Canada cracks down on asylum abuse: Canada’s bill will stem the rising number of international students seeking asylum

Record surge in asylum claims highlights the struggles of international students amid Canada’s tightening immigration insurance policies

Canada has launched a brand new bill – the Strong Borders Act, geared toward enhancing border safety, stopping the circulate of unlawful fentanyl, fight cash laundering, and guaranteeing the integrity of the immigration system.“Amid the wide array of provisions are measures that will curb the rising number of international students—many of them from India—from seeking asylum. Between January and September 2024 alone, nearly 14,000 asylum claims were filed by international students, with Indian nationals accounting for close to 2,300 of these applications.”Several Indian students are misled into believing that they will convert their momentary scholar standing into everlasting residency by claiming asylum. The fact is that claims made underneath false pretexts may end up in deportation.To defend the integrity of the asylum mechanism, the bill states that claims made greater than a yr after arriving in Canada (publish June 24, 2020) will not be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB). Further, claims made greater than fourteen days after getting into Canada clandestinely from the US by way of land borders will even be ineligible. The bill provides that claims will solely be determined whereas the claimant is in Canada, inactive circumstances will be eliminated, and voluntary departures will be expedited. However, weak claimants, comparable to minors, will be assigned representatives to help them throughout the proceedings.Talking to TOI, Kubeir Kamal, a regulated Canadian immigration advisor (RCIC) stated, “It is a much-needed response to curb fraudulent claims and ensure public safety. This measure applies universally, including to students and temporary residents, regardless of whether they left Canada and returned. Affected individuals can still apply for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) to ensure they are not deported to unsafe conditions. ““The surge in asylum claims by international students, reaching a record 20,245 in 2024 and projected to rise in 2025, is largely attributed to tightened immigration policies, including a significant reduction in study permits, restricted work permit eligibility, and limited pathways to permanent residency. The top source countries for these claims are India, Nigeria, Guinea, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. With an IRB backlog of approximately 275,000 cases and a processing capacity of 80,000 claims annually, delays of about 3.5 years exacerbate the issue, pushing international students toward asylum as an alternative to stay in Canada.”The bill offers Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the nation’s immigration company the authority to share info (comparable to standing, immigration documentation) with federal, provincial and territorial authorities via signed agreements. The company will additionally get the proper to cancel, droop or change immigration paperwork, and to cancel, droop or cease accepting new purposes; or or halt processing of present purposes for causes of public well being or nationwide safety.Lena Metlege Diab, Immigration Minister, commented on the bill, “Canada is taking action to respond to rising migration pressures. We’re improving security at the Canada-US border and making our immigration and asylum systems stronger, more flexible, and responsive to new and developing pressures. This is about protecting the integrity of our system while building a safer and more resilient Canada.”