Canada enacts new immigration and asylum measures under the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act (Bill C-12)
What changed
Canada's Bill C-12, called the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act, became law on 26 March 2026. New rules for who can claim asylum started on 3 June 2025. These rules say that the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) will not hear asylum claims made: 1) more than one year after a person first entered Canada, if they entered after 24 June 2020; or 2) more than 14 days after a person entered Canada between official entry points along the Canada-United States (US) land border. The law also updates the asylum process. It gives Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) more power to share information inside Canada. And it gives new powers to manage immigration documents and applications when it is in the public interest. These changes affect people who claim asylum and how IRCC does its work.
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Policy history
Each version stays exactly as it was published. This one is version 1 and sits in a chain of versions you can read separately.
Canada enacts new immigration and asylum measures under the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act (Bgoborda provides monitoring and explanation of publicly available policy information. It is not legal advice. Always confirm with the official source or a licensed immigration professional before acting.
Related changes
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What changed
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will close the Remote Area Border Crossing (RABC) Programme. This programme will end on 1 December 2026. Now, all people who enter Canada through remote areas of northern Ontario or from the Northwest Angle into southern Manitoba must report to the CBSA. They must report at a port of entry or a special telephone reporting site. Before this change, RABC permits let people enter without directly reporting. Now, reporting by phone or at a physical port of entry is mandatory. To help with this change, all current RABC permits are now valid until 11:59 p.m. on 30 November 2026.
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What changed
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What changed
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What changed
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