COW – Asylum statistics, trends and data – May 28, 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

• global instability
• armed conflict
• the growing number of people displaced worldwide

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).

1. An Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) official or a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer first assesses each claim for eligibility to be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB).
2. All eligible claims are then determined by the IRB 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.

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 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 80% drop in asylum claims from temporary resident visa (TRV) holders in March 2026 (1,930) compared to March 2024 (9,720).

 59% fewer people submitted an asylum claim between January and March 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 March 2023.

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 March 2023.

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

Where People Submit Claims

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

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 March 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.

Asylum Claimants Apprehended Between Ports of Entry

This graph shows the number of people apprehended by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) since March 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.

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.

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.