Canada: People Seeking Asylum & Safety At Risk

In June 2025, the Canadian government introduced Bill C-2, misleadingly called the “Strong Borders Act” in Parliament. The bill proposes sweeping changes to existing rules around border security, immigration, asylum, customs and law enforcement. 

If passed, Bill C-2 would: 

•    Create a one-year deadline to claim refugee protection in Canada. The bill would prevent people who have been in Canada for more than one year from making a claim for refugee protection that will be heard by the Immigration and Refugee Board, even if their place of origin becomes dangerous after arrival. They could be at risk of deportation to places where their lives and safety are at risk. 

•    Make it even harder for people who cross into Canada from the United States to have their refugee claim heard by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Bill C-2 would remove the exception that previously permitted individuals who entered Canada between official ports of entry to apply for refugee status after 14 days.  

•    Give sweeping powers to federal government ministers to cancel valid immigration documents, including permanent residency, work permits, and study permits, based only on vague claims of “public interest” and without due process or individual assessments. 

•    Expand police and intelligence agencies’ access to people’s private information, regardless of immigration status. 

The Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) between Canada and the United Sates already bars most people crossing into Canada via the United States from seeking refugee protection in Canada, and vice versa. The agreement has forced individuals to attempt dangerous border crossings and has pushed people underground in order to seek safety. Amnesty International and other organizations have consistently called on the Canadian government to withdraw from the STCA, which is now more urgent than ever given the dire situation facing people seeking safety in the United States. Bill C-2 would further restrict the ability of individuals crossing from the US into Canada to seek asylum, and would also severely impact the rights of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in Canada.     

All individuals have the universal human right to seek asylum from persecution and other serious human rights violations. All individuals also have the right not to be returned to places where their life or freedom may be endangered or where they would be at risk of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, regardless of their migration status. This principle, known as non-refoulement, is a protection under customary international, human rights, refugee, and humanitarian law, and requires states to refrain from returning, removing or transferring anyone in any manner whatsoever to their countries of origin or any other location where they would be at real risk of serious human rights violations or abuses.

The changes proposed in Bill C-2 risk violating people’s rights under international law. At a time when countries around the world are increasingly adopting asylum and migration policies which criminalize, stigmatize and punish people seeking safety in violation of their international human rights obligations, the Canadian government must not turn its back on those seeking international protection. The Canadian government must protect the rights of people seeking safety and withdraw Bill C-2 immediately.