CIMM – Asylum Seekers at the Border – February 7, 2024

Key Facts And Figures

• Approximately 144,950 asylum claims were received between January 1 and December 31, 2023, of which approximately 70,500 were made inland. This represents a 57% increase in asylum claims in 2023 compared to 2022 (92,000) and more than double pre-pandemic volumes (approximately 64,000 claims in 2019).
• Irregular asylum claims have dropped significantly since March 25, 2023, when the Safe Third Country Agreement’s (STCA) application was expanded (from 165 claims per day in March 2023 to an average of 12 per day) – approximately 17,300 between January 1 and December 31, 2023, compared to approximately 40,200 irregular arrivals in 2022.

Key Messages

• Global displacement is at a historic high, with over 110M people on the move due to rising instability internationally. While claims at ports of entry and inland have increased, irregular arrivals at the land border have significantly declined, since we expanded the application of the STCA last March.
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) supports the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in their efforts to detect and disrupt human smuggling networks, and to combat international criminal organizations that seek to profit from the desperation and vulnerability of others.
• The Government of Canada strongly discourages irregular crossings, which can be risky and dangerous. We encourage persons interested in coming to Canada to use regular immigration pathways.
• The Government continues to bolster humanitarian and economic pathways, while working with the United States and international partners to address the root causes of forced displacement.

Supplementary Messages

• Canada cooperates closely with international partners to prevent and disrupt smuggling attempts destined for Canada by land, air, or sea. The federal government will continue to work with domestic law enforcement agencies and international partners to uphold the rule of law.
• Canada is party to the United Nations Protocol against Migrant Smuggling by Land, Sea and Air, which requires States Parties to criminalize, prevent and combat this illegal activity.

Supplementary Information

• IRCC detects and corrects misinformation regarding Canada’s asylum and immigration programs, while promoting regular immigration pathways.
• The Government acknowledged that there was a risk that the expansion of the STCA may incentivize asylum claimants to try to enter Canada undetected to evade the application of the STCA, possibly leading them to seek assistance from human smugglers or taking dangerous routes.
• However, while human smuggling of individuals into the United States from Canada continues to be the subject of media reports and United States concern, many of these individuals appear to be crossing into the United States for reasons other than to seek asylum, such as economic migration, reunification with family or even criminality.
• IRCC continues to work with the RCMP and CBSA to monitor trends in asylum claims that may indicate the involvement of human smuggling networks, with a view to supporting their border management mandates and inform disruption efforts. This includes working with both organizations to help understand the routes, and monitor changes in irregular crossings smugglers are using to enter Canada along the border.
• In addition to the RCMP and CBSA’s work with the United States and domestic law enforcement partners along the border, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) coordinates a whole-of-government Migrant Smuggling Prevention Strategy to engage partners internationally.
• The Strategy leverages diplomacy and capacity building, as well as law enforcement, intelligence, border management, and voluntary return assistance to prevent and disrupt specific migrant smuggling operations, and dismantle organized criminal smuggling networks that target Canada as a destination. [Redaction]