2. Learn if you’re allowed to make a refugee claim

After you make a refugee claim, you have an eligibility interview. You're asked questions to make sure you're eligible to make a refugee claim.

If you make your claim at a Port of Entry, such as an international airport or border, a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer interviews you there.

Port-of-Entry refugee claim flowchart

CLEO

Learn how to make a refugee claim at an airport, marine port, or border

To make a refugee claim from inside Canada, you use the online Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) portal. After sending in your claim, you get an appointment to have your eligibility interview with an IRCC officer.

Inland refugee claim flowchart

CLEO

Learn how to make a refugee claim in Canada

If you’re eligible

If the officer decides that you're eligible to make a refugee claim, you will have a refugee hearing at the Refugee Protection Division.

If you’re not eligible

If the officer decides that you're not eligible to make a refugee claim, you will not be allowed to make one. And, you could be detained if you do not have valid immigration status.

There's more information about the reasons that you might not be eligible to make a refugee claim in Can I make a refugee claim in Canada? Here are a few examples.

Safe third country rule

The Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) stops some people from making a refugee claim if they entered Canada from the United States (U.S.). But you can make your claim in Canada if you can show that you meet an exception to the STCA.

Once-in-a-lifetime rule

The law says that people can only ever make one refugee claim in Canada. So if you already made a claim, you cannot make another one.

Claim in another country

You cannot make a refugee claim in Canada if another country found you to be a Convention refugee and you can return there.

You also cannot make a refugee claim in Canada if Canada gets confirmation that you made a refugee claim in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, or New Zealand. That's true even if that country did not accept or decide your claim. But you can apply for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) to explain why you're afraid to return to your country.