US and Canada policy shakeup

Canada’s Parliament enacted the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act (commonly called Bill C‑12), giving the federal government new rules that make some asylum claims ineligible for the refugee‑decision process if they meet two timing conditions. (canada.ca) Those two new timing conditions say claims made more than one year after a person’s first entry into Canada (for entries after June 24, 2020) will not be sent to the independent refugee tribunal, and claims from people who crossed the Canada–U.S. land border between official ports and file more than 14 days after entry also won’t be sent to that tribunal. (canada.ca) Separately, Ottawa announced a biennial increase in permanent‑residence fees that takes effect at 9:00 a.m. Eastern on April 30, 2026, including the Right of Permanent Residence fee rising from CA$575 to CA$600 and Provincial Nominee Program principal‑applicant fees rising from CA$950 to CA$990. (canada.ca) The fee change was formally posted in the Canada Gazette on April 4, 2026 as the statutory biennial CPI‑indexed adjustment. (gazette.gc.ca) On the U.S. side, a presidential proclamation effective January 1, 2026 suspended or limited entry and visa issuance for nationals of 39 named countries, and the State Department announced an expansion of its Visa Bond Pilot to cover a total of 50 countries beginning April 2, 2026. (travel.state.gov) Under the State Department expansion, consular officers may require eligible B‑1/B‑2 (business and tourist) applicants to post a refundable Maintenance of Status and Departure bond—commonly termed a “visa bond”—of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 depending on the consular assessment; the Department’s public announcement cites $15,000 as the top bond level and names April 2, 2026 for the latest phase. (state.gov) (newsweek.com) The technical effect of “not referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board” is that those asylum claims will no longer proceed to the IRB (the independent tribunal that decides refugee protection claims and conducts hearings), which removes that formal adjudication route and changes where and how appeals or reviews might be sought. (irb-cisr.gc.ca) The visa bond is submitted on a Department of Homeland Security form and functions as a refundable financial guarantee that the visa holder will leave the United States within the authorized stay; bond refund rules in recent guidance require entry and exit via designated commercial airports to allow electronic verification. (ellis.com) (law.cornell.edu) Local New England and Vermont service providers are already adjusting: Vermont Legal Aid and the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project launched the Immigration Community Lawyering Initiative to add immigration attorneys and expand coverage in southern and central Vermont earlier this year, citing a need for more counsel in the state. (usnews.com) Longstanding resettlement and support groups such as USCRI Vermont and the Central Vermont Refugee Action Network provide housing, case management and community supports for newly arrived refugees in the state. (refugees.org) (cvran.org) Concrete cross‑border effects tied to these specific measures include increased upfront costs for applicants using Canadian permanent‑resident streams after April 30, 2026 (the new fee schedule), new time limits that can block IRB referral for some asylum seekers who cross from the U.S. and delay filing beyond 14 days, and added financial hurdles for visitors from countries added to the U.S. bond list who may be required to post bonds at consular interview. (canada.ca 1) (canada.ca 2) (state.gov)