Canada has recently implemented significant changes to its immigration system through a new bill that has now become law. The bill, known as C-12, grants the Governor in Council extensive powers over immigration applications, documents, and temporary residents.

The Act allows for various executive actions, including the authority to halt, suspend, or terminate processing of immigration applications, modify immigration documents like work permits and study permits, and impose conditions on temporary residents.

These powers can be exercised in cases related to administrative errors, fraud, public health, safety, or national security, with oversight from Parliament through mandatory reporting by the immigration minister.

Furthermore, the bill introduces changes to Canada’s asylum system, introducing new grounds for ineligibility such as late claims and claims by irregular crossers from the Canada-United States border.

Notably, these new ineligibility criteria apply retroactively to claims made after a specific date, impacting claimants who entered Canada after June 24, 2020. Ineligible claims cannot be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board, but claimants can still seek pre-removal risk assessments.