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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...