Canada offers refugee protection to people who face persecution, torture, a risk to life, or cruel and unusual treatment or punishment. We help clients understand whether they may be eligible to claim asylum from inside Canada or pursue protection from outside Canada through a resettlement pathway.
If you are afraid to return to your country, the refugee process can feel overwhelming and deeply personal. You may need to explain your fear, organize evidence, understand forms and deadlines, and prepare for questions about your story and documents.
This service is for people who need careful, respectful guidance before or during a refugee claim process.
Canada offers refugee protection to people who face persecution, torture, a risk to life, or cruel and unusual treatment or punishment. We help clients understand whether they may be eligible to claim asylum from inside Canada or pursue protection from outside Canada through a resettlement pathway.
You may qualify for refugee protection in Canada if you fear returning to your country because of:
You can make a claim at a port of entry or, if you are already in Canada, through the IRCC refugee portal process. IRCC or CBSA first decides whether your claim is eligible to be referred to the Refugee Protection Division (RPD).
You will appear before a member of the Refugee Protection Division (RPD). This is a formal hearing where you present your case and evidence. We prepare you thoroughly and represent you at the hearing.
If accepted, you become a protected person and can apply for permanent residence. If refused, you may have access to the Refugee Appeal Division or other post-decision remedies depending on the circumstances.
For applicants outside Canada, resettlement may be possible through government-assisted or privately sponsored refugee programs. In many cases, overseas refugees must be referred by UNHCR, a designated referral organization, or a private sponsor.
Refugee files require careful attention to personal history, credibility, identity documents, country conditions, timelines, and consistency. RA Migration understands that clients need both technical guidance and respectful communication in these matters.
We help organize documents, explain process steps, identify gaps, and prepare the file in a way that is clear and honest. We do not promise protection or outcomes, but we help clients prepare seriously and carefully.
If you need support with a refugee matter, RA Migration can help you understand the process and prepare with care.
In most cases, yes. If the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board denies your claim, you generally have the right to appeal to the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD). The appeal must be filed within 15 days of receiving written reasons for the RPD decision, and a full appeal record including written submissions is generally due within 30 days of the notice of appeal. These deadlines are strict, and missing them is often fatal to the appeal.
Not everyone has RAD access. Designated Foreign Nationals, claims found to be manifestly unfounded or with no credible basis, and claims from certain safe country agreements may be barred. If you’re barred from RAD, your only option is judicial review at the Federal Court. Our lead consultant is authorized to represent clients before the IRB.
A Pre‑Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) is often the last chance to stop a removal. It’s an application to IRCC asking them to assess whether returning you to your country would expose you to persecution, torture, risk to life, or cruel and unusual treatment. You cannot simply choose to apply. CBSA will notify you of your eligibility when removal proceedings begin and provide you with the application kit.
There is generally a 12‑month bar. If your refugee claim or a previous PRRA was refused, abandoned, or withdrawn, you typically cannot apply again for 12 months. IRCC maintains a list of country‑specific exemptions that change over time.
Deadlines are extremely tight, usually 15 days if you received the kit in person, or up to 22 to 30 days by mail. PRRAs are almost always decided on paper, not at a hearing, so the quality of written submissions and supporting evidence is everything. Approval rates are historically lower than RPD hearings. If you’ve received a PRRA notification or are facing imminent removal, do not wait.
Yes, potentially, and this is one of the most urgent developments in Canadian refugee law. Bill C‑12, the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act, received royal assent on March 26, 2026. It creates two new eligibility bars that stop certain claims from being referred to the Refugee Protection Division (RPD):
The one‑year rule: A claim made more than one year after your first entry into Canada after June 24, 2020 is ineligible for the RPD, regardless of whether you left and returned.
The 14‑day rule: A claim made by someone who entered between ports of entry along the Canada to US land border and filed more than 14 days later is ineligible for the RPD.
The critical part for your question: these bars apply retroactively to claims made on or after June 3, 2025, INCLUDING claims already referred to the RPD. IRCC has already started issuing procedural fairness letters to affected claimants, some received them within days of the bill becoming law. If you fall into one of these categories, your RPD claim can be terminated even though it was already in progress.
People affected by the new bars are redirected to the Pre‑Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) process instead of a full RPD hearing. PRRA approval rates are historically much lower than RPD approval rates, and decisions are almost always made on paper. Constitutional challenges to Bill C‑12 are underway, but outcomes will take time.
If you’ve made a refugee claim and either rule could apply to you, contact us immediately, especially if you’ve received any procedural fairness letter from IRCC. The sooner we respond, the more options you have.
A Refugee Travel Document is a passport‑like document issued by the Government of Canada to people who have been granted protected person status and cannot safely obtain a passport from their country of origin. It’s the document that lets protected persons travel internationally.
You can apply for a Refugee Travel Document once you are a protected person in Canada, meaning your refugee claim has been accepted by the Refugee Protection Division or you’ve received a positive PRRA decision, OR once you’ve become a permanent resident through the refugee or protected person stream and still cannot obtain a national passport. You apply through Passport Canada using the dedicated Refugee Travel Document form.
Important caveats: a Refugee Travel Document cannot be used to travel to the country you fled from. Doing so can undermine your protected status and put your PR or citizenship applications at risk. Once you become a Canadian citizen, you switch to a regular Canadian passport.
It’s almost never over, but the clock is ticking, and the right move depends entirely on what you were refused for and which program. Your options may include:
Reapplying with a stronger file (often the fastest route if the refusal was about missing evidence or a weak explanation).
An appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD), available for certain family sponsorship refusals, removal orders, and residency obligation cases.
Judicial review at the Federal Court, a legal challenge arguing the officer made an unreasonable decision or breached procedural fairness. Strict 15 or 60 day deadline.
A humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) application if there are exceptional circumstances.
The first thing to do after a refusal is get the officer’s notes (the GCMS notes). They reveal why the file was actually refused. Don’t reapply blindly.
