November 30, 2012

New Asylum System Comes into Force December 15, 2012

Minister Jason Kenney announced that on December 15, 2012, Canada’s new asylum system which is included in the Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act will come into force. Kenney states that the changes will make Canada’s asylum system faster and fairer. Under the new asylum system, genuine refugees fleeing persecution will receive protection faster, and at the same time false asylum claimants will be removed more quickly. “For too long, Canada’s generous asylum system has been vulnerable to abuse.

Under this new system, asylum claimants will receive a hearing within 60 days after their claim is referred to the IRB and will be removed from Canada within a year of their final decision. In contrast, with the current system, claimants currently wait an average of 600 days to receive a hearing and it generally takes 4.5 years to exhaust all recourses and remove a failed asylum claimant.

Faster removal of failed claimants will help discourage individuals from making bogus claims.

The Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act is expected to save provinces and territories $1.6 billion over the five years in social assistance and education costs.

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