Asylum System Reform Regulations

Summary#

This is a proposed set of changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations that would put parts of the recent asylum law reforms into practice. The proposal was published on June 20, 2026 and aims to speed up and simplify how people claim asylum in Canada while setting new time limits and rules for parts of the process.

What it does#

• Creates a single online application for people claiming refugee protection and sets a deadline of 60 calendar days to submit required documents, with a one-time 30 calendar day extension available.
• Limits how long the government has to complete screening and checks (called Minister’s Due Diligence) before a claim is sent to the tribunal: 365 days, with some exceptions for operational limits.
• Allows the government to send incomplete or withdrawn claims to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) so the IRB can decide if they are abandoned, and lets the Minister reinstate some withdrawn claims under set conditions.
• Sets rules for appointing and paying a designated representative for minors or adults who cannot understand proceedings. It also lists the representative’s duties.
• Makes it clearer that work permits can be issued earlier — as soon as a claim is found eligible for referral to the IRB and required documents (including medical exam) are submitted.
• Creates two exceptions to new ineligibility rules:
  • an exception for unaccompanied minors; and
  • an exception for people who submitted documents to the Minister within one year of first entering Canada (after June 24, 2020) but had not yet completed an in-person meeting.
• Clarifies how the Canada–U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement and its Additional Protocol apply under the new timelines to protect family-member exceptions and the 14‑day counting rule.
• Transfers scheduling authority for IRB hearings to the IRB and removes some regulated time limits for hearing dates and decisions.
• Removes old references to the Designated Country of Origin regime that are no longer in effect.

Who's affected#

• Asylum claimants in Canada. The new deadlines and one online form will change how quickly claimants must prepare and submit documents.
• Unaccompanied minors — they would keep an explicit exception to the new ineligibility rules.
• People who enter irregularly from the U.S. and those who wait more than one year after first entry to make a claim (unless an exception applies).
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) — they would make operational changes and incur costs to implement the new rules.
• People who act as designated representatives and lawyers or legal aid services that help claimants.
• The general public may notice impacts through faster or different processing of asylum claims; the proposal does not target businesses.

Why it matters#

• The government says the changes are designed to reduce backlog and long waits in the asylum system and to make decisions happen faster and with clearer information available to the IRB before hearings.
• Claimants will face firmer deadlines to submit documents. That can speed cases for people who can meet the deadlines, but it may be harder for people with limited resources or disrupted lives.
• The proposal keeps earlier access to work permits for eligible claimants, which affects claimants’ ability to support themselves.
• The government estimates new implementation costs of about $14.0 million (present value) over 10 years (detailed as $14,031,338 PV).
• This is a proposal, not final law. The Canada Gazette notice invites comments for 30 days from publication (June 20, 2026), so input was due by July 20, 2026.