CIMM – Asylum – October 30, 2025

Key Messages

• Our government is committed to rebuilding Canadians’ trust in Canada’s immigration system.
• We are making our borders stronger and ensuring the system remains resilient and responsive to emerging pressures.
• These efforts are working—asylum claims are down 33% compared to the same period last year
  • January 1, 2025-August 31, 2025: 80,030 asylum claims
  • January 1, 2024-August 31, 2024: 118,785 asylum claims
• The actions we are taking are effective and further reinforce the strength and integrity of our asylum system.
• Through all of this, our message is clear: the asylum system should not be seen as a shortcut to immigrate to Canada.

Asylum Claim Volumes

• Canada is not alone seeing an increasing number of asylum claims. The volume of asylum claimants 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, including global conflict and political instability in the world.
• 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 August 31, 2025, total asylum claims across Canada fell by about 33% compared to the same period last year.
  • Claims made at airports dropped by approximately 76%: from 33,455 between January and August 2024, down to 8,075 over the same period this year (Jan-Aug 2025).
  • Claims made inland dropped by approximately 27%: from 74,780 between January and August 2024, down to 54,825 over the same period this year (Jan-Aug 2025).
• 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.

Land Border Claims

For more information on Quebec-specific Land Border elements, please see following section.

• 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 (69%), who are making claims at Quebec land borders
  • Haitian land border claims 2025: 11,745
  • Total land border claims 2025: 17,120

Data as of August 31, 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.

Quebec

• In spring and summer 2025, Quebec saw a spike in asylum claims at the land border, with the vast majority of arrivals have been Haitian nationals and 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 asylum volumes for Quebec in 2025 are 29% lower compared to the same period last year (January 1-August 31, 2024):
  • Quebec 2025: 29,140
  • Quebec 2024: 41,215
• 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 Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (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.

Temporary Residents

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is taking important steps to improve the integrity of the temporary resident program.
• These efforts have resulted in a reduction of approximately 33% compared to the same period (Jan-Aug) last year, with this overall decline largely driven by a 58% reduction in asylum claims from temporary resident visa holders.

If pressed (exploratory data):

• In 2025, 59% of all inland claimants submitted a claim within 12 months of entering Canada compared to 86% of inland claimants in 2024.
• The share of claimants who waited 12 months or more after arrival to file their claim increased from 11% 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.

Asylum Claims Made by Students

• While our data shows an increase in asylum claims by people who arrived as students, the share of students claiming asylum remains small.
• However, the number of asylum claims made by international students has been decreasing after program reforms were implemented.
• The number of claims from 2024 and 2025 study permit applicants (post-reform) are lower than 2022 and 2023 applicants (pre-reform). As of August 31, 2025: 11,400 claims from 2022 applicants, 24,100 claims from 2023 applicants, 8,700 claims from 2024 applicants, and 400 claims from 2025 applicants.

If pressed on top nationalities:

• In 2024, the top nationalities for asylum claims with a study permit or a study permit extension were India (4,256), Nigeria (2,630) and the Republic of Guinea (1,959). In 2025, the top nationalities have been India (3,815), the Republic of Guinea (1,254) and Nigeria (1,059).
• In 2024, the top nationalities for asylum claims with a post-graduation work permit have been India (142), Iran (66) and Nigeria (61), while the remaining claims were made by other nationalities. In 2025, the top nationalities have been India (246), Nigeria (128), and Iran (33), while the remaining claims were made by other nationalities.

Processing Data and Timelines

• As of August 31, 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.
• As of June 30, the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) had an inventory of 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 2025–2027 Plan these targets are set at 20,000 in 2025, and 18,000 in both 2026 and 2027.
• As of August 31, 2025, the overall processing time for PPiC applications for permanent residence outside of Québec was 44 months, with a total inventory of more than 131,000 applications from Protected Persons, not including the additional applications from dependent relatives.
• Canada also met its PPiC-to-PR transition target (i.e., 100%) for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

Employment Support for Asylum Claimants

• Asylum claimants can apply for an open work permit, which allows them to work for any employer in Canada, with no limitations on the type of occupation or work location. This allows claimants to support themselves and their families and to contribute to the economy while they wait for their claim to be processed.
• To be issued a work permit, asylum claimants must have made an asylum claim in Canada, which was found eligible to be referred to the IRB, as well as having met a few other conditions, such as submitting biometrics and a medical examination.
• In 2022, IRCC implemented measures to accelerate the processing of work permits for asylum claimants.
• Following the eligibility decision to refer a claim to the IRB and upon completion of the Immigration Medical Examination, work permits are now being issued in about 13 days as of August 2025. This marks a significant improvement from the 40-day processing time at the end of April 2025.
• When IRCC was providing temporary shelter for asylum claimants, the Government of Canada worked with other levels of government, community organizations, and private sector employers to facilitate employment connections for asylum claimants. These efforts helped hundreds of claimants gain financial independence.

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 the 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 12 per day by the end of August 2025.
• IRCC continues to work closely with the CBSA and the 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.