Question Period Note: Asylum seekers

Canada is continuing to experience unprecedented volumes of asylum claims, resulting in backlogs across the in-Canada asylum system and significant costs to all levels of government.

• Like many other countries, Canada is experiencing a rise in the number of people claiming asylum.
• Budget 2018 and 2019 invested more than $1B to ensure our asylum system is fast, fair and final. These investments will nearly double the capacity of Canada’s asylum system over the next two years.
• Investments also support the implementation of the Government’s Border Enforcement Strategy to better manage and discourage irregular migration.
• The Government is committed to improving the efficiency of the asylum system, while working with all levels of government to ensure a well-managed and orderly response to recent increases in asylum volumes.
• We are also in continuous contact with the United States on issues related to our shared border as well as with other countries on global migration issues.

Latest Asylum Trends
• From January 1, 2019 to October 31, 2019, there have been 52,625 total asylum claims. Overall asylum claim volumes are up by 16% in 2019 compared to the same period in 2018.
• The number of regular asylum claims over the same period increased by 39%, and the number of irregular asylum claims decreased by 20%.
• The total asylum claims made by irregular migrants in 2018 (19,847) were higher than 2017 volumes (18,891). So far, volumes in 2019 compared to the same period last year continue to show a significant decline. The number of RCMP interceptions between ports of entry recorded between January to October 2019 (13,702) is about 20% lower than the number received over the same time period in 2018 (17,120).
• The top three source countries for regular asylum claims in 2019 are India, Iran and Mexico. The top three source countries for irregular claims are Nigeria, Colombia, and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Budget 2019
• Budget 2019 invests $1.18 billion over five years, starting in 2019-20, and $55 million per year ongoing, to enhance the integrity of Canada’s borders and asylum system.
• These investments support the Border Enforcement Strategy, and increase the asylum system’s capacity in order to provide timely protection to refugees and ensure failed asylum claimants are removed, faster. This approach has 3 main pillars:
1) Detect and discourage misuse of Canada’s visa system, by preventing travel to Canada by individuals who may not be legitimate temporary visa applicants. (Border Enforcement Strategy)
o This includes investing in intelligence gathering and trend analysis; discouraging and interdicting would-be asylum seekers abroad; engaging recalcitrant countries in support of removal operations; and continuing to work with United States (U.S.) officials to share information and trend analysis that may impact U.S. and Canada visa issuance.
2) Manage arrivals at the border, while ensuring the safety of Canadians, and maintaining contingency plans in the event of an influx of asylum seekers (Border Enforcement Strategy)
o This includes investing in ongoing capacity for interceptions between ports of entry, and continuing to engage the U.S. to modernize the Safe Third Country Agreement. Contingency measures have also been put in place to ensure we are ready to respond to potential increases in the number of asylum seekers.
o In addition, legislative changes were made to improve our ability to manage flows along the border in the event of an influx. Changes were also made to bar access to the Immigration and Refugee Board for those who have made asylum claims in other countries in order to discourage against the making of multiple claims in different countries. Instead, these individuals have access to a pre-removal risk assessment prior to removal to ensure that they are not returned to a situation of risk.
3) Invest in the asylum system for a fast, fair and final system by processing more asylum claims faster and by removing those who do not need Canada’s protection
o Funding was increased for the asylum system as a whole to process higher volumes of claims. This funding will allow the IRB to make decisions on up to 50,000 asylum claims and 13,500 appeals by fiscal year 2020-21. The asylum system presently has base funding to process 26,000 claims per year. Investments will also support the work of IRCC, CBSA and other security partners.
o Funding was also provided to triage and prioritize asylum cases via an Integrated Claims Analysis Centre (ICAC) pilot in Toronto; manage the asylum system in an integrated manner with the Deputy-level Asylum System Management Board (ASMB); invest more in settlement funding and information technology (IT) capacity; increase the number of judges and funding for the Federal Court; and allow for the timely removal of individuals found not to be in genuine need of protection
• We are also working with our provincial and municipal partners on a regular basis to address the challenges that have arisen as a result of the increasing volume of asylum claims. The Government has provided financial support to provinces and municipalities for extraordinary interim housing costs as well as to address challenges with immigration and refugee legal aid funding.
The In-Canada Asylum System
• Any foreign national can make an asylum claim at a Canadian port of entry or at an inland office of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or the Canada Border Services Agency.
• Eligible asylum claims are referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board for an independent assessment of the merits of the individual’s claim based on the risks they face in their home country. Factors determining an individual’s eligibility to claim asylum, include whether the claimant has committed a serious crime, made a previous claim in Canada or received protection in another country.
• Persons who arrive at the port of entry at the land border may not be eligible to make a claim due to the provisions of the Safe Third Country Agreement unless they qualify for an exception.
• Once an asylum claim has been deemed eligible and referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board, the claimant is eligible for health-care coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program. The federal government takes steps to ensure that irregular asylum claimants are issued coverage in a timely fashion to offset provincial costs for emergency health care.
• The federal government can also issue work permits upon application so that asylum claimants can be self-sufficient while they wait for the Immigration and Refugee Board to render a decision on their claims.
• Once a claim is made, individuals may also apply for social assistance, legal aid, emergency housing, and education. These services are the responsibility of provinces and territories.
• If the Immigration and Refugee Board accepts an individual’s asylum claim, he or she receives protected person status and can apply to become a permanent resident of Canada.
• If the Immigration and Refugee Board determines that the asylum claimant is not in need of Canada’s protection, the process to remove that individual from Canada is initiated.

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