Canada tightens control over immigration

On June 17, 2025, the Canadian government announced a series of major reforms aimed at strengthening border security and improving the country's immigration system. The new bill, called the Strong Borders Act, is designed to restore public trust in immigration policy and strike a balance between security and humanitarian concerns.

Tightening Control over Immigration Documents

Under the new law, the government will have the authority to suspend, modify, or cancel immigration documents, as well as temporarily halt the acceptance of new applications if deemed in the public interest. This will help to quickly respond to:

• threats to national and public security,
• abuse of government programs,
• large-scale emergencies.

These new measures do not apply to asylum applications but exclusively to visas, work and study permits, electronic travel authorizations, and similar documents. The loss or modification of a document does not automatically result in the loss of permanent or temporary resident status.

Expanding Information Sharing Between Authorities

The bill also provides a clear legal basis for systematic data sharing between federal, provincial, and territorial authorities. This will allow:

• faster verification of immigrants' identities for access to government services,
• detection of fraud and use of fake identities,
• conducting law enforcement and border operations.

Information sharing will be carried out in strict compliance with privacy laws, with data transfer agreements in place.

Improving the Asylum System

Changes have also been made to the asylum application procedures:

• a unified online application system is introduced, simplifying the process both at ports of entry and at inland IRCC offices;
• only complete applications will be forwarded to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), speeding up processing;
• applications will only be considered when the applicant is physically present in Canada;
• the voluntary departure mechanism is simplified — removal orders will now take effect on the day the application is refused or withdrawn;
• vulnerable applicants (e.g., children or people with low awareness) will be assigned representatives to assist them through the process.

New grounds for refusing to consider asylum applications. To prevent abuse and reduce strain on the system, two new criteria for inadmissibility of applications are introduced:

• applications submitted more than a year after arrival in Canada (after June 24, 2020) will not be forwarded to the IRB;
• applications from individuals who illegally crossed the land border from the US and applied for asylum more than 14 days after entry will also not be considered by the IRB.

Both measures apply only to new applications submitted on or after June 3, 2025, and do not constitute a ban on asylum. These applicants will be able to undergo an alternative procedure — Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA). This provides protection against deportation to countries where a person may face torture, persecution, or other serious dangers.