Membership & Status

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, all Indigenous Services Canada offices for Indian status and secure status card applications are closed until further notice.

The Kitselas Membership Clerk is available to help members with any questions about membership and status. They are available to guide you through these processes, print forms and help fill them out, as well as check to make sure you have all the correct support documents.

Get a Secured Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS)

Kitselas encourages all members to get a Secured Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS). Only registered members can apply.

SCIS are newer, plastic cards made and distributed by Indigenous Services Canada. They are similar to a BC identification card. These cards last longer than status cards in that they expire after more years than status cards, and are made with more durable material.

• SCIS for ages 16 and older, expires after 10 years.
• SCIS for ages 15 and under, expire after 5 years.

To get an SCIS, Kitselas members need to fill out an application and mail it to Indigenous Services Canada with support documents. It can take as long as 6 months to get your card back in the mail.

The Kitselas Membership Clerk can help you fill out your application.

Get a Status Card

To get a Status Card, Kitselas members must complete an application form and submit it to the Kitselas Band Office. Only registered members can apply.

Get an application online, or from the Main Reception at the Administration Building in Gitaus. The Kitselas Membership Clerk  can help you fill it out.

Indian status does not expire but the cards do.

• Adult status cards expire every 5 years.
• Youth status cards (18 years and under) expire every 2 years.

Recent Changes to Card Applications*

To improve the process of applying for a secure status card:

• you can now take your own photo and submit it straight from your smartphone using the SCIS Photo App
• only 1 piece of acceptable valid identification needs to be provided, instead of 2
• a birth certificate is no longer required
• the guarantor list has been substantially expanded
• a statutory declaration or police report is no longer required to replace a lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed status card

*from the Indigenous Services Canada website

Card is lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed

If you have lost your Secure Certificate of Indian Status (secure status card) or if it has been stolen, damaged or destroyed, you must report it by calling Public enquiries right away. The call agent will:

1. cancel the lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed card
2. issue, on request, a Temporary Confirmation of Registration Document

The replacement process is the same as when first applying for a secure status card. Fill out the same application form and check “Replacement (lost, stolen, damaged SCIS)” under “Reason for application”.

If you have lost your Certificate of Indian Status (status card) or if it has been stolen, damaged or destroyed, contact your First Nation or band office to apply for a replacement card.

Registration

Members should register all changes, births, deaths, marriages, divorces, name changes, and any other changes to status to the Kitselas Membership Clerk as soon as possible.

Births
We encourage all members to register their children at birth as it can take up to a year to process. Try to include the information of both parents on the application, especially if both are registered, as this can benefit your child and future grandchildren.

Name Changes
To change your family name, you will need your marriage or divorce certificate.

Band Transfers
Members must apply by letter and complete a transfer application. If you have been married, first report your marriage to Indigenous Services Canada. Applicants must be of Kitselas ancestry or married to an original Kitselas band member.