Key numbers on Canadian immigration - Asylum statistics, trends and data

Data as of May 31, 2026

Canada’s asylum system exists to protect people who are fleeing persecution or a risk to their life or safety in their home country. In recent years, Canada has seen a steady rise in the number of people who have submitted asylum claims. This increase is driven by multiple factors, including

Our obligation

Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, Canada has an obligation to assess the eligibility of asylum claims made by individuals who arrive in the country seeking refugee protection (asylum).

Learn more about the steps in the process
  1. An Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) official or a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer first assesses each claim to determine whether it is eligible to be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB).
  2. If a claim is found eligible the IRB decides the claim based on the evidence and arguments presented, and in line with Canadian laws. Asylum claimants must prove that they have a well-founded fear of persecution or face a risk of serious harm—such as torture, cruel and unusual treatment, or punishment—in the country where they are a citizen or where they have nationality. If they are stateless, this applies to the country where they usually live.
  3. Those whose claims are accepted become protected persons and may apply for permanent residence under the protected persons in Canada category. Those whose claims are denied may be subject to removal from Canada.
  4. Those whose claims are found ineligible for referral to the IRB or denied by the IRB, may still be eligible for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) once the removal order is enforceable by the CBSA. The PRRA is a process used to ensure that an applicant is not being removed to a country where they would face risk. PRRAs are an important safeguard in Canada’s immigration and asylum system.

Learn more about how Canada’s refugee protection system works.

Strengthening the integrity of Canada’s asylum system

We’ve introduced important reforms to strengthen migration integrity and modernize the asylum system. These measures are designed to make the asylum process faster so that claims are processed more effectively while Canada’s commitment to protecting those in need continues to be upheld.

Measures to address the overall number of temporary residents in Canada and to improve the integrity of our temporary programs have also supported the integrity of the asylum system by helping reduce the number of claims entering the system.

What we’ve done

We've taken concrete steps to minimize unnecessary border volumes, increase information sharing, and reduce non-genuine visitors and crossings between ports of entry.

Implemented new eligibility requirements for asylum claims

On March 26, 2026, new measures came into force through the Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act (Bill C 12), aimed at improving the efficiency and integrity of Canada's immigration and asylum systems, supporting timely decisions, deterring misuse, and addressing ongoing system pressures.

Implemented a partial visa requirement for Mexican nationals

Asylum claims made by Mexican citizens at airports across the country immediately fell by 97% between February 2024 and March 2024.

Introduced the Additional Protocol to the Safe Third Country Agreement

The number of asylum claims from people crossing between ports of entry has since dropped from an average of 165 claims a day in March 2023 to 13 claims a day.

Heightened scrutiny of temporary resident visa applications

We saw an 84% drop in asylum claims from temporary resident visa (TRV) holders in May 2026 (1,730) compared to May 2024 (10,590).

 66% fewer

people submitted an asylum claim between January and May 2026 compared to the same period in 2024

Total number of claimants by month of submitted claim

The summary below provides an overview of asylum claimants by month. Detailed breakdowns and historical data are available on the Open Government Portal. The data is updated monthly. It is considered preliminary and may be subject to change.

About the data

Key definitions

  • Asylum claimant data records the number of people who make a request for Canada’s protection and can help explain who is seeking protection—their background, where they come from and other demographics.
  • Asylum claim data records the number of requests for protection and can help track system workload, processing times and trends.

These numbers don’t always match because one person can make more than one claim or claims can be withdrawn, abandoned or merged. Both claim and claimant data are also subject to change, as claims are processed and data updated in the IRCC administrative system.

Other considerations

  • The number of people who submit asylum claims changes from month to month for a variety of reasons, so it’s difficult to predict future trends. We often see an increase in land border claims in late spring and early summer when the school year ends and travel increases.
  • This data may include people whose asylum claim has since been sent to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) or was determined to be ineligible to be sent to the IRB, people who have become protected persons (as defined by the IRB) or whose claim was rejected, or people who have since become a permanent resident in the year in which their claim was made.
  • Please note that in the tables, all values between 0 and 5 are shown as “--”. In the graphs, all values between 0 and 5 will be visualized as zero. This is done to prevent individuals from being identified when data is compiled and compared to other publicly available statistics. All other values are rounded to the closest multiple of 5 for the same reason; as a result of rounding, the data may not sum to the totals indicated.
Total claimants

Asylum claimants by province and territory of submitted claim

This graph shows the monthly number of people who submitted an asylum claim to either IRCC or the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), both from within Canada and at the border since May 2023.

Select a province or territory to focus on those numbers.

Asylum claimants by province and territory of submitted claim - Table
Asylum claimants by province and territory of submitted claim
Month Newfoundland and Labrador Prince Edward Island Nova Scotia New Brunswick Quebec Ontario Manitoba Saskatchewan Alberta British Columbia Yukon Northwest Territories Nunavut Province/Territory of claim not stated Total claimants
May-23 5 -- 10 15 3,605 4,340 25 10 270 505 0 0 -- -- 8,785
Jun-23 5 -- 15 10 4,445 4,950 50 15 420 595 0 0 0 0 10,505
Jul-23 -- -- 25 5 4,900 5,505 70 5 495 555 0 0 0 0 11,565
Aug-23 -- 0 15 15 4,905 6,000 55 20 695 710 0 0 -- 0 12,410
Sep-23 -- 0 15 20 6,450 6,815 65 20 755 755 -- -- -- -- 14,900
Oct-23 10 -- 20 25 6,665 7,740 130 30 880 815 -- 0 0 -- 16,315
Nov-23 10 -- 20 25 5,785 8,135 145 25 885 885 0 0 0 -- 15,905
Dec-23 5 -- 10 20 5,870 7,695 120 30 755 985 0 0 0 -- 15,495
Jan-24 -- 5 15 15 5,200 7,505 150 55 770 965 0 -- 0 -- 14,695
Feb-24 5 -- 20 25 6,460 7,795 135 30 635 845 0 0 0 0 15,950
Mar-24 -- -- 25 30 5,575 7,975 145 55 800 865 0 0 0 0 15,475
Apr-24 -- -- 25 10 5,375 8,195 115 30 705 820 -- 0 0 0 15,290
May-24 5 -- 25 20 5,330 8,660 155 35 830 860 0 -- 0 0 15,925
Jun-24 10 -- 25 15 4,935 7,485 170 50 720 810 0 0 -- 0 14,220
Jul-24 10 0 45 30 4,655 7,770 180 55 830 805 0 0 0 -- 14,385
Aug-24 10 5 25 25 3,690 7,140 190 45 830 905 0 0 -- 0 12,865
Sep-24 -- -- 35 55 4,315 7,095 210 65 915 970 -- -- -- -- 13,670
Oct-24 10 10 25 35 3,870 7,610 200 50 945 1,105 -- -- -- 0 13,860
Nov-24 -- -- 30 40 3,660 6,420 195 55 865 1,160 -- 0 0 0 12,440
Dec-24 5 -- 20 30 4,175 6,445 215 60 835 1,290 5 0 0 0 13,085
Jan-25 5 -- 25 25 3,040 5,200 180 50 685 1,080 -- 0 0 0 10,295
Feb-25 -- 10 35 35 2,870 4,345 145 50 545 915 0 0 -- 0 8,950
Mar-25 10 -- 35 25 3,215 4,385 95 30 480 920 -- -- 0 0 9,205
Apr-25 10 -- 25 30 4,500 4,345 105 50 565 865 -- 0 0 0 10,495
May-25 15 -- 25 25 2,380 4,140 105 50 535 855 0 0 0 -- 8,135
Jun-25 10 5 35 30 3,400 4,610 145 50 635 1,065 -- -- 0 -- 9,985
Jul-25 -- -- 45 25 5,690 4,685 160 70 695 975 0 -- 0 -- 12,345
Aug-25 15 10 30 60 3,600 4,215 140 65 640 835 -- -- 0 0 9,610
Sep-25 10 5 35 45 2,845 4,765 125 65 715 1,050 -- 0 0 0 9,670
Oct-25 15 5 50 35 2,495 4,445 185 75 700 1,075 0 -- 0 0 9,080
Nov-25 5 -- 45 35 2,160 3,775 125 55 575 885 0 -- 0 0 7,665
Dec-25 15 -- 35 25 2,305 3,610 190 30 610 850 -- 0 0 0 7,670
Jan-26 10 -- 30 30 1,950 3,030 90 45 495 770 -- -- 0 0 6,455
Feb-26 10 10 35 30 1,530 2,915 120 50 460 765 -- 0 -- 0 5,925
Mar-26 10 15 40 20 1,510 3,095 130 45 455 870 0 0 0 0 6,185
Apr-26 0 0 20 15 980 2,070 115 20 280 375 0 0 0 0 3,875
May-26 -- -- 20 15 865 1,920 100 20 330 375 0 0 0 0 3,650
Claimants at a port of entry

Asylum claimants at official ports of entry

When someone submits an asylum claim at an official port of entry, a CBSA officer will decide if their claim meets the eligibility requirements to be sent to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

The Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA)

The Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) between Canada and the United States (US) is an important tool for both governments to work together on the orderly management of asylum claims along our shared land border. All individuals crossing the Canada-US land border to seek asylum in Canada are subject to the STCA and are returned to the US to pursue an asylum claim there unless they qualify for an exception or exemption to the STCA.

Asylum claimants at official ports of entry by province and territory of submitted claim

This graph shows the number of people who submitted an asylum claim at different ports of entry since May 2023.

The data does not show how many asylum claimants are currently living in a province or territory, only where claims were originally submitted.

Select a province or territory to focus on those numbers.

Asylum claimants at official ports of entry by province and territory of submitted claim - Table
Asylum claimants at official ports of entry by province and territory of submitted claim
Month Newfoundland and Labrador Prince Edward Island Nova Scotia New Brunswick Quebec Ontario Manitoba Saskatchewan Alberta British Columbia Yukon Northwest Territories Nunavut Total claimants
May-2023 -- 0 -- -- 2,375 1,845 -- -- 65 130 0 0 0 4,420
Jun-2023 0 0 5 -- 3,225 2,130 -- -- 60 130 0 0 0 5,560
Jul-2023 0 0 -- 0 3,195 2,075 10 0 65 85 0 0 0 5,430
Aug-2023 0 0 -- 10 2,955 1,460 -- -- 75 135 0 0 0 4,640
Sep-2023 0 0 -- -- 4,430 2,540 -- 0 150 145 0 0 0 7,275
Oct-2023 0 0 -- -- 4,205 2,590 10 -- 150 165 0 0 0 7,125
Nov-2023 0 0 -- 5 3,485 2,490 -- -- 85 205 0 0 0 6,280
Dec-2023 0 0 -- -- 3,545 2,470 10 -- 115 270 0 0 0 6,415
Jan-2024 0 0 -- 0 2,800 2,045 20 -- 65 225 0 0 0 5,155
Feb-2024 0 0 -- -- 4,100 2,425 -- 0 65 250 0 0 0 6,845
Mar-2024 0 0 -- 0 3,345 2,345 10 -- 115 160 0 0 0 5,975
Apr-2024 0 0 5 -- 3,295 2,670 -- -- 90 140 0 0 0 6,210
May-2024 0 0 -- -- 3,130 2,780 10 0 115 120 0 0 0 6,165
Jun-2024 -- 0 5 -- 3,035 2,430 10 0 55 120 0 0 0 5,665
Jul-2024 0 0 -- -- 2,585 1,995 -- 5 90 130 0 0 0 4,820
Aug-2024 5 0 5 -- 1,600 1,365 15 -- 55 120 0 0 0 3,165
Sep-2024 0 0 -- 10 2,155 1,515 10 10 60 110 0 0 0 3,880
Oct-2024 0 0 0 -- 1,560 1,565 15 -- 65 95 0 0 0 3,295
Nov-2024 0 0 0 -- 1,645 1,185 15 -- 65 105 0 0 0 3,020
Dec-2024 0 0 5 5 2,185 1,445 20 -- 60 125 0 0 0 3,850
Jan-2025 0 0 -- -- 1,295 875 15 5 35 120 -- 0 0 2,350
Feb-2025 0 0 -- 5 1,285 745 20 0 45 85 0 0 0 2,185
Mar-2025 0 0 -- 5 1,900 800 10 0 40 105 -- 0 0 2,865
Apr-2025 0 0 0 15 3,330 925 10 -- 65 105 0 0 0 4,450
May-2025 0 0 -- -- 1,100 730 10 5 40 50 0 0 0 1,935
Jun-2025 0 0 5 -- 2,075 830 10 -- 45 65 -- 0 0 3,040
Jul-2025 -- 0 5 -- 4,005 1,050 25 15 35 80 0 0 0 5,220
Aug-2025 -- 0 -- 10 2,045 765 10 20 50 95 0 0 0 3,000
Sep-2025 0 0 5 -- 1,245 795 10 -- 50 105 0 0 0 2,215
Oct-2025 -- 0 -- -- 1,035 655 10 0 30 60 0 0 0 1,795
Nov-2025 0 0 -- -- 910 575 10 -- 35 75 0 0 0 1,610
Dec-2025 0 0 -- 0 1,135 710 20 -- 70 65 0 0 0 2,005
Jan-2026 0 0 5 10 985 440 10 5 25 60 0 0 0 1,540
Feb-2026 0 0 0 0 615 465 15 0 25 35 0 0 0 1,150
Mar-2026 0 0 -- -- 600 470 35 0 35 55 0 0 0 1,190
Apr-2026 0 0 5 -- 420 505 15 0 25 60 0 0 0 1,030
May-2026 0 0 5 -- 425 445 25 0 30 55 0 0 0 990

Where people submit claims

This table shows the number of claimants at each type of port of entry.

Period Airports Border Marine Total (airport, border, and marine)
January to May 2024 23,425 6,915 15 30,350
January to May 2025 5,315 8,470 -- 13,785
January to May 2026 2,955 2,945 -- 5,905

See breakdown by month

Claimants inside Canada

Asylum claimants in Canada

When someone submits an asylum claim from inside Canada (online or at an inland office), an IRCC official or a CBSA officer will decide if their claim meets the eligibility requirements to be sent to the IRB.

By province and territory of submitted claim

People can submit claims for asylum from within any province or territory. This graph shows the number of people who submitted claims since May 2023.

The data doesn’t show how many asylum claimants are currently living in a province or territory, only where their claims were originally submitted.

Select a province or territory to focus on those numbers.

By province and territory of submitted claim - Table
By province and territory of submitted claim
Month Newfoundland and Labrador Prince Edward Island Nova Scotia New Brunswick Quebec Ontario Manitoba Saskatchewan Alberta British Columbia Yukon Northwest Territories Nunavut Province/Territory of claim not stated Total claimants
May-2023 5 -- 5 15 1,230 2,495 25 10 205 375 0 0 -- -- 4,365
Jun-2023 5 -- 10 5 1,220 2,820 45 10 360 460 0 0 0 0 4,945
Jul-2023 -- -- 25 5 1,705 3,435 60 5 430 470 0 0 0 0 6,135
Aug-2023 -- 0 10 -- 1,950 4,540 50 15 620 575 0 0 -- 0 7,765
Sep-2023 -- 0 15 15 2,015 4,275 65 20 605 605 -- -- -- -- 7,625
Oct-2023 10 -- 15 20 2,460 5,155 120 25 730 650 -- 0 0 -- 9,190
Nov-2023 10 -- 20 15 2,300 5,645 140 20 795 680 0 0 0 -- 9,630
Dec-2023 5 -- 10 15 2,330 5,225 110 25 645 715 0 0 0 -- 9,080
Jan-2024 -- 5 15 15 2,400 5,460 130 55 705 740 0 -- 0 -- 9,540
Feb-2024 5 -- 15 20 2,360 5,365 135 30 570 595 0 0 0 0 9,105
Mar-2024 -- -- 25 30 2,230 5,635 135 50 685 705 0 0 0 0 9,500
Apr-2024 -- -- 20 10 2,080 5,525 115 30 615 680 -- 0 0 0 9,080
May-2024 5 -- 20 15 2,195 5,880 145 35 720 740 0 -- 0 0 9,760
Jun-2024 5 -- 15 10 1,900 5,055 155 50 665 685 0 0 -- 0 8,555
Jul-2024 10 0 45 30 2,070 5,775 175 45 745 670 0 0 0 -- 9,570
Aug-2024 -- 5 15 20 2,090 5,775 175 45 780 785 0 0 -- 0 9,700
Sep-2024 -- -- 30 45 2,155 5,580 195 55 855 865 -- -- -- -- 9,790
Oct-2024 10 10 25 35 2,310 6,050 185 45 880 1,010 -- -- -- 0 10,565
Nov-2024 -- -- 30 40 2,015 5,235 180 55 800 1,055 -- 0 0 0 9,420
Dec-2024 5 -- 15 25 1,990 5,000 195 55 775 1,165 5 0 0 0 9,235
Jan-2025 5 -- 20 25 1,750 4,325 170 40 650 960 0 0 0 0 7,945
Feb-2025 -- 10 35 30 1,585 3,600 125 50 500 830 0 0 -- 0 6,765
Mar-2025 10 -- 35 20 1,315 3,585 85 30 440 815 0 -- 0 0 6,340
Apr-2025 10 -- 25 15 1,170 3,420 90 50 500 760 -- 0 0 0 6,045
May-2025 15 -- 20 25 1,285 3,415 100 45 495 805 0 0 0 -- 6,205
Jun-2025 10 5 25 30 1,325 3,780 135 45 590 1,000 0 -- 0 -- 6,950
Jul-2025 -- -- 40 20 1,685 3,630 135 50 660 895 0 -- 0 -- 7,120
Aug-2025 15 10 25 50 1,550 3,450 130 45 590 740 -- -- 0 0 6,610
Sep-2025 10 5 30 40 1,600 3,970 120 60 670 945 -- 0 0 0 7,455
Oct-2025 15 5 45 35 1,460 3,785 180 75 670 1,015 0 -- 0 0 7,285
Nov-2025 5 -- 40 35 1,255 3,195 115 55 535 810 0 -- 0 0 6,055
Dec-2025 15 -- 30 25 1,170 2,900 165 30 545 780 -- 0 0 0 5,665
Jan-2026 10 -- 25 20 965 2,590 80 35 475 710 -- -- 0 0 4,920
Feb-2026 10 10 35 30 915 2,450 105 50 435 730 -- 0 -- 0 4,770
Mar-2026 10 15 40 20 910 2,625 95 45 425 815 0 0 0 0 4,990
Apr-2026 0 0 10 15 560 1,565 100 20 260 310 0 0 0 0 2,845
May-2026 -- -- 15 15 440 1,475 75 20 295 315 0 0 0 0 2,655

Asylum claimants apprehended between ports of entry

This graph shows the number of people apprehended by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) since May 2023 while crossing the border at locations other than official ports of entry and stating their intent to claim asylum. After they are apprehended, the RCMP brings them to a CBSA location for processing.

The data is updated monthly. It is considered preliminary and may be subject to change.

Select a province or territory to focus on those numbers.

About the data

These numbers may be included in the total count of claimants shown in the “Claimants at a port of entry” or “Claimants inside Canada” graphs on this page, because claimants are counted based on the CBSA location to which the RCMP brings them for processing.

The numbers are unrounded.

Asylum claimants apprehended between ports of entry - Table
Asylum claimants apprehended between ports of entry
Month New Brunswick Quebec Ontario Manitoba Saskatchewan Alberta British Columbia Total - RCMP
May-2023 0 46 0 3 0 0 30 79
Jun-2023 0 30 2 1 0 0 27 60
Jul-2023 0 42 0 8 0 0 33 83
Aug-2023 1 53 0 3 0 0 40 97
Sep-2023 0 59 2 2 0 0 25 88
Oct-2023 0 36 0 7 3 0 29 75
Nov-2023 0 58 0 0 0 0 37 95
Dec-2023 0 90 0 5 0 0 131 226
Jan-2024 5 79 0 16 0 0 91 191
Feb-2024 0 75 0 8 1 0 94 178
Mar-2024 3 90 0 8 0 0 48 149
Apr-2024 2 55 0 1 0 0 27 85
May-2024 6 60 0 16 0 0 23 105
Jun-2024 1 28 0 3 0 0 35 67
Jul-2024 1 51 2 0 0 1 43 98
Aug-2024 0 40 0 13 0 1 25 79
Sep-2024 0 37 0 10 0 1 42 90
Oct-2024 0 26 0 15 0 0 21 62
Nov-2024 0 33 0 13 0 4 29 79
Dec-2024 0 74 2 11 0 0 32 119
Jan-2025 0 73 0 13 0 0 36 122
Feb-2025 0 99 3 14 0 11 40 167
Mar-2025 0 63 1 6 0 0 38 108
Apr-2025 8 94 2 2 1 0 33 140
May-2025 0 54 0 8 1 0 12 75
Jun-2025 0 58 0 6 2 0 22 88
Jul-2025 0 239 0 17 16 0 20 292
Aug-2025 0 239 0 4 16 0 32 291
Sep-2025 0 79 0 8 0 0 36 123
Oct-2025 0 100 0 0 0 2 13 115
Nov-2025 0 111 0 3 0 0 20 134
Dec-2025 0 93 0 19 0 6 10 128
Jan-2026 0 59 0 8 0 0 3 70
Feb-2026 0 45 0 13 0 0 4 62
Mar-2026 0 79 0 27 0 0 5 111
Apr-2026 0 32 0 13 0 0 7 52
May-2026 0 33 0 26 0 0 6 65

More statistics about asylum claimants

If a claim is determined eligible, it’s sent to the IRB. The IRB is an independent administrative tribunal that assesses each case individually to determine if the claimant qualifies as a Convention refugee or a person in need of Canada’s protection.

Find out what happens to these asylum claims, including by country of origin.

Additional resources

Get detailed data

Download detailed monthly reports on asylum claimants on the Open Government Portal.

Immigration and Refugee Board data

Get access to the IRB’s data on asylum claims, including claim data by country of origin.

Asylum claimants processed by year (archived)

Access the archived pages for data posted on our site between 2016 and 2025.

Additional resources

Students and temporary workers

Information on the total population of students and workers in Canada

Additional resources

IRCC’s application inventory

Information on how many applications are within or exceeding our service standards, as well as how many we’ve processed

Immigration Levels Plan

Tabled each year, a forward-looking snapshot of immigration targets for the next 3 years

Page details

2026-07-21