1. Avoid a cessation case
Question and answer
Can I lose my refugee protection?The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) starts cessation cases. They do this when they find out that a did something that suggests they might not need Canada's protection anymore.
For example, the CBSA can start a cessation case against you for any of the following actions:
- you travel to your home country for any reason, even for a short time
- you apply for a new passport from your home country
- you use a passport from your home country to travel to other countries, even if you got the passport before becoming a refugee
- you relocate to your home country, buy a home, or run a business there
- you become a citizen of a new country other than Canada
How CBSA collects information
CBSA collects information for cessation cases in different ways. For example, when you return to Canada after travelling outside of Canada, CBSA can ask you questions about where you went and why.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) also shares information with CBSA. Most IRCC applications require that you share a copy of your most recent passport or travel document. IRCC also collects information about your travel history if you apply for:
- a
- a travel document
- Canadian citizenship
How to avoid a cessation case
As a protected person, you can avoid a cessation case by:
- not travelling to your home country
- not using a passport from your home country, even if you got the passport before becoming a refugee
- not applying for a passport from your home country
- using a Canadian travel document for stateless and protection persons, often called a Refugee Travel Document, when travelling to other countries
- getting legal advice before doing anything that might suggest that you no longer need Canada's protection