Canada Refugee Immigration: Asylum and Resettlement in 2026 - Immigration.ca

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced a cutover to a new online process for asylum claims, effective Nov. 3, 2026. The impact on claimants will vary depending on their stage in the process at the time immediately before the cutover, which is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Nov. 2, 2026.

On this page you will find: What changes to Canada’s refugee claim process on November 3 What happens to unfinished IRCC Portal applications The November 2 deadline for existing refugee claims Special rules for claims started with the CBSA How the change fits into Canada’s wider asylum reforms What Bill C-12 means for the refugee claim process Canada will change the way asylum seekers submit refugee claims online from November 3, 2026, as Ottawa begins putting a broader overhaul of the asylum system into operation. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced that changes to asylum applications through the IRCC Portal will take effect on that date. The most immediate issue is for people who have already started, but not yet submitted, a refugee claim. Claimants who want their application processed under the existing system should submit it through the IRCC Portal by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 2, 2026. Those who submit before the deadline will generally not have to provide the new information being introduced from November 3 unless IRCC specifically asks them to do so.