This section covers everything to do with Immigration and Citizenship that is in the public domain.
They start off with a topic of Terminology and Abbreviations. These refer to things you will find in records relating to immigration such as passenger lists.
The next topic is Passenger Lists before 1865.They give you a complete run down of the subject and what is available for the researcher. You will find information on the French and British Regimes as well as the Montreal Emigrant Society Passage Book. They also provide links to provincial and online sources.
The French Regime section provides a list of microfilms for passenger lists prior to 1865. Remember these are not complete and because of the age of these records they can be difficult to read. The French Regime includes lists that have destinations of: Quebec, Acadia, Canada and America, and Newfoundland.
Under the British Regime is a database relating to Immigrants to Canada from about 1803 to 1865. You can search by surname and it provides a reference that may include a microfilm number. These records come from varying sources and are not specifically passenger lists. A few but not all have a digital image attached to the reference.
The Montreal Emigrant Society Passage Book (1832) has a searchable database. You can search by name and the reference provides a microfilm number as well as a digital image to the records.
Passenger Lists, 1865-1935 are the next topic. Here again they provide a breakdown of what you will find in the records and what records are available.
There is a database for Quebec City Passenger Lists Index 1865-1900 that is searchable by name. You get the reference information and then can view a digital image. Some of the names are only surnames. There is also very little extra information provided in the index. You need to go into the image to find more information. Sometimes it is only Mr or Mrs but you may also find more.
There is a list of ports and the years that records are available for those ports. When you click on the port and date in question you will get a list of microfilm numbers so you can order them through inter library loan.
Passenger Lists, 1865-1922 is a searchable database by name of ship, year and port of arrival and port of departure. You can search by a shipping line, specific date of departure or arrival. You are then provided with a list of choices. When you click on one you get a reference page and can click on the digital image relating to the search criteria. You then search the record and move on to the next one. This is the modern way of searching microfilm.
Passenger Lists from 1925-1935 has a database that is searchable by name. Once you click on the name you get a reference summary which provides a microfilm number. You can then use this to order the microfilm from LAC.
They discuss Chinese immigration records and provide links to online sources.
Form 30A, 1919-1924 (Ocean Arrivals) provides a break down of what you will find in the record as well as a list of microfilms. There is also an online database but you need to know the microfilm number and then you can search the microfilm online. It is not a name database.
Border Entry is the next topic. You get a brief description and a warning that not everyone who crossed the border was registered. There is a list of border ports, dates and microfilm numbers for the dates of 1908-1918. From 1919-1924 Form 30 was used and can be found in the same database as Form 30A. Border entries from 1925-1935 is found in the Immigration Records (1925-1935) database. Other online sources and reference information are also provided.
After 1935 you need to make a request to Citizenship and Immigration Canada. You need to fill in an Access to Information Request Form and the person must have been dead for 20 years or more. Proof must be provided for the death. If the person is living then they can apply for their information themselves.
I had difficulty with this when I went searching for my grandmother’s entry into Canada in 1957. She died two years ago at 99 ¾ years and I was told that I will have to wait 20 years before I can apply for a copy of her passenger list. You will only be able to get the entry for your ancestor.
The Immigrants from the Russian Empire topic has a list of microfilms and there is a database of indexed and digitized images from the files of the Passport/Identity Papers series. These are indexed by name and the file can hold one or more pages. Some have photographs attached to them.
The Home Children (1869-1930) database can be found under this section. It is searchable under two sections Immigration Records Search and Boards of Guardians Search. They provide a reference and it includes where the record came from and a microfilm number. The Boards of Guardians have digital images. Under Immigration Records Search if there was a group of children travelling together you can click on a link and find out who they were. They also provide other resources to help you with your search.
The Passport topic provides links to the history of passports and well as passports relating to different countries. They also tell you how to search them at LAC. There is a name index for the passports that Library and Archives Canada hold.
The Citizenship topic tells the story of citizenship in Canada and how to research the records that are available. There is a database relating to Upper Canada and Canada West Naturalization Registers (1828-1850). This is searchable by name and once you click on a name the reference page provides a link to a digital image.
There is also a database for Citizenship Registration Records for the Montreal Circuit Court (1851-1945) which is also searchable by name. When you click on the name a reference page comes up and then you can click on a digital image of the record. Sometimes there is more than one page for the record.
You will also find a link to the Canadian Naturalization 1915-1932 database. This is searchable by name and as with previous databases you can download a digital image. This is a PDF file that is a printed source reference.
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