CIMM - Asylum - December 4, 2025

Key Messages

• The government is committed to rebuilding Canadians’ trust in the immigration system.
• We’re making our borders stronger and making sure the system is more resilient and responsive to emerging pressures.
• These efforts are working—asylum claims are down 32% compared to last year.
  • January 1, 2025-September 30, 2025: 90,310 asylum claims
  • January 1, 2024-September 30, 2024: 133,465 asylum claims
• Our actions and message are clear and effective: the asylum system should not be seen as a shortcut to immigrate to Canada.

Asylum Claim Volumes

• Canada is not alone is seeing an increasing number of asylum claims. The number of asylum seekers waiting for a decision doubled globally over the past five years from 4.1M in 2019 to 8.4M in 2024.
• Asylum volumes are difficult to predict and are driven by a number of factors.
• To address the rising number of claims, Canada has increased its processing capacity while at the same time implementing other changes to the immigration system to improve the integrity of our immigration programs.
• Our most recent Multi-Year Immigration Levels Plan, along with new integrity measures, will serve to better screen foreign nationals who apply to come to Canada and to limit the overall number of temporary residents admitted into the country.
• We are seeing results from the implementation of these new integrity measures. Between January 1, 2025, and September 30, 2025, total asylum claims across Canada fell by about 32% compared to the same period last year.
• Further reforms included in the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act will continue to improve the asylum system by enabling faster and more efficient decision making.

Temporary residents and volumes

• The number of temporary residents claiming asylum are declining as we are making efforts to better screen foreign nationals who apply to come to Canada and limit the overall number admitted into the country, as seen in the Multi-Year Immigration Levels Plan.
• New screening and integrity measures led to a 32% drop in asylum claims linked to temporary residents from all programs in 2025.

Temporary foreign workers and volumes

• Between January and September 2025, we have received approximately 10,625 claims from work permit (including work permit extensions) holders (all modes). While some will have protection needs, almost all claims are made inland, which could be an indication that they are potentially seeking to extend their stay.

Airport and Land Border Claims

• Claims made at airports dropped by approximately 75%: from 36,235 between January and September 2024, down to 9,195 over the same period this year (January-September 2025).
• Claims made inland dropped by approximately 27%: from 84,475 between January and September 2024, down to 61,950 over the same period this year (January-September 2025).
• While overall claims are down significantly, we continue to closely monitor asylum claims at the land border in Quebec.
• The vast majority of people claiming at the land border are Haitian nationals (68%), who are making claims at Quebec land borders:
  • Haitian land border claims 2025: 12,320
  • Total land border claims 2025: 18,165

Data as of September 30, 2025

• These Haitian nationals are claiming eligibility under the family exception of the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA). This means they are eligible because they have a family “anchor” who has legal Canadian status or who has a pending asylum claim.
• Since the summer spike, land border claims have fallen significantly, particularly in Quebec. Volumes are now within the average range seen in recent years.

Temporary Residents

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is taking important steps to improve the integrity of the temporary resident program.
• The 32% overall decline in the total number of asylum claims compared to last year is largely driven by a 66% reduction in asylum claims from temporary resident visa holders (80,765 in January-September 2024 vs. 27,595 in January- September 2025).

If pressed (exploratory data):

• In 2025, 59% of all inland claimants submitted a claim within 12 months of entering Canada compared to 85% of inland claimants in 2024.
• The share of claimants who waited 12 months or more after arrival to file their claim increased from 12% in 2024 to 38% in 2025.
• This means that a growing number could fall under the new ineligibility provisions if and when they come into force, as proposed under Bill C-12.

Processing Data and Timelines

• As of September 30, the overall processing time for 80% of eligibility decisions on asylum claims received was 21 days.
• This performance is exceeding the target of processing 80% of the eligibility decisions in 30 days.

Inventory

• As of June 30, the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) had an inventory of approximately 290,000 claims; 190,300 claims that are ready to be heard. In addition, a further 98,000 claims were incomplete due to pending security screening and/or other outstanding requirements.
• The average wait time for a decision at the Refugee Protection Division of the IRB at the end of June 2025 was 17 months from the time a claim is ready for adjudication.
• For 2025-2026, performance of the asylum program will continued to be monitored, with regular updates provided.

Protected Persons in Canada

• A Protected Person in Canada (PPiC) is someone that the government has determined is at risk of persecution or harm if returned to their country of origin, following a successful asylum claim or pre-removal risk assessment.
• Protected Persons are permitted to live and work in Canada indefinitely, but do not enjoy the same benefits and privileges as a permanent resident—such as sponsoring dependent relatives abroad for immigration to Canada.
• The Multi-Year Immigration Levels Plan sets targets for enabling Protected Persons and their dependent relatives to apply for permanent residence. For the 2026–2028 Plan these targets are set at 20,000 for all three years.
• As of September 30, 2025, the average processing time for PPiC applications for permanent residence outside of Quebec that were finalized in the last six months was 30 months, and 45 months for those residing in Quebec. There was a total inventory of more than 137,000 applications from Protected Persons in Canada, not including additional applications from dependents abroad.
• As people are granted protection and apply for permanent residency, the number of applications has grown faster than the space available in the Immigration Levels Plan. This imbalance has led to a growing backlog of applications for permanent residence from protected persons in Canada, long processing times, and delays in family reunification.
• As part of a broader effort to return our immigration system to sustainable levels, IRCC will process approximately 115,000 additional permanent residence applications from protected persons in Canada over the next two years. This is in addition to this group’s regular immigration targets in the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan.
• Many protected persons have built their lives in Canada—working, studying, and contributing to our communities and economy. By reducing the backlog of permanent residence applications from protected persons in Canada in a controlled and orderly way, we will help vulnerable people gain stability and support their integration.

Safe Third Country Agreement

• The STCA between Canada and the United States (U.S.) continues to be in effect. This agreement is mutually beneficial and supports the integrity of the Canada‒U.S. border and the effective management of asylum claims.
• Under the STCA, people must seek refugee protection in the first safe country they arrive in, either in Canada or in the U.S., unless they qualify for an exception or an exemption to the Agreement.
• Individuals who do not meet an exception or exemption are returned to the U.S. to pursue their asylum claim, or vice versa to Canada.
• Since March 2023, the STCA also applies to individuals who make an asylum claim within 14 days after entering Canada between ports of entry from the U.S.
• The Government of Canada uses a robust framework to monitor developments in the U.S., and the impact that changes in policies and practices may have with respect to the integrity of the U.S.’ refugee protection system.
• The review is done on an ongoing basis. At this time, the U.S. is designated as a safe third country. We do not comment on internal U.S. government measures.
• We are in regular contact with U.S. counterparts on issues related to our shared border, and expect this to continue. It is in the national interest of both countries to manage migration and trade effectively across the border.
• Canada continues to do its part to reinforce the integrity of our shared border and our country’s immigration system.

Irregular Crossings

• The number of irregular arrivals into Canada at land borders decreased significantly following the negotiation of the STCA Additional Protocol, dropping from an average of 165 per day in early March 2023, to eight per day in late spring the same year.
• Since early summer 2025, Canada has experienced a slight increase of foreign nationals apprehended crossing between ports of entry, with an average of 13 per day by the end of September 2025.
• IRCC continues to work closely with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to monitor changes in asylum volumes at the Canada-U.S. land border, including trends related to irregular crossers.
• Crossing between ports of entry presents very real dangers. Individuals should claim asylum in the first safe third country that they enter and do so legally at a port of entry.
• Entering between ports of entry does not provide greater access to Canada’s asylum system. Individuals who make a claim within 14 days of crossing irregularly will be turned back to the U.S., unless they meet an exemption or exception to the STCA.
• Through Canada’s recent border actions, the RCMP has increased its presence and interceptions along the border. The RCMP will continue to work with law enforcement partners in Canada and the U.S. to monitor the shared border, as well as disrupt and investigate illicit cross-border movements in both directions.

Quebec

• In spring and summer 2025, Quebec saw a spike in asylum claims at the land border; the vast majority of arrivals have been Haitian nationals that are eligible for an STCA family exception, primarily entering at the Lacolle port of entry.
• Since the summer spike, Lacolle land border claims have dropped significantly to volumes typically seen in recent years.
• Despite the seasonal spike in land border claims, the overall volumes of asylum claims made in Quebec in 2025 are 29% lower compared to the same period last year (January 1 to September 30, 2024):
  • Quebec 2025: 32,445
  • Quebec 2024: 45,975
• The current situation is not a repeat of Roxham Road. The majority of individuals are entering at the port of entry in a well-managed, orderly fashion—they are not entering irregularly.
• We understand that many individuals have been able to rely on friends and family for support, given the significant Haitian diaspora in Montreal. Thus far, we have not seen an impact on temporary accommodation needs.
• Since 2017, Quebec has received $1.1B, including $543M from the Interim Housing Assistance Program, in support of asylum claimants in the province.
• IRCC continues to work closely with the CBSA and the RCMP, as well as other federal partners to ensure alignment and coordination of the federal response.
• Contingency plans are in place, should volumes rise further. We are prepared to respond to any scenario.