Ottawa places a sensible limit on the right to claim asylum

Agree. Previous approach not sustainable:

…Refugee advocates have said the idea that students here for more than a year are more likely to submit fraudulent claims is unfounded. However, the government shouldn’t wait until problems mount to fix vulnerabilities in the system, especially given that Immigration Ministry staff say the measures are needed to ward off future misuse. 

There are trends that justify pre-emptive action. In 2024, international students filed a record 20,245 asylum claims, six times more than in 2019. In 2024 alone, 720 claims came from students at Conestoga College, which had a massive surge in international enrolment. Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said that last year, 17 per cent of asylum claims came from students. 

Many students who are claiming refugee status are from India, which is also the home of the largest number of international students. There are certainly groups of people at risk from India – about half of refugee claims regarding India were accepted between 2018 and 2024 – but it’s not a country generally considered to be a huge source of refugees. There were just 375 refugee claims from Indian citizens in 2015, compared with 17,180 last year. 

The federal government needs to make sure it can quickly identify legitimate refugees, while at the same time, reduce abuses, such as the recent instance where 14 temporary residents suspected of extortion claimed refugee status to avoid deportation. 

Canada must maintain its status as a safe haven for people facing persecution, and the best way to do that is by carefully managing the immigration system. Streamlining the process for refugee claimants already in Canada is a good step to maintaining the public trust needed to help the world’s most vulnerable.

Source: Ottawa places a sensible limit on the right to claim asylum