Asylum claims in Canada have dropped by half since Parliament passed legislation giving Ottawa broader powers to suspend immigration permits and reject ineligible refugee applications, according to new federal figures.A June 16 Department of Immigration briefing note says the government has already seen an increase in asylum claims being ruled ineligible following the passage of Bill C-12, which overhauled portions of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act."Canada's asylum system is not a shortcut to permanent immigration," the briefing note states. "While it is still too early to assess trends, we can confirm that since the Act received Royal Assent there has been an increase in asylum claims that have been found ineligible."Blacklock's Reporter says Bill C-12 received Royal Assent on March 12, granting cabinet the authority to suspend the processing of study permits, work permits, visitor visas and other immigration documents whenever it determines doing so is in the public interest.Federal data show 13,710 asylum claims were filed nationwide during the three months following the legislation's passage, compared with 27,838 during the same period a year earlier — a 50% decline.The Immigration Department also said concerns that tougher immigration enforcement in the United States would trigger a wave of illegal border crossings into Canada have not materialized."Canada has not experienced any significant surges of northbound migration to date," the briefing note says.Officials said the only notable increase in land-border asylum claims last year occurred at the Lacolle, Que., port of entry and was relatively limited and effectively managed..According to a 2024 report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, an estimated 10.99 million illegal immigrants live in the United States. Mexico remains the largest country of origin for unauthorized immigrants, while New York and Washington have some of the largest illegal immigrant populations among northern border states, with approximately 410,000 and 340,000 respectively.Despite the recent decline in claims, Canada's refugee determination system continues to face a substantial backlog.Immigration and Refugee Board chair Manon Brassard told the Senate social affairs committee on Feb. 9 that roughly 300,000 asylum claims remain pending.Brassard attributed the backlog to several years of record intake, with approximately 156,000 claims filed in 2023 and 176,000 in 2024. She said the board expects between 95,000 and 105,000 claims during the current fiscal year.
