As of October 1, 2022, non-vaccinated asylum claimants are no longer required to quarantine.
IRCC will continue to provide accommodations to asylum claimants arriving through Roxham Road near Lacolle, Quebec, and from the Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, on a temporary basis, when provincial shelters are full.
Providing social services, including longer-term housing, remains the responsibility of the provinces and municipalities.
We remain committed to fulfilling our obligations with regard to refugees, while continuing to work in close collaboration with the affected provinces to provide support and develop shared solutions.
Supplementary Messages
Temporary accommodations post October 1, 2022
On October 1, 2022, the Government of Canada removed the last remaining COVID-19 border and travel measures. Although asylum claimants are no longer required to quarantine, IRCC will continue to temporarily accommodate asylum claimants in its hotels until they are able to find alternative accommodations or until space is available in the provincial shelters.
It is expected that Quebec will continue to see large volumes of asylum claimants. The number of asylum claimants arriving through Roxham Road is consistently tracking along the upper range of projections, and the number of airport arrivals at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal has increased significantly in 2022 and is expected to continue to increase in the coming months, as they historically rise in the fall.
The Department has reassured and advised the provinces of Quebec and Ontario that, in order to backstop provincial capacity and help manage the pressures associated with a high volume of asylum claimants arriving in Quebec, IRCC will continue to play a role in providing temporary accommodations to asylum claimants for the foreseeable future.
Supporting Facts And Figures
Temporary accommodations
Currently, IRCC holds leases and contracts with 23 hotels across Canada with a capacity of over 2,400 rooms and has contracts with service providers in order to provide temporary accommodation to asylum claimants until they secure private accommodation or while they await transfer to a provincial shelter.
From April 2020 to September 30, 2022, IRCC has provided temporary accommodations to over 24,000 asylum claimants, and as of September 30, 2022 the Department was accommodating over 4,100 claimants.
Since April 2017, more asylum claimants have arrived between the ports of entry in Quebec, predominantly at Roxham Road (over 84,000 as of September 30, 2022) than all other points of entry into Canada combined (over 67,000 at air, land and marine ports of entry from January 1, 2017 to September 30, 2022).
The province with the second highest volume of irregular asylum claimants is British Columbia with over 2,600 irregular claimants arriving from April 2017 to September 30, 2022. As of September 30, 2022, B.C. has received just over 400 irregular arrivals.
From April 2017 to September 30, 2022, IRCC spent $269.4M on accommodations, security, health and transportation costs related to Roxham Road.
Background
Irregular migrants at the border and temporary accommodations
From late 2017 to early 2020 (prior to the pandemic), IRCC had provided temporary accommodations to asylum claimants arriving between ports of entry near Lacolle Quebec on an ad hoc basis to support the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) while they completed asylum intake processing, which took from 24-48 hours. Claimants were housed onsite at the Lacolle port of entry in the CBSA’s winterized trailers and when needed, at the Auberge which was leased by IRCC.
In April 2020, IRCC began providing temporary accommodations and support services to asylum claimants who did not have a suitable quarantine plan until these requirements were lifted on October 1, 2022.
With the surge in arrivals at Roxham Road since the border reopened in November 2021 and the resulting pressures on Quebec’s shelter system, IRCC rapidly expanded its hotel footprint in the Greater Montreal area and in Ontario to accommodate the influx of asylum claimants.
At the same time, following Ministerial commitments to the Quebec government, IRCC also began providing temporary accommodations and support services to asylum claimants who had completed their quarantine period, as well as claimants who were fully vaccinated, until they were able to secure private accommodation or be transferred to a provincial shelter.
At the beginning of July 2022, IRCC began transferring some claimants to IRCC hotel sites in Ontario in order to help manage the pressures associated with high volumes of asylum claimants arriving in Quebec. These transfers are done on a voluntary basis for asylum claimants who have indicated their intention to settle in Ontario or further West, or in case of an emergency situation, these transfers include any asylum claimants should IRCC hotels in Quebec be at full capacity.
For the time being, IRCC continues to provide temporary accommodations and basic support services to asylum claimants arriving in Quebec, even though the pandemic-related Order-in-Councils have ended, if they have nowhere else to go for shelter. Given that Quebec receives more than 95% of all between the port claimants to Canada, this will continue to alleviate pressure on Quebec’s shelter system in the interim.
IRCC continues to work closely with the province of Quebec which is an essential partner in managing the flow of irregular migrants and in providing temporary housing, social services and education to asylum claimants.
Impacts on mental health for long term stays in hotels
Multiple resources and responsive measures have been put in place to ensure that asylum claimants’ mental health is addressed and taken care of while they are staying in our hotels. IRCC currently has resources for mobile crisis units listed in our standard operating procedures that claimants can be referred to when necessary. Claimants also have coverage for mental health services under the Interim Federal Health Program, which includes interpretation services as well. Lastly, IRCC is currently working with a Canadian research network operating a community-based psychosocial support program in Montreal meant to bring mental health support to asylum seekers in their communities in an easily accessible way, especially for families and parents with children.
Asylum seeker transfers from Quebec to Ontario
IRCC does not prevent asylum claimants from traveling from one province to another and has been facilitating the transfer claimants who indicated, on arrival to Canada, that their final province of destination was Ontario or further west, from Quebec to Ontario. Claimants already staying with the Programme régional d’accueil et d’intégration des demandeurs d’asile (PRAIDA) are not provided with transportation from their sites to Ontario, so it is possible this specific scenario may have led to miscommunication in the claimants’ ability to go to Ontario.
We can confirm that IRCC does transfer claimants from its hotel sites to PRAIDA in a coordinated way and on a regular basis. However, if a claimant leaves an IRCC hotel independently for either private accommodations or to try to find space at PRAIDA, it is for PRAIDA to decide whether they are eligible to be accommodated in their sites. PRAIDA has stringent eligibility requirements, which the claimant may or may not meet. IRCC cannot speak on PRAIDA’s behalf as to reasons why a person might be denied accommodation.
