métis if they don’t belong to a distinct community, and welcome by MFC providing a successful application (see criteria above).