On March 26, 2026, Canada’s federal Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act (Bill C-12) officially received royal assent and became law. In an official statement released on March 27, the Canadian government said the legislation would reshape the country’s current immigration and asylum framework in four major ways: by introducing new asylum ineligibility rules, modernizing asylum procedures, expanding domestic information-sharing powers, and equipping the government with stronger tools to manage immigration documents and applications.
1. Federal cabinet gains broader authority over immigration applications and documents
One of the most closely watched changes under the new law is the broader executive authority granted to the Governor in Council. When deemed to be in the public interest, the federal government may now intervene in immigration applications and immigration documents through executive orders. According to the legislative text, “public interest” grounds include administrative errors, fraud, public health, public safety, and national security.
More specifically, the government can now issue orders to:
- stop accepting certain classes of immigration applications;
- suspend the processing of applications already submitted and under review;
- terminate the processing of certain applications;
- cancel, suspend, or vary immigration documents; and
- conduct case-by-case review of foreign nationals holding such documents within the regulatory framework.
The scope of documents covered by the legislation is broad. It explicitly includes permanent resident visas, permanent resident cards, temporary resident visas, electronic travel authorizations (eTAs), temporary resident permits, work permits, and study permits. Official background materials also note that these new powers do not apply to asylum claims themselves, nor do they give the government direct authority to grant or revoke permanent resident status or temporary resident status.
2. Expanded executive power comes with parliamentary oversight
Although the new law expands the federal government’s operational authority, it also introduces reporting and transparency requirements. Under the legislation, whenever the government exercises these new powers through an executive order, the immigration minister must table a report in both houses of Parliament during the next parliamentary session. The report must explain the reasons for the order, the number of applications or documents affected, and a description of the affected individuals or groups. The order must also be published in the Canada Gazette.
In addition, during Senate review, lawmakers supported stronger follow-up oversight. An amendment requires that five years after royal assent, a parliamentary committee review the law’s operation and impact in full, and present recommendations for legislative changes within one year.
3. Two new grounds of ineligibility added to Canada’s asylum system
Bill C-12 also has major implications for Canada’s asylum system. According to IRCC background materials, two new grounds of ineligibility apply to asylum claims made on or after June 3, 2025.
First, a claimant who first entered Canada after June 24, 2020, but waited more than one year after entry to file an asylum claim, will no longer have that claim referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). Second, a person who entered Canada across the Canada–United States land border at a location other than an official port of entry, and who made an asylum claim more than 14 days after entry, will also be barred from having the claim referred to the IRB.
This means Canada has further narrowed the room previously available to irregular border crossers. The government has made clear that these new rules apply to claims made on or after June 3, 2025. However, affected individuals may still apply for a pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA) to avoid being removed to a country where they could face persecution, torture, or other serious harm.
It is also important to note that the government has stated the basic application of the Safe Third Country Agreement remains unchanged. In principle, claimants who file at an official port of entry, or within 14 days of an irregular entry, remain subject to the existing framework unless they qualify for an exception.
4. Asylum procedures also tightened: leaving Canada or being absent may halt a claim
Beyond eligibility restrictions, the law also imposes stricter procedural rules on claims already in the system. According to the bill and IRCC background materials, if a claimant voluntarily returns to the country from which protection is being sought before the IRB has issued a decision, the asylum claim will be deemed abandoned. If the claimant is no longer physically present in Canada, the IRB may not begin — or may have to suspend — proceedings on the claim.
The government has also said that in the coming months it plans to modernize the asylum process further through amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. These changes are expected to include simplified online applications, referral of only complete and hearing-ready cases to the IRB, the cleanup of long-inactive cases, and the enforcement of removal orders on the same day a claim is withdrawn.
5. Information-sharing powers expanded to include identity, immigration status, and document status
Another key change under Bill C-12 is the expansion of domestic information-sharing powers for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). According to the legislation, where a written agreement or arrangement is in place, IRCC may disclose personal information under its control to federal departments, provincial departments, and provincial or federal Crown corporations.
The information that may be shared includes a person’s identity and any changes to it, a person’s immigration status in Canada and any changes to that status, and the content or status of documents issued under the authority of the immigration minister. This may include whether a document has been issued, renewed, restored, validated, varied, refused, cancelled, suspended, revoked, or reported lost.
IRCC has emphasized that such disclosures must be governed by written agreements and are subject to internal safeguards, including privacy impact assessments. Provincial and territorial partners may not further disclose the information to foreign entities without the written authorization of IRCC, and any such disclosure must comply with Canada’s international obligations concerning the risk of mistreatment by foreign entities.
6. Senate sought to narrow information-sharing scope, but change was not retained
During Senate review, lawmakers proposed amendments aimed at more clearly protecting the privacy interests of Canadian citizens and permanent residents in the information-sharing sections of the bill. However, public records from the House of Commons debate on March 26 show that the government ultimately did not accept that Senate approach, and the proposed protective revisions were not included in the final law.
Because currently available official background materials focus mainly on the substance of the enacted law, rather than providing a clause-by-clause record of every rejected amendment, this point is best understood as a significant area of debate during the legislative process rather than a feature of the law now in force.
7. What this means for Canada’s immigration system
From a policy perspective, Bill C-12 is not merely a technical legislative update. It marks a broader shift in Canada’s immigration governance toward stronger executive control, faster institutional response, and tighter gatekeeping at the front end of the asylum system. While the Canadian government describes the law as a tool to strengthen border security and protect the integrity of the immigration system, its practical effect may be to make the outcome of visa, work permit, study permit, permanent resident visa, and asylum applications more vulnerable to federal public-interest determinations.
For international students, work permit holders, temporary residents, and individuals considering or already pursuing asylum claims in Canada, the implementation of Bill C-12 signals a clear rise in policy scrutiny, inter-agency information coordination, and procedural thresholds. As related regulations and operational guidance continue to roll out in the coming months, the law’s real-world impact could expand even further.
