Canada is thinking about making new rules for asylum seekers to speed up deportation of people whose asylum claims are rejected.
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Rise in Asylum Claims by International Students
Recently, there’s been a big increase in the number of international students asking for asylum in Canada. It’s gone up by about 1500%. Some people worry that these students are only asking for asylum to stay in Canada longer after their student visas expire.
A big news company in Canada, Global News, says that two weeks ago, the government hinted at these changes in the 2024 budget. This came at a time when more people than ever were seeking asylum in Canada.
Budget Proposal for Streamlined Process
The budget said, “To make decisions and removals faster, Budget 2024 also suggests changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to make the process simpler and faster.”
An expert on immigration and refugees, Chantal Desloges, said in an interview with Global News, “Whenever the government talks about making things more efficient, it usually means people’s rights might be sacrificed for the sake of getting things done faster.”
Surge in Asylum Seekers
Since March of this year, nearly 47,000 people have asked for asylum in Canada. That’s 62% more than the same time last year, and the government says there’s a backlog of 186,000 cases of asylum seekers.
Part of the problem with housing in Canada has to do with more people coming temporarily to the country.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said earlier this month that too many people are coming temporarily, and Canada can’t handle it.
The time people have to wait for a decision on their asylum claim is getting longer because there are more and more applications. Sometimes, it takes years for the government to make a decision.
Challenges in Deportations
It’s been hard for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to send back asylum seekers whose asylum claims are denied.
As of February, there were more than 28,000 warrants issued for people whose claims were denied.
To try to deal with the backlog of 186,000 asylum seeker cases, the Canadian government has promised $743.5 million over five years to the CBSA, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB).
Last year, there were over 141,000 asylum applications. “The IRB can handle about 50,000 asylum claims a year,” said Creates. “But with 140,000 last year, they don’t have enough resources. They need three times more money and people to handle all the cases.”
Government Initiatives
The government has announced a few new plans, including changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The immigration minister has put a limit on how many hours foreign students can work, made it harder for Mexicans to come to Canada without a visa, and reduced the number of hours temporary workers can work each week.
So far, the minister hasn’t said anything about changing the rules for asylum seekers, but it’s possible that new rules could come in the next few months to make the process faster and simpler.