The reform, known as Bill C-12, bars people from making refugee claims if more than one year has passed since their first entry into Canada. The law applies retroactively to June 24, 2020, and affects claims filed on or after June 3, 2025. Advocates estimate nearly 30,000 asylum seekers have received procedural fairness letters warning their claims may no longer qualify for review.
Immigration officials say the letters are not deportation notices, but rather requests for additional information before decisions are made. Lawyers and refugee advocates argue the law disproportionately impacts 2SLGBTQ+ people, survivors of domestic violence, and others whose circumstances changed after arriving in Canada. Many claimants initially enter the country on student or work visas and later realize returning home could put them at risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. One Pakistani claimant, identified only as Ahmed, told CBC he fears returning home after experiencing violence and threats related to his sexuality.
Same-sex relations remain criminalized in Pakistan, where human rights organizations have documented discrimination and violence against queer people. Under the previous system, refugee claimants typically received in-person hearings before the Immigration and Refugee Board. Under the new law, many may instead face a paper-based pre-removal risk assessment with limited appeal options. Advocacy groups are calling on the Canadian government to create exemptions for vulnerable claimants, including LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, but no such exemptions have been announced so far.
