Bill C-12 and Refugee Claims: What Changed in 2026

Bill C-12, An Act respecting certain measures relating to the security of Canada's borders and the integrity of the Canadian immigration system and respecting other related security measures, has the short title Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act. It was introduced in the House of Commons on October 8, 2025, received royal assent on March 26, 2026 and is chapter 4 of the Statutes of Canada, 2026. Its asylum measures had first appeared in Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act, introduced on June 3, 2025, which is why that date matters.

After first entry, the limit to claim asylum

1 year

After crossing between ports from the US

14 days

Claims made from this day are covered

June 3, 2025

Remaining asylum provisions in force

Nov 3, 2026

The Act changed the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) in four areas, according to IRCC: new eligibility requirements for asylum claims, a modernized asylum process, information sharing within government, and new authorities over immigration documents and applications. IRCC says the document and application authorities do not affect asylum claims.

The point most people get wrong is the starting date. The one-year rule counts from your first entry into Canada after June 24, 2020, not from your latest entry, and leaving and coming back does not restart it. It also reaches back: it applies to claims made from June 3, 2025, before the Act became law.

1. June 24, 2020

   Entry cut-off date

   The one-year rule applies only to people who entered Canada after this date

2. June 3, 2025

   Bill C-2 introduced

   The new eligibility rules apply to claims made from this day

3. October 8, 2025

   Bill C-12 introduced in the House of Commons

4. March 26, 2026

   Royal assent

   The one-year and 14-day rules and some other measures take effect

5. June 20, 2026

   Draft regulations and RPD Rules prepublished

   Canada Gazette, Part I, for 30 days of comment

6. November 3, 2026

   Remaining asylum provisions in force

   Together with amended regulations (SOR/2026-218) and RPD Rules (SOR/2026-219)

7. January 3, 2027

   End of RPD transitional measures

   Longer evidence and Basis of Claim deadlines for some claims end

• First entry countsIf you entered more than once after June 24, 2020, the one year begins on the day after your first entry (IRPA 101(1.1)).
• Exception: early online startThe one-year rule does not apply if, within one year after your entry, you submit documents or provide information to IRCC with a view to making a claim inside Canada (IRPR 159.001, from November 3, 2026). This covers people who start on time but are interviewed later.
• Exception: unaccompanied minorsNeither rule applies to a claimant who, when claiming, is under 18 and has no parent or legally responsible adult in Canada (IRPR 159.002). Before November 3, 2026, a temporary public policy gave the same exemption.
• Safe Third Country Agreement unchangedPeople who claim at a Canada-US land border crossing, or within 14 days of crossing between ports, are still returned to the United States unless an exception applies. Since November 3, 2026, the Agreement also applies if, less than 14 days after crossing between ports, you submit documents or information to IRCC to start a claim (IRPR 159.4(1.1)).
• Family member exception adjustedThe STCA exception for an adult family member with a pending claim now requires that claim to have been found eligible, rather than referred to the IRB.
• Other bars still applyThe new rules add to, and do not replace, the other reasons in section 101, such as a previous claim in Canada or serious inadmissibility.

• Claims made before June 3, 2025: the one-year and 14-day rules do not apply (section 75(a) of the Act).
• Claims pending on November 3, 2026 whose eligibility had not been decided, or that were eligible but not yet referred: the new review, document, referral, abandonment and withdrawal provisions apply (section 62 of the Act).
• Claims already submitted: IRCC says it processes them as usual. If you started a claim in the IRCC Portal before November 3, 2026 but did not submit it, your information is saved, but you must answer new questions and review old ones.
• Claims referred to the RPD on or before November 2, 2026: personal evidence stays due 10 days before the hearing, and Basis of Claim changes are due 10 days before the hearing if the Notice to Appear arrives by January 3, 2027.
• Claims referred from November 3, 2026 to January 3, 2027: the RPD automatically allows 60 days after referral, instead of 30, for personal evidence.

The Act also requires the Minister to prepare a report on the one-year rule at the start of the fifth year after it came into force, including how many claimants were found ineligible under it and how many applied for a pre-removal risk assessment.

1. 1

   1. Check the facts that decide eligibility

   Confirm the date of your first entry after June 24, 2020, how you entered, and when you first submitted anything in the IRCC Portal. Officers decide eligibility at your interview, and you must prove your claim is eligible.

2. 2

   2. If your claim is found ineligible

   It is not sent to the IRB. The CBSA handles your file, and your conditional removal order becomes enforceable 7 days after notice, unless a stay applies (IRPA 49(2)(b)). For a Safe Third Country Agreement ineligibility, the order takes effect the same day and you are returned to the United States.

3. 3

   3. Pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA)

   When removal starts, the CBSA tells you whether you can apply. IRCC says people affected by the new rules will still have access to a PRRA, which assesses the same risks the IRB would. A PRRA is not available after an STCA ineligibility. An application received within 15 days after you are notified stays your removal until a decision (IRPR 162).

4. 4

   4. If the PRRA is positive

   You become a protected person and can apply for permanent residence. People inadmissible on serious grounds receive a stay of removal instead.

5. 5

   5. Other routes

   You can ask the Federal Court to review an ineligibility decision, within 15 days, with a lawyer or on your own. A humanitarian and compassionate application is possible in some cases, but not while a PRRA you made after an ineligible claim is pending (IRPA 25(1.2)(b.1)), and it does not stop removal.

If you have an RPID from your eligibility interview, you can get temporary health care through the Interim Federal Health Program. A work permit you already hold stays valid until it expires; a new one requires an application and fees.

A work permit requested in a refugee claim application has no fee. A work permit for a person with an ineligible claim, and later applications such as permanent residence, have fees in IRCC's fee list. Key time limits in effect on November 4, 2026:

1. 1 year after first entry

   Last day to claim or start a claim online

   For people who entered after June 24, 2020

2. 14 days after entry between ports

   Limit for claims after crossing from the United States

3. 7 days after notice

   Removal order enforceable after a non-STCA ineligibility

4. 15 days after PRRA notification

   Apply to keep removal on hold

IRCC told a Senate committee in February 2026 that it expected about 30,000 additional pre-removal risk assessments over two years. The live figures below show the IRB's latest data on past cases.

• Counting from the wrong entry: the year runs from the first entry after June 24, 2020, not the most recent one.
• Assuming status protects you: holding a study or work permit or visitor status does not extend the one-year limit.
• No proof of an early start: not keeping confirmation of what you submitted in the IRCC Portal, and when.
• Missing the PRRA window: applying more than 15 days after notification does not stop removal.
• Waiting for the interview to start: the exception depends on submitting documents or information within the year, not on the date of the interview.