82,000 claims were received between January 1 and August 31, 2023. Canada is on track to receive over 100,000 claims in 2023, a historic high. This is in contrast to over 92,000 claims in 2022 and pre-pandemic volumes (approximately 64,000 claims in 2019).
Irregular asylum claims have dropped significantly since March 25, 2023, when the Safe Third Country Agreement’s application was expanded (from 165 claims/day in March 2023 to an average of 9 per day). The number of irregular arrivals has dropped to approximately 15,000 between January 1 and August 31, 2023, compared to approximately 40,000 irregular arrivals in 2022.
Asylum claims through other modes (airport, inland, land border, marine) increased 22% in comparison to the same period last year (approx.65,000 claims).
Key Messages
Asylum volumes are difficult to predict and driven by a number of factors, including persecution, instability and war. Canada is not immune from rising asylum volumes in line with the high global volumes of displaced persons at over 100 million.
While claims at ports of entry and inland have increased since the spring, irregular arrivals has significantly declined since we expanded the application of the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) in March.
Canada remains firmly committed to upholding its international obligations and maintaining a fair and compassionate refugee protection system. The government will continue to work with other jurisdictions and stakeholders to ensure claimants are supported while they await a decision on their claims.
Supplementary Information
The drivers of asylum intake are primarily external to the Government of Canada’s control. However, intake can be a by-product of other policy decisions, including decisions regarding visa policies, public policies, and the prioritization of humanitarian crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine.
