New immigration and asylum measures from Bill C-12 (the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act) have become law
Backgrounder
On March 26, 2026, Bill C-12 received royal assent and has become law, strengthening Canada’s immigration and asylum systems in 4 key areas:
- New eligibility requirements for asylum claims
- A modernized asylum process
- Domestic information sharing
- Immigration document and application authorities
New eligibility requirements for asylum claims
Canada’s asylum system protects people who can demonstrate they face a real risk of persecution or serious harm. Two new eligibility requirements are now in effect and will apply to all claims made on or after June 3, 2025:
- Asylum claims made more than one year after someone’s first entry into Canada after June 24, 2020, won’t be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB), regardless of whether the person has since left and returned.
- Asylum claims from people who enter Canada between ports of entry along the Canada–US land border and who make a claim after 14 days won’t be referred to the IRB.
These new eligibility requirements will reduce pressure on the asylum system, protect it against sudden increases in claims, close loopholes and deter people from claiming asylum as a shortcut to regular immigration pathways.
Guidance will be provided to officers to consider the individual circumstances of unaccompanied minors, given their lack of legal guardianship. People who are affected by these new rules will still have access to a pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA) to prevent them from being sent back to a country where they face risks like persecution, torture or other harm.
There is no change to the application of the Safe Third Country Agreement: people who make a claim at a port of entry along the Canada–US land border or within 14 days of irregular entry continue to be returned to the US, unless they qualify for an exception or exemption.
Learn more about how the asylum process works and see a list of all the eligibility requirements.
Modernized asylum process
Over the coming months, Canada will improve how we receive, process and decide on asylum claims by updating the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. These changes will
- simplify the online application process and reduce the need to answer duplicate questions and complete multiple forms
- refer only complete and “schedule-ready” claims to the IRB to speed up decisions
- ensure that the IRB decides on claims only while the claimant is physically present in Canada, and if a claimant voluntarily returns to their country of alleged persecution before the IRB has made a decision, their claim would be considered abandoned
- remove inactive cases from the system
- speed up voluntary departures by making removal orders effective on the same day a claim is withdrawn
- help vulnerable people, like minors or those who don’t understand the process, by appointing a representative to support them during certain Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Canada Border Services Agency proceedings
Along with the new eligibility rules, these changes will make the system more efficient, sustainable and well-managed.
Domestic information-sharing
IRCC now has clear legal authority to share certain personal information within the department and with domestic government partners. These changes make information sharing more secure and consistent, helping to improve service delivery and collaboration between federal and provincial governments and programs.
The new authorities
- allow IRCC to share identity, status and IRCC-issued documents with federal, provincial and territorial government partners through written information-sharing agreements
- make it easier for IRCC to share client information between its own programs (for example, using permanent residence application data to process citizenship applications)
- allow for regulations to be developed to share client information across federal departments and agencies for the purpose of co-operation
These new authorities have built-in safeguards to ensure that applicants’ privacy and Charter rights remain protected. Information can only be shared with federal, provincial or territorial partners that are legally allowed to collect that information for specific purposes, and that have clear, written agreements or arrangements in place. Provinces and territories can’t share this information with other countries unless IRCC gives written permission and the disclosure complies with Canada’s international obligations regarding mistreatment.
Within IRCC, a privacy impact assessment (PIA) must be completed for any new use of personal information. PIAs spell out what can be shared and why, and set limits so staff only access what they need for their work.
Immigration document and application authorities
The Government of Canada now has new tools to better manage immigration documents (such as visas, electronic travel authorizations, and work and study permits) and related applications. These measures will help the government respond quickly to emergencies or unexpected situations while supporting fairness, transparency and accountability.
When it’s in the public interest, IRCC may cancel, suspend or change a large group of immigration documents, pause application intake, or cancel or suspend application processing. “Public interest” grounds include fraud, administrative errors or concerns for public health, safety or national security. The decision can’t be made by a single minister—each decision requires approval by the Governor in Council through an order in council recommended by Cabinet. Decisions are published in the Canada Gazette and reported to Parliament. This process must be followed each time these authorities are used.
The authorities also allow the Government of Canada to make regulations that prescribe scenarios when officers can take similar actions, case-by-case, for example by reviewing document holders outside Canada to confirm that they remain admissible or eligible.
The authorities don’t affect asylum claims (applications for refugee protection) and don’t give the government power to grant, change or revoke status, such as permanent resident and temporary resident status.
Learn more about how the Government of Canada manages groups of immigration documents and applications.
