By Apna News
OTTAWA - Canada’s modernized asylum system is now in effect, with a single online application process for all asylum claims and new timelines for submitting documents, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced in a backgrounder published November 3, 2026.
Under the new process, a person seeking to make an asylum claim from inside Canada will first answer questions in the IRCC Portal to indicate their intention to make a claim. They will then be invited to an in-person appointment with an officer, where they will formally make their claim.
For claims eligible for referral to the Immigration and Refugee Board, claimants will have 60 days to submit their completed application and required documents, with a one-time extension of 30 days on request. The government says the clearer process and timelines should make the system more efficient and easier to navigate, and reduce duplication and administrative burden.
The changes also set a time limit for completing key government reviews related to security, criminality, admissibility and program integrity before a claim is referred to the board, so that only claims ready to proceed to a hearing are referred. The government says this should mean more efficient processing and fewer hearing delays.
Rules are clarified for what happens when the board determines a claim has not been abandoned, and for when a claim withdrawn by the minister can be reinstated. Support for vulnerable claimants is also clarified, including when a designated representative must be appointed for people under 18 and people who cannot fully understand the proceedings.
On the Canada-United States Safe Third Country Agreement, the regulations clarify that the 14-day period in the Additional Protocol begins when the person submits the online application to indicate their intention to make a claim. Exceptions to new ineligibility rules cover unaccompanied minors and people who register through the online portal and indicate their intention to seek asylum within their first year in Canada.
Eligible claimants will continue to access work permits, with the current approach to issuing work permits made permanent. Eligible asylum claimants can receive work permits after submitting a complete claim, with overall timelines continuing to depend on how quickly they complete the claim process.
For Surrey, home to one of Canada’s largest newcomer populations and a large settlement and legal support sector, the practical change is the front door of the system itself: intention first online, then an in-person appointment, then a 60-day clock for documents. Anyone helping a claimant should note the one-time 30-day extension must be requested, and that this asylum change is separate from the Express Entry changes that took effect November 3 and were covered separately.
(Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, November 3, 2026)
