Toronto: Amid accusations of misuse of Canada’s refugee system, the government has introduced legislation that aims at curbing the sharp escalation in asylum claims over the past couple of years, including a major increase in the number of those from India.
The changes are part of the larger Strong Borders Act, proposed by Canada’s Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree in parliament on Tuesday.
A backgrounder on the bill stated that among “proposed ineligibility measures” to “protect the asylum system against sudden increases in claims”, those made by people more than one year after first arriving in Canada after June 24, 2020, would not be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board or IRB. “This would apply to anyone, including students and temporary residents, regardless of whether they left the country and returned,” it said.
In addition, it said the bill will ensure that claims are only decided by the IRB while the claimant is physically present in Canada, inactive cases from the system will be removed and voluntary departures sped up by making removal orders effective the same day a claim is withdrawn.
Other immigration measures include new authorities, which “could be used for matters of public health or national security”, which would allow the government to cancel, suspend or change groups of immigration documents immediately, pause the acceptance of new applications and pause or cancel the processing of applications already in the inventory.
The outlet Global News reported last month that international students filed a record 20,245 asylum claims last year, and another 5,500 in the first quarter of 2025. Among the countries with the highest such claims was India.
That is also reflected in the overall asylum claims figures. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or IRCC data, ten years back, in 2015, Indians filed 380 claims out of a total of 16,050, just 2.37%.
By 2023, India accounted for 11,260 claims out of 143,335, or just under 7.9%. Last year, those numbers jumped, to 32,285 out of 171,850 or nearly 18.8%.
In the first quarter of this year, Indians filed 5,260 asylum claims out of 28,880, or about 18%.
India has expressed worry over the system being manipulated by pro-Khalistan elements. In September this year, a senior official told the Hindustan Times, that there was the increasing phenomenon of young people joining pro-Khalistan protests outside Indian missions in Canada, taking selfies and then leaving within minutes.
Support networks for international students have also told HT that as pathways to permanent residency have narrowed, immigration agents have taken to advising clients to take the refugee route to remain in Canada.
Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, said, “This is about protecting the integrity of our system while building a safer and more resilient Canada.”
