Canada has changed how asylum claims are received, processed and decided. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) published the update on 3 November 2026, and the changes are now in effect. Under the new approach, there is a single online application process for all asylum claims, intended to make the system more efficient and easier to navigate.
For a claim made from inside Canada, the process begins in the IRCC Portal. The person first answers questions there to indicate their intention to make a claim. They are then invited to an in-person appointment with an officer, where they formally make the claim.
Where a claim is found eligible for referral to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), the claimant has 60 days to submit their completed application and the required documents. A one-time extension of 30 days is available on request.
Before a claim is referred to the IRB, IRCC will complete key security, criminality, admissibility and programme-integrity reviews. The aim is that only claims that are ready to proceed go forward to a hearing.
Eligible claimants continue to have access to work permits after submitting a complete claim. The current approach to issuing those work permits is being made permanent.
There are exceptions to the new ineligibility rules for unaccompanied minors, and for people who register through the online portal and indicate their intention to seek asylum within their first year in Canada.
Under the Canada–US Safe Third Country Agreement, the 14-day period in the Additional Protocol now begins when the person submits the online application indicating their intention to claim.
This is general information only and is not legal advice, and it is not an eligibility decision for any individual.
