Canada has issued 575,000 temporary resident permits to people affected by wars, natural disasters since 2022, but few have made refugee claim

Remarkably low numbers making refugee claims compared to international students and other groups:

Canada has issued 575,025 temporary resident permits to people affected by wars, violence and natural disasters through various special measures since 2022, but only a small fraction of them have made a refugee claim, data shows.

While Ottawa has managed to reduce intakes of new international students and foreign workers, and make it more difficult for those already here to extend their stay, it can’t just banish these migrants with temporary refuge in Canada when it’s not safe to send them home. Many of these migrants found themselves stuck in Canada, unable to plan and move on with their lives.

Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion formed the largest group getting temporary humanitarian resettlement to Canada. They were followed by Iranians seeking safety from a crackdown on protesters following the death of a girl arrested allegedly for not wearing hijab, and Hong Kongers looking for refuge from a new national security law.

Other beneficiaries of these humanitarian policies and measures include: victims of earthquakes in Morocco, Turkey and Syria; Palestinians and Israelis affected by war; people displaced from Gaza; Haitians escaping gang violence and lawlessness; Lebanese caught in regional conflicts; and Sudanese fleeing bloodshed.

Data obtained by the Star showed that 1.5 per cent or 8,465 of these humanitarian migrants had sought asylum in Canada up to the end of November, including 1,150 Ukrainians, 205 Gazans and 135 Sudanese. The remaining 6,975 came from the rest of the programs.

These migrant groups make up a chunk of the estimated 2.85 million temporary residents in Canada, a number that Ottawa is struggling to reduce as many of the crises see no end in sight. The government’s goal is to cut the number to under five per cent of the country’s overall population by 2027, from seven per cent in 2024. It was at 6.8 per cent in December based on Statistics Canada estimates.

Ottawa’s international crisis response in recent years, while seen as well-intended, has been under scrutiny as some of these temporary migrants have grown frustrated in prolonged limbo, unable to return home and without permanent residence here.

Meanwhile, Ottawa has reduced its annual humanitarian permanent resident intake from 10,000 in 2025 to 6,900 this year, and 5,000 for 2027 and 2028, leading to a 10-year wait for permanent status; many are ineligible for the increasingly competitive economic immigration streams with overall immigration level cut by 20 per cent.

Migrant groups and experts have criticized the government for the lack of planning and transparency in its crisis response…

Source: Canada has issued 575,000 temporary resident permits to people affected by wars, natural disasters since 2022, but few have made refugee claim