U.S. asylum seekers in Canada surge
Canadian authorities report U.S. asylum claims more than doubled in 2025, with many applicants citing fear of discrimination and policy rollbacks as drivers for cross‑border filings. The trend is prompting more cross‑border intake requests from U.S. clients seeking Canadian protection. (britbrief.co.uk)
Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board recorded 245 refugee claims from U.S. nationals in January–June 2025, surpassing the 204 U.S. claims filed in all of 2024 and amounting to roughly 0.4% of about 55,000 total claims in that period. (yahoo.com) Canada Border Services Agency data show 3,282 people were returned to the U.S. under the Safe Third Country Agreement between January and August 2025, up from 2,481 in the same period of 2024, with July 2025 alone accounting for 789 returns. (ca.marketscreener.com) Eight immigration lawyers told Reuters they are fielding an uptick in inquiries from transgender Americans citing state restrictions and federal rollbacks on gender‑affirming care and related rights, and the IRB has added reports from Human Rights Watch and similar groups to its national documentation package on U.S. country conditions. (yahoo.com) The federal government passed the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act (Bill C‑12), which received royal assent on March 26, 2026 and applies two new eligibility rules to claims made on or after June 3, 2025: a one‑year filing limit after first entry and a 14‑day bar for irregular land‑border entries. (canada.ca) Monthly IRB statistics show the Refugee Protection Division carried 288,350 pending claims at the end of June 2025 and 292,061 pending claims at the end of July 2025, reflecting a rapidly growing case inventory that extends hearing waits. (irb-cisr.gc.ca) Cross‑border legal intake has expanded in response: established firms maintain dedicated Canada–U.S. platforms for binational matters, and community clinics like the Canada‑US Border Rights Clinic offer phone/video intake and summary legal advice to asylum seekers at the border. (dickinson-wright.com)
