Canada’s refugee system is regulated mainly by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and consists of the Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program, for refugees seeking protection from outside of Canada, and the In-Canada Asylum Program for person who make their claims from inside the country. Most quotas or allocations of refugees are supported by the Government Assisted Refugee program where either the Government of Canada or Province of Quebec provides the initial support and assistance to refugees being resettled in Canada. In addition, Canada allows private organizations or persons to identify and sponsor individuals who meet the admissibility and eligibility requirements under Canadian law. Canada works closely with the UNHCR along with private sponsors to identify refugees for resettlement.
Canada’s refugee system is regulated mainly by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and consists of the Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program, for refugees seeking protection from outside of Canada, and the In-Canada Asylum Program for person who make their claims from inside the country. Most quotas or allocations of refugees are supported by the Government Assisted Refugee program where either the Government of Canada or Province of Quebec provides the initial support and assistance to refugees being resettled in Canada. In addition, Canada allows private organizations or persons to identify and sponsor individuals who meet the admissibility and eligibility requirements under Canadian law. Canada works closely with the UNHCR along with private sponsors to identify refugees for resettlement.
Refugee claimants declined nearly half from almost 20,500 in 2012 to 10,380 in 2013. In 2013, Canada dropped to sixteenth place as a destination for refugee claimants. In 2014, Canada registered 13,500 new applications, about one-third more than in 2013, and moved to fifteenth place. The UNHCR has noted that Canada was one of the countries that “featured among the top-10 recipient countries a few years ago but have registered significantly lower numbers of asylum-seekers in recent years. This can potentially be the result of reforms of law and asylum policies.”
Did You Know?
From 2015, the government has agreed to accept up to “14,500 resettled refugees, out of a total of 285,000 new immigrants” every year. Canada works closely with the UNHCR along with private sponsors to identify refugees for resettlement.