Canada’s New Asylum Claim Process (November 2026): 60-Day Deadline, One-Year Rule and What to Do Now

On November 3, 2026, new amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations came into force and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) launched a modernized process for making an asylum (refugee) claim. If you are thinking about claiming protection in Canada — or you started a claim and have not finished it — the steps and deadlines are now different.

1. A single, online-first process

Whether you are already inside Canada or arriving at a port of entry, the process now starts in the IRCC Portal:

1. Show your intention to claim: you answer questions online to indicate that you want to make a claim.
2. In-person appointment: you are invited to meet an officer, and your claim becomes official only when it is presented in person.
3. Complete your application: if your claim is eligible to be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), you have 60 days to submit the completed application and required documents. You can ask for a one-time 30-day extension.

IRCC says duplicate questions and forms have been removed, and that full security, criminality and admissibility checks will now be done before a claim is referred to the IRB for a hearing.

2. Firmer deadlines — and real consequences

The new rules set firmer deadlines for sending evidence and updating your story. Claims that are unresponsive or incomplete may be treated as abandoned, and inactive claims will not be referred to the IRB. A claim is considered withdrawn when you notify the Minister in writing. In practice, this means missing a deadline can end your claim before you ever reach a hearing.

3. The one-year and 14-day eligibility rules

These rules come from the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act (Bill C-12), which became law on March 26, 2026. A claim is not eligible to be referred to the IRB if it is made:

• more than one year after you first entered Canada (for entries after June 24, 2020), or
• more than 14 days after entering Canada between official ports of entry on the Canada–US border.

The rules affect claims started after June 2, 2025. Unaccompanied minors are exempt, and people who register in the online portal and signal their intention to claim within their first year in Canada are exempt from the one-year requirement.

4. Other important changes

• Work permits: the current approach is now permanent — eligible claimants can receive a work permit after submitting a complete claim.
• Safe Third Country Agreement: the 14-day period under the Additional Protocol now starts when you submit the online intention-to-claim application.
• Vulnerable claimants: unaccompanied minors and people who cannot fully understand the process may be assigned a designated representative even before the claim reaches the IRB.

What if I already started a claim?

If your claim was already submitted, IRCC says it will be processed as usual. If you started a claim in the IRCC Portal before November 3 but did not submit it, your information has been saved, but you will need to answer new questions and review your earlier answers before submitting.

What you should do now

1. Act early: if you have been in Canada for less than a year and fear returning home, the timing of your intention-to-claim registration matters.
2. Prepare evidence before the clock starts: identity documents, personal evidence and certified translations take time, and the 60-day window is short.
3. Keep your story consistent: what you write online, say at the interview and say at the hearing must match.
4. Get licensed help: only authorized representatives may charge you for advice. Learn about our refugee and asylum services.

Every case is different, and these rules are new. If you are unsure whether the one-year rule applies to you or what to submit within 60 days, book a free assessment with our licensed RCIC-IRB — in English or Farsi.