Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 160, Number 25: Regulations Amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (Asylum System Reform)
REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS STATEMENT
Summary
This is a proposed set of regulatory changes to how people apply for refugee protection inside Canada. The rules would create a single online application, set deadlines for sending documents, limit how long ministers have to check claims for security or fraud, and make it easier for some claimants to get work permits sooner.
What it does
The proposal would: introduce one online form and a 60-day deadline (plus one 30-day extension) to submit required documents; give ministers up to 365 days to finish integrity and security checks before a claim is sent to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB); require rules for when a withdrawn claim can be reinstated and when a claim is abandoned; set out when a designated representative must be appointed for people who cannot understand proceedings and how they are chosen and paid; allow work permits once a claim is found eligible to be referred to the IRB (rather than waiting for referral); create two exceptions to new ineligibility rules (for unaccompanied minors and for people who already submitted documents within one year of entry); transfer hearing-scheduling power to the IRB and remove some regulated time limits; and remove old references to the Designated Country of Origin regime. The text in the Canada Gazette presents these as proposed regulatory amendments to put into operation recent legislative changes from the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration Systems and Borders Act (which received royal assent March 26, 2026).
Who it affects
Primary: people inside Canada making refugee (asylum) claims and their family members. Also affected: refugee lawyers and community groups that support claimants, employers (because of earlier work permits), and the government agencies that run the system (IRCC, CBSA, IRB). It may also affect people trying to use the Canada–U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement family exception. If anything is unclear about who is affected, the Gazette text is explicit that these are proposed regulatory changes and some details will depend on final rules.
Why it matters
If adopted, the changes aim to speed up processing and reduce duplication, which could shorten wait times and move people into work faster. Deadlines and a fixed time for ministerial checks could help clear backlogs, but they also create new timing risks: missing the document deadline or other requirements could lead to a claim being treated as abandoned or ineligible. The formal rules on designated representatives are meant to protect minors and people who don’t understand proceedings, and the exceptions for minors are intended to avoid unfairly blocking those claims.
Key dates
- Published
- June 20, 2026
- Comment deadline
- Unclear
- Effective date
- Unclear
Source: Canada Gazette