Seeking asylum and refugee status is not a method for you to get around normal immigration regulations and procedures. You must have a legitimate ground or you will be removed from Canada.

Asylum and refugee seekers are required to face a rigorous process in order to determine if they have a legitimate claim.

The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) decides who is a refugee or a person in need of protection.

Convention refugees are those who are outside their home country or the country they normally live in. They’re not able to return because of a well-founded fear of persecution based on

• race
• religion
• political opinion
• nationality
• being part of a social group, such as women or people of a particular sexual orientation

A person in need of protection is a person in Canada who can’t return to their home country safely. If they return, they may face:

• danger of torture
• risk to their life
• risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment