Canada: New Border Security Bill Set to Introduce Stricter Immigration Controls and Asylum Reforms

The Canadian government has introduced the Strong Borders Act, a sweeping bill aimed at enhancing border security and modernizing immigration controls, which is expected to pass soon. While primarily focused on fighting organized crime and improving public safety, the legislation introduces significant changes to the immigration system. Key proposed reforms include broader sharing of immigration data between Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and other federal, provincial, and territorial bodies. This includes the ability to use information from one immigration stream, such as permanent residence, to process others, like citizenship. The Act would also grant new powers to IRCC to respond to national emergencies or public interest concerns. This includes the authority to suspend or cancel groups of immigration documents, halt new application intake, and freeze the processing of applications already underway. The bill also aims to modernize and expedite the asylum system while introducing new limits on who can make a claim, particularly in cases of delayed or irregular entry. More details can be found on the government’s website. We will monitor the legislative process and report on relevant developments and implementation details as they emerge.