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Refugees and Asylum

Refugees and Asylum

Canada offers refugee shelter to some people who fear maltreatment or could be in danger if they would return to their own country. Some potential threats refugees in Canada may face include

  • Torture
  • Risk of punishment or bad treatment
  • Life risk

If you think you could face any of these risks if you return to your home country or the country where you typically reside, you may be able to obtain protection as a refugee in Canada.

How is the decision made?

The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) is an independent board responsible for making decisions on refugee and immigration cases. The officer who would receive your claim would decide if your application would go to the IRB.

You will not be eligible to qualify as a refugee if you:

  • are recognized as a Convention refugee by another country that you can return to
  • were granted protected person status in Canada
  • arrived via the Canada–United States (US) border not admissible to Canada on security grounds or because of criminal activity or human rights violations
  • made a previous refugee claim that was not found eligible
  • made a previous refugee claim that was rejected by the IRB
  • abandoned or withdrew a previous refugee claim.