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Refugee claims in Canada are dropping from historic highs as the country grants fewer visas and advocates worry legitimate claimants are being left stranded with few good options.

About 11,840 people filed refugee claims in Canada in January, down from a high of 19,821 in July, Immigration and Refugee Board data shows. This was the lowest monthly figure since September 2023.

Canada is publicly discouraging asylum-seekers and clamping down on the visas it issues, aiming to gradually reduce the...

Canadian immigration officers have been given broader powers to cancel travel permits and visitor visas under new rules designed to bolster border security and clamp down on fraud.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued “strengthened” regulations, including the ability to revoke visitor visas if their holders destroy their passports. Officers can also rescind authorization to travel to Canada if they believe a visitor may not leave the country.

Airlines have been informed...

the Honourable David J. McGuinty, Minister of Public Safety, and the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, provided key updates on the impacts of recent measures to reinforce the integrity of our shared border with the United-States (U.S.) and our immigration system. These ongoing efforts include Canada’s Border Plan, released in December 2024.

Together, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Public Safety, the Canada Border Services Agency...

Canada remains deeply concerned about the catastrophic conditions faced by people in Gaza. While it is extremely difficult for people to exit Gaza at this time, Canada is making sure the necessary supports are in place for Gazans as they start to arrive in our country.

On January 16, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced that Palestinians who have arrived in Canada can now apply to receive transitional financial assistance. This assistance will...

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress is warning that many of the 300,000 Ukrainians who arrived in Canada under three-year emergency visas face an uncertain future because their temporary residencies are about to expire.

Executive Director Ihor Michalchyshyn says he met with Immigration Minister Marc Miller last week to ask his department to automatically renew the visas for another three years.

Miller said last week that the Ukrainians must apply for an extension to a working permit or a student visa...

Canadian refugee advocates, federal government departments and immigration lawyers are bracing for a potential influx of asylum claimants following U.S. President Donald Trump's executive orders this week.

But as they prepare, they all say they have no idea what exactly to expect.

"With Trump, crystal balls are hard to keep clear," said Gabriela Ramo, past chair of the Canadian Bar Association's immigration section.
"We share a border with an elephant and he is talking about deporting 11 million...

Immigration Minister Marc Miller is offering an incentive to provinces and territories to accept asylum seekers, saying he may allow them to select more economic migrants if they agree to help shoulder the burden.

As part of a wider drive to decrease the number of immigrants Canada accepts, this week Ottawa informed most provinces and territories that they must cut in half the number of people they bring in under provincial nominee programs this year. Each province receives an allotment from...

The number of refugee claimants Canada has accepted has more than doubled since 2018. A CBC investigation has found that people from some countries have an easier time claiming asylum than others.

The number of refugee claimants granted asylum in Canada was close to 37,000 in 2023, up from just over 14,000 in 2018.
The recognition rate, which is determined by the number of accepted refugee claims divided by the total number of claims that have been decided by the Immigration and Refugee Board on...

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced plans to cut about 3,300 jobs, or about a quarter of its workforce, over the next three years.

The federal department emailed employees on Monday about its "budget situation" and the impact on staffing, which IRCC later confirmed with CBC.

The email stated it was unclear who would be impacted by these cuts, but it would reach every sector and branch. Those affected would be notified starting in mid-February.

"We estimate that about...