1. Fill out the application form

The application form for a Pre-removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) is not available online. A Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer must give you a paper copy. There is no fee to apply.

Read the Guide and follow the instructions on the form.

All your family members in Canada who are age 18 or older and who are also applying for a PRRA must complete their own application.

The form asks for basic personal information, your immigration history, and identity documents.

It's important to get legal help to complete and submit the form.

Check the information

Your PRRA might not be accepted if you give too few details or information that is:

not true, or
different from or not consistent with other information in your immigration file.

Check the information that you provided in any previous applications that you made to:

the (IRB),
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), or
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

For example, in the past you may have made a refugee claim or applied for a work permit or visa. If you made a mistake on a previous application, correct it and explain the mistake in your PRRA. Get legal help to fix any mistakes or inconsistencies.

Give complete information. For example, if you're asked where you lived over the last ten years, do not leave any gaps in time. Answer every question. If something does not apply to you, do not leave it blank. Instead, write “Not applicable”.

If you need more space to answer the question, attach a blank sheet of paper with your number, name, and birth date at the top.

If you do not know an answer, do not guess. Write only what you do know. For example, if you do not remember an exact date, you could write the year and the month and “exact date unknown”.

Explain your fears

The application also asks you to explain the reasons why you're afraid to return to your country. Describe your fears in detail, including:

what you fear will happen
who you fear will harm you
why you believe you are personally at risk
how and why the risk you face is higher than the risk the rest of the people in your country face
why the police in your country cannot protect you
why you cannot live safely anywhere in your country

Family members

You must list all your family members on the application, whether they live in Canada or outside of Canada. If you do not list a family member on the form, they might not be able to stay in Canada or join you later. Exceptions to this rule are rare.