Canada to Change Online Asylum Application Process Starting November 3
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Canada will introduce changes to its online asylum application process on November 3, 2026, affecting people who have started but not yet submitted a refugee protection claim through the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada portal. Applicants with unfinished claims have until 11:59 p.m. ET on November 2 to submit them under the current process.
Under the new system, anyone who begins an asylum claim but does not submit it before the deadline will be required to answer new questions and review information previously entered in the IRCC Portal. Their personal information will remain saved.
Applicants who complete and submit their claims by the November 2 deadline will not be required to provide the newly requested information unless immigration officials contact them for additional details.
The transition also affects some people who initiated an asylum claim with the Canada Border Services Agency and were instructed to complete the process online. Those who have already linked their CBSA claim to an IRCC Portal account but have not submitted it by the deadline will need to review their previous answers and complete the new questions. Their personal information will remain available in the portal.
However, claimants who were instructed by CBSA to finish their application online but have not linked their claim to an IRCC Portal account by 11:59 p.m. ET on November 2 face a different situation. Information previously collected by CBSA will not be saved in the portal, meaning they may have to re-enter details about themselves and family members when completing the claim.
People making an asylum claim from inside Canada are required to use the IRCC Portal to submit their application online, although alternative arrangements are available for people who cannot apply electronically because of accessibility needs.
The November 3 transition is part of the federal government’s broader effort to modernize Canada’s asylum system, including changes intended to simplify online applications and reduce duplicate information requirements.
