Refugee claims in Canada dropping from historic highs

20/2/2025 6:09

Refugee claims in Canada are

dropping from historic highs as the country grants fewer visas

and advocates worry legitimate claimants are being left stranded

with few good options.



About 11,840 people filed refugee claims in Canada in

January, down from a high of 19,821 in July, Immigration and

Refugee Board data shows. This was the lowest monthly figure

since September 2023.



Canada is publicly discouraging asylum-seekers and

clamping down on the visas it issues, aiming to gradually reduce

the population and reduce strain on services amid a broader

backlash against migrants.



Last year Canada issued about 1.5 million visitor visas,

down from about 1.8 million in 2023, according to government

data.



The decline was particularly sharp for certain countries

that have been significant sources of asylum-seekers, Reuters

analysis shows.



The number of visitor visas granted to Bangladeshi citizens

dropped to 27,975 from 45,322; Haitians dropped to 5,487 from

8,984; Nigerians, to 51,828 from 79,378.

Visitor visas to some countries with high refugee acceptance

rates have declined from 2023. Last year Canada granted visitor

visas to 330 Afghans, down from 468; 38,075 Iranians, down from

57,127; 2,019 Ugandans, from 6,096; 1,174 Syrians, from 2,716;

and 3,199 Kenyans, from 11,464.



The number of pending claims is still at a historic high -

278,457 in January, according to the Immigration and Refugee

Board.

Canada has no asylum-seeker visas. Anyone who wants to claim

refugee status must come as a visitor, student or worker - or

sneak into the country, no easy feat for a place surrounded by

water and an agreement with the United States to turn back

asylum-seekers.



Displaced people can also wait in refugee camps, potentially

for years, in hopes they will be selected for resettlement.



Canada is using heightened scrutiny of visa applications

from countries with the "highest rates of abuse" with the aim of

ensuring visas are used for their intended purpose, Renee

LeBlanc Proctor, a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Marc

Miller, wrote in an email.



"This work additionally protects the asylum process ... so

that it is available for those who need it most."



At a time of global displacement, advocates argue, Canada's

clampdown leaves desperate people with no good options.

"It's very problematic," said Diana Gallego, co-executive

director at Toronto-based FCJ Refugee Centre, which provides

services to asylum-seekers.



"If people are fleeing persecution the only way that some of

them may find safe haven is having an exit visa because, if not,

they are forced to cross borders walking, putting their lives in

danger."



Gallego said the centre is seeing fewer people, although she

does not know if they are being sent elsewhere.



"It's like invisible walls."