The changes were included in the 2024 budget plan.

“The 2024 Budget also proposes to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to simplify and streamline the application process to support faster decisions and faster deportations,” the budget plan says.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said the new measures “will improve the efficiency of the asylum system without compromising fairness or compassion for those in need of protection.” According to the IRB, 46,736 people have applied for asylum in Canada since March 2024. That’s a 62% increase over the same period in 2023. There are 186,000 applications pending. As the number of people seeking asylum increases, so do the wait times, with cases sometimes taking years to process.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) attempts to deport those whose asylum applications have been rejected. As of February of this year, the CBSA had issued more than 28,000 “warrants” to “refusal asylum seekers.”

Mariana V